Some Thursday night quick hits:
### Sean Smith called Yeremiah Bell this week to check up on his friend and former teammate.
But one topic was off limits, Smith said: Sunday’s Dolphins-Jets game.
For some Dolphins players, it’s still difficult to envision Bell in a Jets uniform after eight years in Miami.
“He’s missed, the knowledge you get from him,” Smith said. “He was the ultimate pro.”
The Dolphins cut Bell in March, believing he had lost a step and deciding Reshad Jones and Chris Clemons were ready for larger roles. Jones and Clemons have been solid so far, with the linebackers and cornerbacks mostly responsible for breakdowns in pass coverage.
Bell is starting for the Jets and has allowed four of the five passes thrown against him to be completed, for 80 yards, according to Pro Football Focus.
“It’s going to be fun,” Bell told the Jets' web site. “I’m not putting any extra incentive on it or anything like that. It’s a division game we definitely need to win. I’m still friends with a lot of guys. We’ll have our laughs before the game, but only before. When the game starts, there are no friends.”
Jones and Clemons both said Thursday that Bell taught them “how to be a pro” and they will always be appreciative. Smith said Bell’s departure essentially forced Miami’s young safeties to grow up.
“We’re not dependent on one guy anymore” to make all the calls, Smith said. “We always looked at YB. ‘What are you doing now?’ We depended on him for everything. Reshad and Chris have made a big jump, being more vocal.”
### Bell said the Dolphins “are keeping it simple” for Ryan Tannehill by calling “a lot of quick throws, a lot of easy reads. We are going to throw him some different looks. We have to make it difficult for him. If he wants to throw the ball quickly, we have to make him throw over our defensive linemen.”
### Though the Dolphins haven’t deemed him ready to be activated for a game, coach Joe Philbin insisted Thursday that rookie tight end Michael Egnew, selected in the third round, “definitely has shown improvement.”
### Philbin said he wants to get Legedu Naanee “more involved in the passing game.” Naanee has been thrown only three passes; two were intercepted (including one tipped by a Houston defender) and the other was incomplete.
### Jets offensive coordinator and former Dolphins coach Tony Sparano was testy with New York reporters Thursday evening when asked why Tim Tebow wasn’t used in the first half of the loss to Pittsburgh. Sparano pointed out that the Jets averaged 6.2 yards per game in the first half of that game, then said: “That game’s over, OK? If you want to talk about Miami, I’ll talk about Miami. I don’t want to talk about that game. I can’t help you with that. My mind’s in a different place.” Sparano is only made available to reporters on Thursdays.
### Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is still deciding what changes to make. He won't say if Larry Beinfest and Ozzie Guillen will be retained. But when I spoke to him on Thursday, he referred to USA Today's report that Beinfest would be fired as "ridiculous and fabricated" rumor. For more, see our story on the sports home page.
### MLB.com reported Thursday night that in internal discussions about a potential managerial change, former Marlins third baseman Mike Lowell's name has been raised as a possible replacement. The Marlins are still deciding whether to keep Guillen.
### Seantrel Henderson has been pushing Malcolm Bunche hard at left tackle, and the starting job is now a toss-up. Al Golden said Henderson showed the second-most amount of energy among UM offensive linemen last Saturday, behind only Jon Feliciano.... UM is waiting for one of its defensive tackles to distinguish himself from the pack. The player most capable of that, Curtis Porter, remains out after an appedectomy.
