FanHouse Jason Ferguson

When it comes to AFC East feuds, most of the focus has been on the Jets and Patriots over the last few years. The Dolphins and Pats, however, have been sniping at each other for a while as well. Sunday, they actually turned their bad blood into fisticuffs and the Dolphins started playing like the football version of Slap Shot in the final minutes by picking up several deliberate unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

It doesn't figure to cool off after Jason Ferguson's comments to Sporting News Today (via PFT) following the game. Fergie seemed to think the Patriots were running up the score when BenJarvus Green-Ellis plunged in for a touchdown to make the score 48-28 with 40 seconds to play.

"You don't continue to try to rub it in. And you can say what you want, they rubbed it in. That's what rubbed guys the wrong way...I hope we see them again in the playoffs. We'll see what happens then."

Sorry, Jason, but you're wrong here. The touchdown came on fourth down, New England wasn't throwing the ball and the Patriots have no obligation to give the Dolphins a chance to win the game. Slim chance though it may be, 13 or 16 (if they kicked a field goal) points is doable in 40 seconds. It's the Dolphins' job to stop the Patriots, not the Patriots' job to stop themselves.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterbacks: The Brett Favre Fallout ended up with Chad Pennington coming to Miami. Good thing, because the Dolphins didn't have a quarterback on their roster. Well, technically they did ... but when you are having a three-man race to figure out who might be able to handle the job ... you have no QB. Pennington gives Miami what they need: an experienced, accurate passer. He's a winner, but not the kind of guy who makes those dynamic plays. Right now, they don't have great receivers, either, so a guy that can hit his target is key. Chad Henne may be the future ... but that's what we thought about John Beck last year. Heat Index: 4

Running backs: This is the biggest strength of this offense. During their 1-15 season last year, the fact that Ronnie Brown was having an outstanding season was lost on many people. Brown was worthy of a Pro Bowl spot before he tore his ACL in mid-season. All indications are that he's healed. Brown will share duties with Ricky Williams. Yep, he's back and he's bad! I can't believe I'm saying this, but Ricky has been a model teammate. He's basically lived at the Dolphins complex, is in supreme physical shape and could get back to his pre-retirement form. Of course, that is all the good. The bad is that your steadiest part of the team involves a guy with a major knee injury and another who is now 31, barely has played over the last several seasons, already has two strikes and is unreliable. At least he's not on the hippie lettuce anymore. Heat Index: 7

Bill Parcells isn't a guy who puts much stock in quarterbacks. At least when the going rate is $35 million or so in guarantees that go along with taking one first overall. And yes, I'm aware that Parcells did just that when he drafted Drew Bledsoe with the first pick in 1993, but that deal was worth $14.5 million over six years ($4.5 guaranteed). And this was before the salary-cap era leveled the playing field.

Bledsoe aside, names like Ray Lucas, Quincy Carter, Vinny Testaverde and Bledsoe 2.0 all lend support to the argument. And Tony Romo, a diamond in the rough who spent his first four years watching from the sidelines, came on the cheap. Which makes the Dolphins' latest acquisition, quarterback Josh McCown, not altogether surprising.

Sure, there are still questions about the move (why waste money on McCown when the team still needs to upgrade the offensive line?), but for now, he will battle second-year quarterback John Beck for the starting job. This means that Matt Ryan is officially off the draft board, at least if the team doesn't trade out of the top pick.

So now what? Well, for starters, Miami must think enough of McCown/Beck to turn their attention to countless other needs. Or maybe they like Joe Flacco, Chad Henne or another quarterback later in the draft. There will be plenty of time to speculate on such things.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting that the Miami Dolphins have reached a contract agreement with former Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Randy Starks. Schefter reports that it's a five-year, $21 million contract that includes $7 million guaranteed.

This morning, when the Dolphins and Cowboys pulled off a trade that landed nose tackle Jason Ferguson in Miami, it appeared to be a part of a transition to a 3-4 defense. But the decision to lure Starks would seem to make the Dolphins more likely to run a 4-3 defense. It doesn't make a lot of sense to have both Ferguson and Starks if they're never going to play at the same time.

For the Dolphins' defense, it's been a very good day. Ferguson is an old pro with some tread left on the tires, and Starks is a 24-year-old who has already started 36 NFL games. New boss Bill Parcells is making a splash in the first day of the new league year.

The Dallas Cowboys will deal defensive tackle Jason Ferguson to the Miami Dolphins for draft picks. The deal has Miami and Dallas exchanging sixth round picks this year and the Cowboys picking up a sixth rounder next year.

Ferguson is healthy and will anchor the Dolphins' switch to the 3-4 defense. He will also reunite for the third time with executive vice president of football operations Bill Parcells, who initially drafted him with the New York Jets. He will also see familiar faces on the coaching staff with Tony Sparano, Paul Pasqualoni, Kacy Rodgers and Todd Bowles and in the front office with general manager Jeff Ireland and pro personnel director Brian Gaine.

Ferguson played just one game last season after tearing his biceps in Dallas' opener against the Giants. With the addition of Tank Johnson last year and the play of Jay Ratliff, he became expendable. Exchanging sixth rounders means Dallas picks up the very first pick in that round.

For Miami, they get a guy who can plug the middle of a 3-4 defense. Current Dolphins king Bill Parcells brought Ferguson from the Jets to the Cowboys in 2005.

Maybe things are worse than first suspected: the Cowboys lost nose tackle Jason Ferguson for the season during the Sunday night game against the Giants. But Dallas has so little faith in his backup, Jay Ratliff, that rumors have them bringing in Tank Johnson for a look-see.

On Tuesday, Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones would not comment on the team's potential interest in Johnson, who is serving an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, but acknowledged that any player's off-field behavior is discussed.

Oh, right, Johnson's on unpaid leave for the guns charges and the subsequent DUI-that-wasn't-really-a-DUI. And this isn't so much an indictment against Ratliff as a move to add depth.

While the Cowboys decide if Johnson's worth the trouble when he becomes eligible in seven weeks, they signed nose tackle Remi Ayodele and placed Ferguson on injured reserve.

Ayodele, Cowboys' linebacker Akin's younger brother, will back up Ratliff, but there are concerns other than nose tackle; the defense gave up 35 points to the Giants Sunday night, and some of the blame has to fall on the secondary (looking at you, Roy Williams). Wade Phillips didn't seemed too concerned in his Monday presser, but that could change if the defense continues to struggle.

(Oh, by the way: nice call by this FanHouse commenter on Tank Johnson.)