Brown smiles through the good times and bad
Ronnie Brown's London Bridge-sized smile never strays, even in the most dismal of times.
The ear-to-ear grin didn't leave him when the Dolphins tailback started his third season slowly, gaining 65 yards on 22 carries in two games. On Sunday, Brown had 112 yards and 2 TDs on 23 carries and added six catches for 99 yards and a TD for the 0-3 Dolphins.
He wasn't overly impressed, but the smile was ever-present.
"Individual performances are good, but not until your team starts doing good," said Brown.
Brown said the best thing his critics-quieting performance does is give the offense something to build upon.
Brown's 76 rushing yards in the first half enabled the Dolphins to keep the Jets' defense on its heels with play-action passing all game.
"We did a good job mixing it up with the run and pass," Brown said. "We've got to continue to build on the things we did well, and [fix] the things we didn't do so well. We still have a long ways to go as a team, and if we continue to build and put it together, we'll put ourselves in a good situation."
Brown contributed 20 of the Dolphins' 28 points; he scored on a two-point conversion midway through the fourth quarter. It came on the courtesy of the Statue of Liberty play the offense debuted in the exhibition win over Jacksonville.
Risky business
MLB Zach Thomas sat out because of a concussion he suffered early during last Sunday's loss to Dallas. Thomas told Fox Sports the only thing that prevented him from forcing his way onto the field was the education the NFL has provided players about the long-term effects of concussions.
"I'm not going to chance it anymore," said Thomas, who suffered a handful of concussions early in his career.
Longtime Jets WR Wayne Chrebet, who was forced into early retirement in 2006 because of repeated concussions, said he can relate.
"I feel for him. It's tough, because it's not something people see. It's not like a limp or a cast. They don't know what you're going through," said Chrebet, whom the Jets honored at halftime. "Hopefully he waits a good amount of time before he comes back. We all want to play. We do whatever it takes to play."
Ted Ginn Jr. sees some action
WR Ted Ginn Jr., whom the Dolphins' selected with the No. 9 pick in this year's draft, saw his most extensive action of the season.
Ted Ginn Jr. spent most of the game sprinting downfield on streak routes but caught his first pass of the regular season in the fourth when QB Trent Green found him on a quick hitch in the fourth quarter. Ted Ginn Jr. caught the ball around near the line of scrimmage and sprinted 15 yards upfield.
"It was great to be out there playing football and having fun," said Ted Ginn Jr., who returned three kickoffs for 80 yards.
Depth chart changes
CB Michael Lehan started his first game of the season, replacing Travis Daniels. Daniels was moved to safety in place of Travares Tillman. LB Donnie Spragan started at weakside linebacker and led the team with 11 tackles, filling in for Channing Crowder, who replaced Thomas as the middle linebacker and contributed nine tackles.
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