• Starting battles: Three or four remain in play, with safety and running back the most intriguing. Of the Ricky Williams/Ronnie Brown battle, coach Tony Sparano said Tuesday, ``I need to see more of Ronnie before I make that decision. If I don't see a whole lot more Ronnie, then Ricky will start.''

Brown, who missed last Saturday's game with a sprained thumb, ''will go through pregame warm-ups'' Thursday vs. New Orleans ``and get a feel for where he is. I'd like to try and play him. If we can play him, we'll see whether or not we can get some carries.''

Unlike Williams, Brown said he would be disappointed if he does not start. But that sentiment will have no impact on the decision, Sparano said.

Meanwhile, Chris Crocker said he took all the first-team snaps ahead of Jason Allen at safety Tuesday -- but that battle remains unsettled. Sparano said Tuesday he is ''really impressed'' with Allen. Former Atlanta executive Ken Herock -- who watches the Falcons closely -- cautioned Crocker ``wasn't good enough in Atlanta [as a starter the past two years] and he's not good enough in coverage.''

Boomer Grigsby remains ahead of shaky-handed Reagan Mauia at fullback. ''I can catch really well,'' Grigsby said. ``And [defensive players] are not going to run through me.''

Matt Roth is starting at strong-side outside linebacker (backed up by Rob Ninkovich), but Sparano stopped short of saying Roth has won the starting job. ''Matt has made the transition [from defensive end] not quite full circle yet [but] pretty well,'' he said, adding that he does not want to move Charlie Anderson to strong-side linebacker. (Anderson continues to backup injured weak-side starter Joey Porter, who hopes to play in the opener and can also play strong-side.)

• Roster battles: John Beck, Josh McCown, Justin Peelle and Reagan Mauia headline the ''on the bubble'' list entering Thursday.

Though Sparano suggested Monday that nothing was assured for Ernest Wilford, he said Tuesday he has improved a lot in practice the past 10 days -- ''he's playing faster and more confident.'' With Wilford guaranteed $6 million and Miami devoid of much experience at receiver, it would be surprising if he's not on the roster for the opener.

Beyond Ted Ginn Jr., Derek Hagan and Wilford, Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo are favorites for the other jobs, though Miami will have options on waivers. One Dolphins official said the staff sees Wes Welker-type potential in Bess.

With David Martin (whose blocking improved Saturday) already securing a roster spot behind Anthony Fasano, Peelle -- who earns the most of the backup tight ends at $1.3 million -- badly needs a strong finale to overtake Sean Ryan, who was chosen by this regime and drew praise for his blocking Saturday.

Jalen Parmele and versatile Patrick Cobbs enter Thursday with the edge over Lex Hilliard for the No. 3 and No. 4 running back jobs, but expect the Dolphins to peruse the waiver list.

If the Dolphins keep nine offensive linemen, the only two backups who appear safe are Trey Darilek and fourth-rounder Shawn Murphy (who said he has improved since a hands-on tutorial with Bill Parcells), though Ikechuku Ndukwe helped himself with a key block (along with Murphy) on Parmele's long run Saturday.

Sparano said ''if you find defensive linemen, you need to keep them'' -- which bodes well for Rod Wright (whose ability to play both the right and left side makes him valuable, line coach Kacy Rodgers said).

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