Should the Dolphins get the ball more to Ronnie Brown and Ted Ginn Jr., who get fewer touches than many other No. 1 running backs and receivers?

Statistics show Brown thrives in the second half, when he gets more carries than usual. And Ginn has averaged just 2.5 catches in his past six regular-season games.

But coach Tony Sparano said he likes to ``to do things by committee'' on this team -- ``there is no real star in this bunch'' -- and wants to get the ball to ``whoever has the hot hand.''

Although he never complains, Brown admits he wonders how he would do with more carries. As longtime former NFL executive (and former Falcons general manager) Ken Herock said last week, ``Brown is the one guy who scares you [among Chad Pennington's weapons]. He has to get the ball more.''

Brown's numbers support that. When Brown had at least 15 carries in a game last season, he averaged 4.8 yards a carry and Miami was 6-0. In other games, he averaged 3.8 yards and Miami was 5-5.

Naturally, a team runs more when ahead late. But consider this: Last season, Brown averaged 4.1 yards on his first 15 rushing attempts, and 5.3 yards on carries 16 and higher (of which he had 18).

In his career, Brown has averaged 5.1 yards on rushing attempts No. 16 and higher during a game, covering 118 runs. What's more, in each of his four previous seasons, Brown averaged more yards on carries No. 16 and higher in a game than carries No. 1 through 10, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. (For some backs, it's the opposite -- the 49ers' Frank Gore last year was 4.6 on carries No. 1 through 10, 3.1 on No. 16 and higher.)

``There is a selfish side to everyone . . . you want to be the guy,'' said Brown, who averaged 13.4 carries a game in 2008 and had 10 last week. But he said he's happy rotating with Ricky Williams, who also could make a case for more carries after he showed explosiveness against Atlanta.

Offensive coordinator Dan Henning said the Brown/Williams approach is to ``try to keep them fresh'' and spoke of the challenges of finding enough chances for everyone: ``If you get 60 snaps in a game, and let's say you're ahead, the last 15 snaps will be runs. So the first 45 have to split up about eight guys.''

• Ginn had just two catches for 26 yards last week, but he was open a lot and coaches wanted to involve him more. Pat White overthrew what could have been a touchdown pass to Ginn. A sack prevented another potential catch. ``We called a couple other shots at him, but coverage wouldn't allow it. We had to check down,'' Sparano said.

During a six-game stretch in the middle of last season, Ginn caught 27 passes for 467 yards. In six regular-season games since, he has 220 yards on 15 catches. Miami was 6-1 last year when he topped 50 yards receiving.

But Ginn will not ask for more balls. ``It doesn't matter,'' he said. ``I play my part.''

Said Pennington: ``I've got to help us get into a better protection call so I can get it to Ted if he is available.''

CHATTER

• Players say White has looked good in closed practices running trick plays. . . . With David Martin on injured reserve, those snaps have been split among Joey Haynos, Lousaka Polite and Davone Bess, Sparano said. . . . Vernon Carey graded out best of the offensive linemen against Atlanta. ``They should be dominating people,'' Dolphins Hall of Fame center Dwight Stephenson said. ``You're getting paid to dominate people.''

• A veteran NFL scout who watched UM on Thursday and has attended closed practices said that during the Hurricanes' slide earlier this decade, ``they were recruiting talent and trying to make them football players. Now they've got football players with talent -- productive, athletic, instinctive.''

He said the top three or four receivers (all underclassmen) are pro prospects, and 6-8 tight end Jimmy Graham ``easily could be the best senior prospect Miami has if he keeps developing. You should have seen him doing blocking drills in practice. The effort, toughness -- very impressive, and he has good hands.''

• Look for UM to announce it has given baseball coach Jim Morris a multiyear contract extension through 2015.

• Ugh: Pedro Martinez (5-0) -- who wanted to sign here, but the Marlins didn't want -- and Brad Penny (3-0) and John Smoltz (1-1), two pitchers they tried to sign, entered Friday a combined 9-1. . . . Chris Volstad's fall-off surprises scouts. ``But if he doesn't have his sinker down, he's either hitable or out of the strike zone,'' one scout said. ``He can't throw high fastballs by you like Josh Johnson can. But he's got good enough stuff to get it together.'' There's more skepticism from scouts about Andrew Miller.

• One Heat player said Michael Beasley isn't going to be very good defensively at small forward or power forward, so the player said why not use him more at small forward and accept the shortcomings?

But the Heat raves about how James Jones and Quentin Richardson have looked, and either could start at small forward.

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