On Wednesday, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano reiterated his claim that wide receiver Greg Camarillo and running back Patrick Cobbs were the most consistent Dolphins throughout the minicamps, training camp and season. And just as they did with Cobbs, the Dolphins backed that assessment up with money, giving Camarillo a three-year, $6 million extension.

Camarillo leads the Dolphins in receptions (49) and receiving yards (538). Sparano said Camarillo works every day like he could be on the street tomorrow, something with which Camarillo is familiar. The Dolphins got him last season off waivers from San Diego, where Camarillo worked his way up from the practice squad.

''He's good with the ball in his hands,'' New England coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday. ``He's got good quickness in the slot, and they go to him in a lot of possession situations on third down, which, to me, is an indication of how much confidence they have in him . . .''

SPECIAL TEAMS

Sick of hearing about the Dolphins' special teams? Then put your headphones on, click on your iPod's ''Thanksgiving'' playlist and tune back in Monday. Because anybody who's serious about beating New England better talk about the kicking game, especially kickoff coverage.

From 2002-2007, only in 2005 did the Patriots not return at least one kickoff for a touchdown. Their kickoff-return unit rolled up 231 yards, the second-highest total in NFL playoff history, in the 2006 AFC Championship Game loss to Indianapolis. Obviously, it hasn't mattered whether the returners were Bethel Johnson, Kevin Faulk, current returner Ellis Hobbs or even Willie Andrews, who had a 77-yard touchdown against the Dolphins last season off a pooch kickoff.

''The 10 guys in front of [Hobbs] do a great job of blocking,'' said Patrick Cobbs, the Dolphins' best special-teams player. ``They're really smart. [Special teams captain Larry] Izzo gets those guys ready to play. He's a veteran guy who takes a lot of pride in special teams, and they make it happen for him.''

Teammate Brandon London agreed on Izzo, a former Dolphin.

''They're physical, man,'' London said. 'If you see Larry Izzo, as soon as that ball is kicked off, he's trying to take somebody's head off. Last year in preseason, I was with the Giants and I ran down and he almost took my face mask off. I was like, `Wow, what's going on here? This is a kickoff.' They're a physical bunch. We've got to match their physicality and still, at the same time, have a cool head on where we're doing our assignments.''

SALES IN THRIFTY TIMES

Perhaps the Dolphins will get the full stadium they want Sunday. A Wednesday night online search on TicketMaster turned up nothing cheaper than $300 Club Level seats for two tickets next to each other. Of course, many of the tickets already bought might be from Patriots fans who figured their chances of getting a ticket to a Patriots game in Miami were better than any of the eight home games in Foxborough.

While players say they hope for a full, rocking house Sunday, they also understand many fans are worried more about keeping their own house. Once-disposable income now goes to paying bills instead of ponying up for tickets and parking.

''We've got to buy tickets, $100 per ticket,'' linebacker Channing Crowder said. ``My whole family can't come. I've got to rotate them, one person per game. Tickets are high.''

PLEASANTRIES

If you can remember the last time the Patriots talked trash before a game, you can remember when satellite dishes took up entire backyards, cellphones took up entire purses and hair took up entire senior pictures.

So, despite the enmity between the teams, it's no surprise that New England coach Bill Belichick and nose guard Vince Wilfork spent their Wednesday conference calls building up the team they hope to smash Sunday.

Belichick: ``I think they're a solid football team. In the last month, they've probably played as well as anybody in the National Football League.''

Wilfork, whom Dolphins center Samson Satele called the hardest nose guard/defensive tackle he's had to block, said, ``They're running that offense to a tee, and I think it all starts around the center. My hat's off to him and the whole offensive line. It starts with him up front because he's the one that makes the line call. He's like a quarterback on the offense, and he does a really good job of that.''

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