Dolphins' rookies have an impact

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http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/miami-dolphins/story/635966.html

Dolphins' rookies have an impact

BY DAVID J. NEAL
Miami Herald

If you are looking for reasons to be optimistic about the four rookies who started along the Dolphins' interior lines Saturday night, it is not that the coaching staff felt good enough about them to start them. It is that they didn't feel out of place and didn't strike their peers as being out of place.

When the Dolphins took offensive tackle Jake Long No. 1 overall in April's draft, everyone knew he would start every game at left tackle until he showed he couldn't. He played the whole first half. But, down the line at right guard, there was sixth-round pick Donald Thomas. On the defensive line, a hamstring injury to defensive end Vonnie Holliday and linebacker Joey Porter getting the night off, led to second-round pick Phillip Merling and fourth-round pick Kendall Langford starting at defensive ends.

Merling and Langford combined for a short-yardage stuffing of Tampa Bay running back Michael Bennett on the second possession, and Merling later cleaned up a mess created by nose guard Paul Soliai to hold Kenneth Darby to 1 yard. Especially on the first two possessions, they were able to get a good push on the pass rush.

''They worked hard,'' Dolphins nose guard Jason Ferguson said of Langford and Merling. ``They didn't play like they were trying to not make mistakes. Sometimes, rookies play a little slow because they're worried about making mistakes. These guys played 100 mph, played hard. They're rookies. They're going to make mistakes. At the same time, if you make a mistake going 100 mph, it looks a lot better.''

None had nerves before the game. Langford and Merling said they were more anxious than nervous. As for Long, ``I've never gotten nervous before games before. I felt confident, and was very excited.''

The only obvious error belonged to Long, and it wasn't necessarily a rookie mistake -- he was penalized for a false start to turn a second-and-10 into second-and-15.

''I don't know what I was doing,'' chuckled Long, who had only one false start and one holding penalty in four years at Michigan. ``I just lost the count in my head and just jumped.''

A BIG EFFORT

After Ricky Williams' first carry in Dolphin Stadium since the 2005 season, the crowd gave a loud cheer that clearly wasn't only for a 2-yard carry.

It also was a welcoming back.

Williams ran for 31 yards on five carries after Ronnie Brown took the first two series in his own return, his first game action since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament last October. Brown got stuffed for 4 yards on three carries.

''I felt pretty good,'' Brown said. 'It's kind of weird. I felt good throughout camp and just coming in today, every now and then, I got a little soreness. I expected a little bit of that during the game, but coming out, I felt really good. I was surprised. It's kind of like, `hold on, where's the soreness at?' ''