Nate Jones News

Here are your updates on the Miami Dolphins' ever-evolving roster/injury list: () Starting center Jake Grove sat out the media portion of this morning's Bubble-icious practice.

Miami's Randy Starks and Phillip Merling react to a sack of Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme.

That troubling trend continued Sunday in a 25-23 win over Tampa Bay, which waited until the final 15 minutes to turn a one-sided game into a cliffhanger for a Miami squad still clinging to playoff hopes.

You learned a little more about the upside of Chad Henne on Sunday. It started when he threw the one pass he couldna t throw, the one Tampa Bay linebacker Quincy Black intercepted at the Dolphinsa 26-yard line with 1:52 left.

The question wasn't antagonistic or misleading: What makes Patriots quarterback Tom Brady such a difficult threat to defend? Yet Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter stood in thought, biting his bottom lip, trying to decide how to answer it.

Sunday's loss dumped the Dolphins on a familiar street corner in a bad neighborhood: two games under .500 and needing to make almost every move the right one to get where they want to go.

That hard conclusion faced the Dolphins Monday, even before the team film review of Sunday's 27-17 loss to New England.

Something A- or someone A- has gotten lost in all this talk about the rapid midseason rise of rookie safety Chris Clemons .

Miami Dolphins quarterback Pat White hands the ball off during the fourth quarter of a preseason NFL football game in Miami Monday, Aug.

Yes, NFL organizations need to make the most of free agency, the draft, even the waiver wire.

When Tony Sparano, a coach for 11 seasons in the NFL, was asked last week if he had ever been with a team that started two rookie cornerbacks, he thought for a minute, said no and then fixed the questioner with a glare.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston is taken down by Miami Dolphins safety Tyrone Culver and cornerback Nate Jones, below, during the second quarter of Sunday's game.

So it was good to hear Tony Sparano admit Monday he made a mistake with the strange time-out just before halftime Sunday against New Orleans.

The Miami Dolphins could start two rookie cornerbacks the rest of the season. Veteran Will Allen, who has served as a starting cornerback for more than three seasons, suffered a season-ending left knee injury during the third quarter of Sunday's 46-34 loss to the Saints, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano confirmed Monday morning.

I'm like a lot of people in this building; I'm shocked at what I just witnessed.

There was so much going right for the Dolphins against the undefeated Saints. They followed their game plan -- come out fast, run the ball, bring the pressure, jump ahead -- nearly perfectly and forced the Saints to play from behind for the first time all season.

Nearly 40 years ago, when coach Don Shula and his Dolphins ruled the NFL, the offense took on an attitude that it couldn't be stopped.

The Dolphins are only five games into the season, but the defense has already faced some of the NFL 's toughest quarterbacks.

"No. I just think that ... you would have to ask them. At the end of the whole thing, the Saints are where they are for a reason.

Pile the statistics one on top of the other, and it's clear that what the New Orleans Saints do on offense could be positively intimidating.