Ronnie out, Porter in versus Panthers

Running back Ronnie Brown will not play versus Carolina on Thursday, according to head coach Tony Sparano. Sparano also said linebacker Joey Porter will play against the Panthers and the coach thinks the linebacker "will start," against the Panthers.

That's what is happening inside the Dolphins at this hour:

Porter, the subject of a Chris Mortensen report in which the ESPN information man said the linebacker will not play against Carolina Thursday, was asked by the Herald's David J. Neal if he saw the report Monday night.

"Yeah, I saw the report," Porter told Neal. "I got no comment on that."

Sparano had a definitive comment. I asked him if there was any doubt in his mind whether Porter would play and Sparano said, "No."

So Porter plays despite a Mortensen report to the contrary.

A Dolphins In Depth report from yesterday that Brown would not play is correct, meanwhile, because Brown went to see a foot specialist today and isn't playing Thursday.

Running back Ricky Williams, expected to start for the Dolphins at running back because Brown is out, agreed to speak to the media for the first time in several weeks today. The reason he agreed is because he was told by the Dolphins if he did not cooperate with the media, he risked being fined.

So Williams complied. Sort of.

The interview:

Q. How does Ronnie's situation impact you workload if he can't go?

A. "Obviously I have to carry the ball a little bit more."

Q. And that would include the Wildcat and taking on that role?

A. "I don't know what the coaches are going to do about it."

Q. Ricky you've always said you're happy sharing time, how do you feel about stepping in and being the guy again. Feel like you can do that?

A. "Yeah."

Q. Well, how do you feel about it?

A. "It's my job right now."

Q. Do your legs feel fresh for the second half compared to the past when you carried the load?

A. "We'll find out."

Q. Ricky, how good would it be to get a victory within the span of such a short period of time.

A. "We're here to win games so I think every game is important we always try to get a win."

Q. Ricky, you've said before you prefer not to throw out of ...

A. "Alright, I'm done. Thank you, guys."

Terrible questions, I know. Thankfully, I didn't ask any of them. And I know you guys will always side with the player over the media, although you depend on the media to give you a view of the players.

But, seriously, does one have to be a total jerk to people trying to do their jobs? It's not like someone asked Williams if he's thought about quitting on the team lately. It's not like someone brought up his multiple positive drug tests.

One thing I can share. Williams is brilliant and does this on purpose. He told a Palm Beach Post reporter earlier this year that he intended to be a jerk to the media this year. Asked why, Williams responded because he wanted to stay out of the newspapers.

So this episode was hardly spontaneous. Williams planned his demeanor, sweetheart that he is.

In other news: Anthony Fasano (hip) didn't practice Tuesday. Justin Smiley (shoulder), Paul Soliai (ankle), Erik Walden (hamstring) and Gibril Wilson (hamstring) were limited in practice.

Comments

[morons]

i just hope ricky has a good game cause if he doesnt all the fairwheather fans that supposedly support this team will want to run him out of town too just like they do every player that comes here and has a few bad games

[Your Fans]

Thanks for the excellent blog Armandito! When are you going to be on 790 The Ticket again?

[peepingtom]

Armando,

C'mon inquiring minds are dying to know, when you watch all the Fins players shower after practice and the games, who has the biggest..... you know?

[Treasure Coast]

So let me understand this correctly. Mortensen gets it wrong. Armando gets it right. And some of these stupid bandwagon Dolphins fans are unhappy with Armando?

BWWAAAAAAAAHAAAAHAAAA.

Dolphins fans really do suck.

[ALoco]

maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
hooffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff
mewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
time to start prep the thanksgiving turkey.

[FinsFTW]

@The Knight who says Nuts!,

Wouldn't you fight against a so-called journalist who goes against all standards of journalism to cleanse his blog of opinions he does not like? Sounds quite totalitarian if you ask me.

He is deleting my posts for no other reason than he knows I speak the truth regarding his "reporting" and behavior. A common tactic in RED CHINA.

Perhaps he should go high-five another Dolphins beat-writer following the Dolphins next loss, like he did back in the early 2000s when the Dolphins lost to the Broncos to kill the season.

[Don Shula]

I can only hope someone treats Ricky Williams the way he treats people. What he did was wrong. And the way people on here think it is OK shows how jacked up our society has become. Very sad.

[donkey]

is that true FinsFTW ? THE HIGH FIVE STORY ,IT CAN'T BE ?MY ARMANDO TELL US THE TRUTH .

[Omar Kooky and Harvey Fialwhatever]

Oh Finstwc or whatever your fake name is, your rant is getting old and boring. Try to get laid some time.

[Marc]

All,
I've come to expect this stuff from Mandy. He beats his chest, plays innocent, when, he clearly isn't and he takes days off occassionally (weak content)

With that said. This is the only blog/new source I frequent, and rightfully so, because, even with his faults, Mandy USUALLY has breaking news and decent insight. It also seems as though he tries pretty hard to keep us all informed and even invites us into his personal life (like when his mother died).

He seems like a (mostly) stand up guy to me that will admit when he was wrong, and the fact that he has the scoop when this is clearly an OPINION blog is pretty telling. I don't envy anyone that HAS to make news of this turd of a team for the past decade...That's rough

[Banshee]

Chris Mortenson???? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. What a duechebag. I guess he will be even more of a Dolphin hater now..LOL

Good job Ricky!!! I would not want to talk to the media dickheads either. They will screw around with anything you say and turn it against you or the team so phock them. Good luck Thursday night and GO DOLPHINS!!

[Tommie B. Butts, Jr.]

PLEASE....Somebody tell me, why in the world is Joey Porter starting against the Carolina Panthers? For whatever reason, Tony Sparano refuses to leave well enough alone. Did he not take observation last week (against Tampa Bay) on how Wake, Anderson and the other players applied pressure on the quarterback while Joey Porter was nowhere to be seen. Sparano fixes the lack of a quarterback pressure problem for one game and then immediately reverts back to old habits. Please, someone who has some positive influence on Sparano, give this guy a call and tell him that he's playing with fire. Mama always told me that when you play with fire, inevitably speaking, you will get BURNED!!!!!! Tony, it's like returning to your own vomit.............

[NJ PHIN FAN]

' or whatever your fake name is " by omar kooky and harvey fialwhatever . Yeah and that sounds so real . LMFAO !

[Armandofan]

I'm sure Armando is sitting at his office just watching the clicks stack up while morons like finsftw are raging against the machine that is this blog.

Mando: Ricky is a jerk.
FTW: How dare you, my panties are in a bunch now.

Everyone else chimes in and the cash register goes ca-ching at the Salguero bank account.

Genius. Sheer genius. Also very entertaining. That dude over the Sunsentinel who never has a clue about anything should be this good.

Keep it up Mando.

[donkey]

nj, do you love mushromms ice cream ?

[FinsFTW]

@Armandofan,

I am well aware that my behavior generates money for him. He is very much like Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh in that regard.

He engages in trashy journalism to generate traffic. This is well known. But I might as well call him out when I get a chance, because lord knows he could use someone to put him in his place every once in awhile with all the Salguero knoblickers on here...

His ego is probably about as large as Rex Ryan's bowel movement.

[Omar Kooky and Harvey Fialwhatever]

You're one to talk NJ Phin Fan. Tell me, was it your mom or you dad that gave you the proper name NJ?

[Marc]

I wasn't aware of the Broncos deal, and not that I believe it, but, for the sake of argument, maybe he's a Denver fan?

[Armandofan]

@ finftw: And who made you the Armando police?

Get a life and appreciate that he gets most of the news to us first. Is he perfect? I don't know anyone that is. But you write about him with a lot of hate. And that doesn't hurt him. It hurts you. Live and let live.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Omar kooky and harvey fialwhatever , same question can be asked about you mom and dad , The only difference is you see , i didn't go around questioning the posters screennames and accusing them of being fake. YOU DID !

[NJ PHIN FAN]

YOUR

[Finheavenblows!]

This is the game where the loss of Patrick Cobbs seriously become a big problem.

This is the game where we see that Ricky is what he is ... a 32 year old guy not ready to carry the load.

This is the game that Chade Henne has to step up and produce and not rely on the running game all the time.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

And how do you know those aren't my initials ? :)

[glenn]

Reporters are not your friends. If you mis-speak, it will haunt you. On the other side, what information are reporters seeking? The sensational and the prurient. It is your job to entertain, titillate and, occasionally, inform. I've no sympathy for you.

[Marc]

Hmm...now I'm intrigued about this high five...Any comment Mandy?

[FinsFTW]

@Armandofan

Who made Armando the authority on media relations? So a guy doesn't want to answer a question from a guy who has deliberately tried to tarnish his image in the past and Armando is permitted to label him a jerk with no repercussions?

Armando can dish it, but can't take it. He calls Ricky a jerk, but deletes any post wherein someone else calls Armando Salguero a jerk... Playground bully stuff right there.

[Omar Kooky and Harvey Fialwhatever]

I ain't question no screen name. I said, or whatever your name is. I didn't say, or whatever your fake name is.

So get off my shi t, dude. I got no time for YOUR stupidity. If you gonna argue, know what you talking about.

Deuces.

[Armandofan]

@ finsftw: I don't think you were there when Ricky acted up today. So I don't think you know one way or the other if Ricky was a jerk or not. Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn't. But YOU don't know.

Meanwhile, I'm ending this exchange because I'm getting bad vibes from all your hate. I don't want it to get on me -- towards YOU.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Omar kooky , read your post at 5:33. " Oh finstwc or whatever you fake name is " . Child please , Stupidity ? look who's talking. I was just busting your chops.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Kooky , No what i'm talking about ? You should follow your own advice. Read your post at 5:33. LOL !

[Omar Kooky and Harvey Fialwhatever]

Oh yeah, I did say that. Oh well, wrong again. Not new for us as we predicted Jason Allen would start for this team, then predicted he'd get cut and also reported the Dolphins were taking Vernon Gholston. So whatever.

We do know this: Salga, Salger, Armando is nails. We read him for all our infoemation.

[NJ PIN HEAD]

Go for Ricky! F the Press, & F NJ for always trashing Ricky.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

LOL@OMAR KOOKY . Ok ! . :) just busting.

[nicoltony]

Geesh, all this nonsense about Ricky's brief interview with the media. I just want the Dolfins to win again Thursday. What I thought was interesting is how Miami got the only win in their division last weekend. This looms large as far as keeping them in some kind of contention for the playoffs or division title. You don't gain a game back on your entire division so easilly as that. I'm hoping that is a sign of good things to come. I'm looking forward to seeing how New England handles New Orleans when they play. That would put Miami only a game behind N. E. (if Miami and N. E. continues to win). What a show down that will be in Miami when they play the Patriots in Miami. Go Dolphins!!!

[TheSergeantMajor]

Don't sweat it Mando. Relax, go have a cold one, go see the old lady, whatever trips your trigger when you're P.O.'d. It ain't the end of print journalism. The jerk comment was uncalled for, but you're authorized a bad day. Text Ricky later, tell him you had a bad day and kiss and make up. Take the high road.

[ncfinsfan]

I had tickets to the Miami Panthers game... I got home to see my fed ex package ripped up and tore to sheds by a stray dog.. AHHHHHHH

[Brendan]

Armando, Didn't you totally bash him last year for talking to the Toronto media and not the local media before the Bills game. Can't blame him for not wanting to engage the media.

[GoFins]

""But, seriously, does one have to be a total jerk to people trying to do their jobs? It's not like someone asked Williams if he's thought about quitting on the team lately. It's not like someone brought up his multiple postive drug tests."

I'd never give you another interview again if I saw you spout off that remark in print after Ricky was doing HIS job in limiting his comments. Jerk move.

[NJ ANDY]

We depend on the media only because you have access to the team. Ricky is not a jerk at all. The media had their fun with him when he had a legitimate problem. He had social anxiety disorder and a substance abuse problem. The media took shots at him all the time. Now because he has no time for the same people who made fun of him he is a jerk? You should be honored to cover the Dolphins El Mundo you are a dork and what sport did you ever play? Futbol!

[BigI]

If Ricky doesnt want to talk, then he shouldn't have to. The media has not been his friend in the past..he made himself available, and that's that.

[Account Deleted]

Armando what has happened that has made the players turn on "certain members of the media"? Seriously, we just talked about this yesterday and my opinion was that there are too many a-holes writing personal crap about players. I've seen it as well as other readers (because other people have mentioned it in posts). So now day two and another player treats the media like crap. I agree that it's not fair to be a jerk to someone just trying to do their job. Unfortunately for you, there are people writing stories in papers that seem to have personal grudges and THEY treat players like crap in their articles. So what comes around goes around? Is that it or did something seriously happen between the Dolphins and the south Florida media?

[ALoco]

after reading these answers from rick i do have the most respect for him answering such creepy questions .

[Dolphins4life]

Marc the Sun Sent-
Always has updates and news and information usally sooner than Salguero does.

And usally it has better content and much better bloger with a good sense of football to test your knowledge but they will hack you up if you get something wrong or just start vomitting chunks of crap out they will hold you to your football knowledge weather you lack insight or not so its not fot the faint of heart so dont try if you are.
That said you may still check out the Sun its just better.
Salguero wrote that someone asked these questions with and it was Omar Kelly who had the Q and A with Williams.
Salguero are you calling out Omar Kelly?

[Account Deleted]

Mando you have to admit that not every member of the media is as fair and objective as you are. I still don't know why you choose to stick up for some of the hacks that are out there. There is a different class of reporters just like there are with players. Lets call you a "starter" and admit that there are plenty of guys writing stories out there who are "practice squad" material or "busts". That's just the way it is so somehow the starters need to make it known that they aren't like the busts. You are all being treated as if you are and you're right, it doesn't seem fair to writers like you but it is what it is. And you're also right that we need you guys for news on the team because the team website just doesn't cut it. But if you guys weren't around we would all still be Dolphin fans. If the Dolphins weren't around I guarantee you there wouldn't be too many Miami Herald fans.

[Alex in Hialeah]

The revisionist history here is appalling. Ricky didn't quit on the Dolphins because he had social anxiety disorder.

He quit because he was sick and tired of carrying the ball and didn't want to get beat up anymore and also knew he had failed ANOTHER drug test.

And the only reason he came back is because the Dolphins held that $8 million judgment over his head. Otherwise, as he said himself, he would have stayed away.

So stop romantizing this guy. Ricky loves Ricky. Pure and simple. And yes, that also makes him a jerk.

[Dolphins4life]

Ricky don't you lose that number
You dont want to call nobody else
Send it off in a letter
To yourself

Ricky dont lose that number
It's the only one you own
You might use it if you feel better
When you get home
Steely Dan-

[FLPD]

Portions of the Ricky interview were on the radio down here in So. Fla and it was several reporters asking questions. Mando's voice was not among them. The interview only lasted 90 seconds.

So dolphins4life, you're full of it, bud. Nothing new there.

[ALoco]

alex the jerk .

ricky the hero

[Dolphins4life]

Welcome home Ricky one of the best backs I ever saw when at the height of his career.
Now starting tailback as it once was and as it should be again. Welcome home Ricky now Run Ricky Run I love you man....;)lol

[Dolphins4life]

I read the Q and A in the Sun by Omar Kelly FLPD and I doubt you saw anything over the radio.

[FLPD]

You are correct dolphins4life, I SAW nothing on the radio.

God people are retards!

[Jonathan W]

Ricky quietly worked his way back by keeping his head down and earning the respect of his teammates, coaches and fans. If I get to watch him play for my team, he can be rude to the media as often as he wants.

Or maybe it's better to kiss a couple dogs on tv and the media forgives you in a heartbeat.

[Dolphins4life]

OK FLPD you win whatever just dont get your panties in a bunch and be cool man I'm not here to win a arguement FLPD.

[Dolphins4life]

I once read yesterday the Nathaniel Dodsworth compared Sparanos two point try that failed to Belichecks 4th and 2 attempt that failed and said that the former was worst than the latter.
Now I was wondering which out come was better Sparnos victory or Belichecks loss?

[Marc]

I've followed both the Sun and PBP, and still stick with Mandy...I agree many of the worthwhile bloggers have defected, mainly due to that irratating blogger whom I won't mention.

[Dolphins4life]

typo: that

[Dolphins4life]

Marc

Cool but information content is usally posted there first, so just keep that in mind

[tampafin]

Assuming FINS win on Thursday.

Who will get a ball from Sparano?

On offense
1) Henne
2) White
3) Williams
4) offensive line
5) Other

On defense
1) JT
2) Starks
3) Davis
4) Wake
5) Smith
6) Defensive line
7) Other

Assuming they lose, who will be the goat?

[Slater]

who cares how he treats the media.. Ricky is a brilliant player and a brilliant guy.

No bullsh!t about him. Plays the game hard, none of that egotistical attitude that swarms the NFL and an absolute talent.

[danfan13]

Always trying to 'stir the pot' .. with silly questions! For gosh sakes, these guys are paid $$$$ to complete a mission - W-I-N - each game .. step up to start when asked, etc.
Leave well enough alone and let the team focus on the Panthers and another W-I-N!!
Go Fins ...