FanHouse Joey Porter

Coincidence or not, after Tom Brady missed almost all of the 2008 season after a low hit tore the Patriots star's left MCL and ACL, the NFL's Competition Committee made clear that it would enforce more strictly a rule preventing defenders from tackling quarterbacks at or below the knee. It was affectionately dubbed "The Brady Rule" by folks outside the league office.

And the Patriots have benefitted from the increased focus on QB protection, with their opponents picking up five roughing the passer penalties in seven games. One, in particular, raised some eyebrows -- in New England's Week 4 win over Baltimore, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs gently brushed Brady's knee, and Brady gestured back at referee Ron Winter, and a flag came flying.

Winter might have thrown the flag regardless of Brady's reaction -- it is in the rule book, after all, though the rule states that forcible contact must me made -- but, nonetheless, the anti-Brady folk out there used it as evidence that Brady gets whatever he wants from officials.

Running back Larry Johnson will not be in uniform Sunday at Jacksonville when the Kansas City Chiefs return from their bye and attempt to reverse the damage of a 1-6 start. That in itself is a small victory for a rebuilding Chiefs organization, which did its level best to severely punish a longtime problem player who crossed a line most agree constitutes conduct detrimental to the NFL.

And that disciplinary action -- a two-week suspension without pay imposed by Chiefs management, that was later arbitrated by the NFL Management Council, the NFL Players Association, Johnson and the Chiefs to return a week's salary to Johnson -- was neither endorsed nor encouraged by the league office, multiple NFL sources said.

Rather, the NFL told the Chiefs they should avoid issuing a suspension (and encountering the subsequent hearing, NFLPA involvement, settlement, etc.), and simply fine Johnson $10,000.

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It's accurate to say that there aren't a whole lot of players around the league who like Hines Ward. When he's not going over the middle to catch passes, he's always looking to lay a hit on an unsuspecting defender. Heck, the NFL even passed a new rule after Ward broke linebacker Keith Rivers' jaw last year.

So it's no surprise to learn that Ward has been voted as the NFL's dirtiest player in a survey by Sports Illustrated, topping former teammate Joey Porter. With Rodney Harrison now retired, Ward was the obvious choice, which in some way is a badge of honor for the Steelers wideout. After all, how many receivers are tough enough and physical enough to be considered dirty?

It's not quite the harbinger of doom of, say, Joey Porter taking one in the backside just before the 2003 season, or Big Ben helmetlessly head-butting asphalt four months after winning Super Bowl XL, but if the Steelers' tank in 2009 I'm blaming Troy Polamalu.

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

In 2007, the Miami Dolphins were one overtime loss against the Baltimore Ravens away from a winless season. Needless to say, expectations couldn't have been much lower heading into 2008. A new head coach, a new quarterback and 10 additional wins later, and the Miami Dolphins were one of the most unexpected playoff teams in recent memory. Can they do it again?

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet The ...
Team who invented the Wildcat formation! Cue all sorts of zeal from the dramatic broadcasters. Of course, the formation has actually been around for decades, we just hadn't seen a ton of usage in the NFL until the Dolphins seemed to perfect it -- peaking with Ronnie Brown's ridiculous game against the Patriots.

The Dolphins have a careful quarterback, two solid runners, a good, young receiving corps, and have added a great all-around athlete via draft. It might be tough to predict who is going to consistency amass yardage, but we know one thing: They are going to be fun to watch.

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Well, whaddya know, Joey Porter is back at the complaint department. The easily irritated Dolphin linebacker doesn't like all this talk about the Patriots being the favorite to win the AFC East in 2009.

"I don't understand how you can put somebody in front of us. We won the championship. We were AFC East champions. I just don't think it's supposed to happen like that. You've got to beat somebody to be the champs. We had to beat somebody to be the champs."

The only problem with Porter's reasoning is that the Dolphins had to beat the Chargers to be the champs.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

A year ago, the Dolphins were coming off a 1-15 record and had locked up Jake Long with the first-overall pick a week before the 2008 draft. Now, one year into Bill Parcells' Reclamation Project, Miami is 11-5, defending AFC East champs, and hold the 25th selection in Saturday's draft.

James Harrison and DeMarcus Ware couldn't have had more dissimilar starts to their careers. Harrison was an undrafted free agent who played in NFL Europe and toiled away on the Ravens' and Steelers' practice squads; Ware has been a starter since the Cowboys drafted him 11th overall in 2005.

Both linebackers have been to multiple Pro Bowls, and Harrison was named the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year. And on Monday, he got a shiny, new deal out of it. Originally set to make just over $1 million next season, the Steelers renegotiated his contract to pay him more in line with his talents: six years, $51.2 million, $20 million guaranteed.

Apparently, the Buccaneers were considering the prospects of making a run at Jason Taylor before the Redskins released him. And now that he's a free man, word on the street is that Tampa Bay will make a concerted effort to sign the 34-year-old "Dancing With the Stars" ... star.

Via the Tampa Tribune: