09/04 — As you would expect, head coach Eric Mangini has forewarned the Jets of the challenge ahead of them at Miami on Sunday, and in particular of one reemphasized element of the Dolphins' attack.

"One thing that's tough with Miami is to simulate how physical they are," Mangini said at this morning's news conference at the Atlantic Health Training Center. "I think both sides of the line are big, they're physical and you simulate it the best way you can.

"It's one of those things that is different in the game with the speed picking up. Especially defensively, they're able to rotate through a lot of different defensive linemen and even outside linebackers, all having the same general characteristics."

This is a case of the new personnel not falling far from the coaching tree of Bill Parcells, who is of course the 'Fins' new football godfather (officially executive vice president–football operations).

Typically, Mangini said, Tuna teams "are going to be in good shape, they're going to be physical, they're going to be tough and they're going to be disciplined. Those are all really good traits to have as a football team. It's something we're all striving for, whether it's head coaches or general managers."

And if you want a voice as unbiased for the Dolphins as mine is for the Jets, you can check out my counterpart at miamidolphins.com, Andy Cohen, who writes that "This Is No Longer Last Year's Dolphins":

No, we're not predicting some amazing story here. These Dolphins are still young and have many miles to travel. But the bottom line here is this: It is abundantly clear ... that the Dolphins will be significantly improved this season, that the right people are now calling the shots and that this re-shaped, re-focused and re-built group will in no way resemble the team we were forced to endure a season ago. Anybody care to dispute this?

So do you remember last year's Game 3, when the Chad Pennington Jets opened a 31-13 lead (then held on against Ronnie Brown's onslaught for the 31-28 win), or Game 12 when the Kellen Clemens offense and the David Harris defense rolled up a 41-13 triumph? Forget about it.

"They're a good team, much improved from last year," said DE Mike DeVito, who moved solidly into the D-line rotation while playing much for Shaun Ellis this preseason. "They bring a lot to the table."

And the Dolphins are doing it physically.

Dan and Brett

Dan Marino, now of course with CBS, spent this morning at the Jets' new training center. The occasion: a one-on-one, great-QB-to-great-QB interview with Brett Favre for Sunday airing on the network's pregame show.

Health of the Rivalry

Today's injury report just came out and remains the same as Wednesday's report. The Jets list seven players — six who were limited at practice and WR David Clowney, who is out. The Dolphins list no injured players.

Friday reports, you'll remember, include each injured player's participation in practice and his status for the upcoming game.