Archives for October 17, 2002

‘”Ray has a lot of confidence,” said receiver Dedric Ward, who also played with Lucas with the Jets. “He is never going to let you think he is struggling. There isn’t a guy in the locker room who thinks he can make more plays than Ray.”‘

‘If Gadsden has surgery for the unspecified injury, he’ll be out for the season, according to an NFL source. If he opts to forgo surgery, he could return later this year. The Dolphins are expected to speak with Gadsden’s doctors today to decide on a course of action.’

‘"It’s what you call hazards of the job," Rodgers said. Safety Brock Marion called the hit "the nature of the beast."’

‘Three decades ago, Briscoe came to the Dolphins from Buffalo as a star receiver. But he thought of himself first as a quarterback and so did others. In fact, whenever they meet today, Joe Namath never calls Briscoe by name. "The Quarterback," Namath calls him, showing Briscoe that his mark was left among some who matter most.’

‘Former Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman is available, and he does keep in touch with Dolphins offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who coached him in Dallas, on a regular basis.’

‘The truth is Lucas played well enough during the exhibition season while Fiedler was absent after hip surgery that a debate could have begun about who deserved the starting job at the start of the season. If an underlying dissenting current did exist, Lucas wasn’t part of it. He expressed belief in his own ability — and said he considers himself capable of being a starter — but always called it Fiedler’s position.’

‘He is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Buffalo, and wide receiver coach Robert Ford said the wrist is not broken but there is ligament damage.’

‘"Ray was a perfect fit for Bill Parcells," said Buffalo quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who will face his former New England teammate when the Bills visit Pro Player Stadium on Sunday. "Bill just absolutely loved the guy. He would do whatever he could to get noticed on film to make a play. He would always find a way to show up and that’s really what kept him around. And he was not one to shy away from saying something about it, too. Parcells liked that as much as anything."’

‘Fiedler is expected to miss at least six weeks and will be in the cast for a month. Depending on how quickly he rehabilitates the injury, he could be ready Nov. 24 against San Diego.’

‘”We have a lot of confidence in Ray Lucas. Probably as much as he has in himself,” Miami Dolphins left guard Jamie Nails said.’

‘Lucas, who was 6-3 in nine starts for the New York Jets in 1999, will bring a much different kind of energy to the Dolphins’ huddle. Whereas Fiedler is known for being calm and not letting his emotions show, Lucas is more like the Tasmanian Devil.’

‘Coach Dave Wannstedt said there is a possibility injured wide receivers Chris Chambers and Oronde Gadsden could play this week, but just in case the Miami Dolphins will hold a tryout for four or five receivers on Friday.’

‘Ward says Lucas exudes a positive attitude that knows few limits. “Sometimes he makes the play, sometimes he doesn’t,” Ward said. “But he’s never going to let you think he can’t make a play.”‘

”’In order to get into the middle of this thing, we’ve got to beat a good team, and the Dolphins are playing as well as any team in the league right now.”’

”’Everybody in this locker room makes me feel like I belong here,” he said. ”I won’t let them down.”’