The body count started to decrease for the Dolphins on Friday, as they released cornerbacks Joey Thomas and Will Billingsley. It will continue to fall Saturday as they get down to 53 players and perhaps below by the 4 p.m. deadline, perhaps by the 10:50 a.m. practice.

File both cuts under ``predictable.'' Billingsley was regularly roasted in training camp workouts. And a journeyman roster filler, Thomas got squeezed out on a team that drafted two cornerbacks, Vontae Davis and Sean Smith, in the first two rounds; gave its No. 1 cornerback, Will Allen, an extension; and had two other corners, Nate Jones and Jason Allen, who can play in nickel and dime packages, along with being among the best special teams players. The team can't afford a step back in that facet.

Which brings up a question for players such as safety Courtney Bryan, wide receiver Brandon London and linebacker Erik Walden, whose contributions largely come on special teams: How much is that contribution worth when the special teams were a problem last season and have been this preseason?

Take Thursday's exhibition finale against New Orleans. In addition to Rod Harper's 55-yard punt return for a touchdown, the Dolphins allowed a turnpike-wide gap through which New Orleans' Courtney Roby returned a kickoff 42 yards (called back on a fortuitous holding penalty that occurred away from the massive hole).

The punt return was the Saints' only score in a final dress rehearsal in New Orleans that cleared up little.

Oh, it cleared up that, despite the drafting of wide receivers Patrick Turner in the third round and Brian Hartline in the fourth, the Dolphins' three best wideouts remain incumbents Davone Bess, Greg Camarillo and Ted Ginn Jr. While Hartline couldn't take advantage of his best opportunity to crack the top three last week, and Turner has been hurt by his dropped passes, Camarillo and Bess on Thursday night made the kind of possession catches they made all of last season. For perhaps the first time all preseason, Camarillo appeared almost completely free from the effects of last season's knee injury.

``I feel fine and want the season to start,'' Camarillo said. ``I think we're ready to go. I've had no problems with my knee, only steady progress.''

Neither potential third-string tight end, Joey Haynos nor fifth-round pick John Nalbone, distinguished himself. Each had only one pass thrown his way. Nalbone's went right through his hands.

The Dolphins racked up eight sacks, with linebacker Charlie Anderson and defensive end Tony McDaniel leading the team with two each.

The Dolphins starters actually gave New Orleans starter-for-the-night Mark Brunell less time than the subs did in sacking Saints' third-stringer Joey Harrington. Harrington now seems to have an aversion to the check downs for which he seemed all too eager to make with Detroit and the Dolphins. Confronted by good downfield coverage, he held onto the ball like it was offspring, leading to several coverage sacks.

``I thought early on that there was good pressure on the quarterback,'' Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. ``We really didn't do much, but we were getting pressure with our regular rush and our linebackers.''

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