When Miami Dolphins tight end Ernest Wilford hammered down the football into the end zone grass Monday night, it was tough to tell whether he intended to celebrate his touchdown or disrupt the Earth's core. This wasn't just a spike. It was a release.

``That's just a lot of frustration I had from the past,'' Wilford said. ``I'm not supposed to let the past get at me, but I had to let it out. That's why I spiked it the way I did.''

After 1 ½ years of irrelevance wearing a Dolphins uniform, the often-criticized pass-catcher had finally done something of substance, scoring a 33-yard touchdown after making a clutch reception and eluding his defender.

So you'll have to excuse him. He knows you might just view it as a preseason score, and he understands why you'll continue to maintain plenty of doubt. But to him, the catch meant something far more: It was proof his career might still have life.

``I'm just glad the coaches still haven't given up on me,'' Wilford said. ``I'm glad they gave me an opportunity to make a play.''

SIX-MILLION DOLLAR MAN

In case you'd forgotten, Wilford was the wide receiver Miami gave $6 million in guaranteed money last year, only to deactivate him for all but seven games during the season.

He quickly became an afterthought, seemingly destined to become the first failed acquisition of the Bill Parcells era in Miami. Just as his days seemed done, the Dolphins made what seemed like a desperate attempt to get something -- anything -- out of Wilford.

They turned him into a tight end.

``Obviously, you would like them a little bit bigger, but some of the tight ends that came out in the draft this year, that were picked pretty high, were 235-pound guys,'' coach Tony Sparano said about Wilford's transition. ``Ernest weighed 232 pounds [earlier this month] at the weigh-in.''

The reason for the attempt was pretty clear even if it also looked like a stretch: Miami wanted to find a way to utilize Wilford's large frame without suffering from the lack of speed that keeps him from excelling as a receiver. By using him at tight end, it has the potential to create clear mismatches.

``They can play me against a safety or a cornerback or a linebacker,'' Wilford said. ``So it definitely presents an opportunity mismatch, and in the running game, I can still block linebackers and I can still block ends. Everything is working to my favor now.''

Wilford has yet to excel with the blocking role required of a tight end, which remains the most obvious (and critical) challenge remaining in this experiment. But Wilford said ``it's coming,'' noting that he's ``not where I want to be right now, but that's what training camp is for.''

THERE IS PRECEDENCE

As strange of a transition as it might sound, the Dolphins do have some precedence when it comes to getting creative with their players. Last year, Matt Roth underwent the equivalent transition on the on the other side of the ball, moving from defensive end to strong-side linebacker. Roth became an effective starter at the new position.

In June, when Wilford began making the move during offseason activities, Sparano started noticing him holding onto all of the passes thrown his way. The more passes he caught, the more opportunities he began to get.

``I don't want to say anything changed,'' Wilford said. ``But when you continue to try to make plays, play after play, the confidence is going to keep rising. I'm just glad I had the opportunity to make plays. Hopefully, that will continue.''

SOLID PRACTICE

Last week, Wilford had what seemed to be his best week of practice since joining the team. For two consecutive days, he was among the most productive pass-catchers, which seemed to help his confidence Monday.

The road will still be a long one for Wilford, and it's far too early to forget about last year's ineffectiveness on the account of a few weeks of better production. Besides, the Dolphins have four other tight ends and likely will keep only keep three total.

But for a player that seemed destined for unemployment in only a matter of time, this recent surge can at least add hope. Hope that Wilford's first spike in a Dolphins' uniform might not be his last.

``I definitely can say I feel much more at ease,'' said Wilford, who caught 45 passes for 518 yards two years ago with the Jaguars. ``I feel confident about what I can do on the football field. Back to my old self. I got my swagger back.''