This is the time of the season when coaches and veteran NFL players look for the head-ons with the Rookie Wall -- first-year NFL players moving as if their shoulder pads contained a thousand pounds of tired. Perhaps the Dolphins shouldn't worry about rookie defensive end Philip Merling's rookie wall.

He hit it in October. And thinks he has come out the other side.

''[I've felt] rejuvenated for the past three weeks,'' Merling said after his Tuesday appearance at the Miami Touchdown Club. ``The two prior weeks and this game, I flew around the field. Coaches were saying my play is getting a lot better, I'm practicing well again. A lot of good things are happening right now.''

Including the Dolphins having a chance to win the AFC East by running the table over the final four games. To do that, a defensive line that includes Vonnie Holliday in his 11th season and nose guard Jason Ferguson in his 12th can't afford a flat Merling or fellow rookie Kendall Langford.

The collision happened around Game 5, the Oct. 12 loss in Houston, he figures. That actually makes more sense, in a way, than hitting the wall after 10 or 11 regular-season games. Most rookies have to shift up into near regular-season intensity through the four preseason games just to get a roster spot. Although a second-round pick, such as Merling, isn't likely to get slashed before the season, he's also not going to earn the playing time Merling did coasting through the exhibitions.

Besides, a college season of 11 or 12 games usually isn't 11 or 12 full games for a very good college player in a good program, such as Merling with Clemson. Stars get to rest late in the blowouts. Throw in banging bodies with powerful, fully physically mature men and there's The Wall, waiting after five or six regular-season games.

''It's a lot of games, preseason and a long camp,'' Merling said. ``It's hard to really describe it. You want to fight through it, you want fight hard and you're doing it, you're doing it, but it feels like you just can't. Or, you're not doing it as well as you thought you were.

``You do all you can in the weight room and the cold tub, but it feels like your legs are not there. Your mind wanders a little bit out there. It's like a little funk, is the best way to describe it.''

On the field, Merling registered only one solo tackle against Houston, followed by two weeks of one assist against Baltimore and Buffalo each, then a zero-tackle game against the Broncos. Meanwhile, he tried to ''just keep pushing'' and keep listening to the elder voices along the defensive line, Holliday and Ferguson.

''Vonnie said he went through it his rookie year. Ferg did,'' Merling said.

On Sunday in St. Louis, Merling had four tackles and batted down a Marc Bulger pass, which bounced away as if it had smacked the kind of wall Merling believes is behind him.

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