Can the Dolphins sweep the season series for the first time in eight years? Can the Patriots avoid being swept aside in the playoff race? Will Dolphin Stadium be filled - and with Fin fans no less? Will Matt Cassel light it up again?

And, of course, how effective will the Wildcat formation be for the Dolphins?

Ronnie Brown (direct snap), Ricky Williams (in motion), Chad Pennington (split wide) and Jake Long (unbalanced line) get all the attention for obvious reasons. But little-known Patrick Cobbs is also part of the gimmick offense, mostly delivering blocks but occasionally seeing the ball.

"For me, it's fun because I get to get on the field," Cobbs said Thursday from sunny South Florida. "It's a real changeup, and I'm all for it."

Cobbs is certainly familiar with change and the ups and downs of playing - or trying to play - in the NFL. His name may even ring your bell.

Undrafted despite leading Division 1-A in rushing and scoring as a senior at North Texas, Cobbs signed with the Patriots as a rookie free agent in 2006. The 5-foot-8, 205-pound running back made a strong impression in training camp and had a productive preseason.

"He carried the ball a lot, and he was very impressive running it and catching it," coach Bill Belichick recalled this past week. "He is a good athlete, a good player, and we just weren't able to keep him on the roster that year."

Cobbs led the Patriots in the preseason with 188 rushing yards on 38 carries (a 4.9 average). He ran for three touchdowns and scored another on a 57-yard pass, one of his seven receptions.

There was a lot to like about the little guy who rushed for 4,729 yards at Tecumseh High in Oklahoma and 4,050 yards at North Texas. Only thing is, the Patriots had a full house in the backfield and dealt Cobbs to the Steelers rather than cut him.

A week later, Pittsburgh did just that. The Steelers, though, turned around and immediately tried to sign Cobbs to their practice squad. The Patriots and Dolphins had the same idea.

"I knew the game plan in New England, and it would have been great to go back, but the backfield was full," Cobbs said. "They had Corey Dillon, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Heath Evans. It was crowded, and Miami it wasn't so much."

So Cobbs joined the Dolphins, who called him up to the varsity at the end of the season. It's been slow but steady progress ever since.

Cobbs appeared in three games in '06, all on special teams. He played in 14 last season, again primarily on the return and coverage units.

In January, the Dolphins hired their third coach in three years. Tony Sparano replaced Cam Cameron, who had taken over for Nick Saban. For Cobbs, that meant another training camp trying to show another coach he belonged.

It was a challenge. It wasn't a problem.

"I felt like I had to come in and prove myself, the same way I did in New England and last year with Coach Cameron," Cobbs said. "They really didn't know me and I had to show them what I could do."

Cobbs survived the cut because of his prowess on special teams (he's currently tied for the team lead with 12 tackles). He has since shown the Dolphins he can make special plays on offense as well.

Cobbs has rushed for 31 yards on seven carries, one of which was good for 10 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders last weekend. Where he increasingly has made an impact - and a big one - is as a receiver.

After catching two passes in the first four games, Cobbs caught 14 in the last six. His 263 receiving yards are fourth on the team and his average of 16 yards per reception (minimum 10) is first.

Cobbs has caught two touchdowns, both in a one-point loss to Houston last month. They came on plays of 80 and 53 yards, the latter on a flea-flicker out of the Wildcat.

"He comes to practice every day, he works hard whether he's on special teams or the offensive side of the ball, and when a guy is out there making plays, you want to get the ball in his hands or give him opportunities," said Brown, the 'Cat conductor. "He's taken those opportunities and made the best of them, and he's become one of the big-play guys for us this season."

Once undrafted and still unknown, Cobbs is no longer unwanted. The Dolphins signed him to a two-year contract extension Oct. 29.

"It's been a long and crazy road, but it feels a little better now," said Cobbs, a former Academic All-American who's interested in becoming a youth counselor after Football. "It feels like the road is starting to straighten out. I feel like I've found a stable spot.

"I'm definitely not comfortable or content," he went on to say. "I'm enjoying being here right now, but like you said, it's the NFL and you never know where you'll end up. You just have to keep riding the wave."

Head of the class...

The Broncos were shellacked by the Patriots, but they are 6-4 and sitting atop the AFC West thanks to a deep rookie class.

Denver started six youngsters in last Sunday's 24-20 win at Atlanta, and they held down seven positions. Spencer Larsen, taken in the sixth round with the 183rd overall pick, started at both fullback and, due to a spate of injuries, middle linebacker.

Larsen became the fourth NFL player since 1990 to start both ways in the same game (he also played special teams). The Arizona product joined CB/WR Deion Sanders, who did it for Dallas in 1996; CB/WR Champ Bailey, Larsen's teammate, who did it for Washington in 2000; and T/DT Orlando Pace, who pulled double duty for Baltimore in '03.

Larsen didn't have a carry but helped clear the way as the Broncos rushed for 124 yards. Defensively, he was in on seven tackles.

Interestingly enough, the 6-foot-2, 240-pounder was a linebacker in college before being converted to fullback by the Broncos.

"I called him up before we drafted him and said, `Hey, would you be willing to play fullback?'," coach Mike Shanahan recalled. "He said, `Coach, I just want to make a Football team. I haven't played fullback since high school, but if that's where you want me to play, I'll play it.'"

However, Denver did its due diligence and had Larsen spend time at both positions. After all, you never know.

"So we started him out the first week at the fullback position and the second week at the OTAs (organized team activities) at the linebacker position so he could learn all the terminology," Shanahan said. "In a 45-man squad, you're not really sure if somebody goes down or if you have a number of injuries, you can use a guy (like Larsen). It's worked out because we've had a few guys go down and he has stepped up and played well."

A one-man show?

The Dolphins won one game last season. They have six wins at the moment with six games to play.

That kind of turnaround isn't a result of one person. Or is it?

Owner Wayne Huizenga hired Bill Parcells last December as executive vice president of Football operations. In other words, he gave him the key to the house and permission to start cleaning.

Parcells has done just that. Twenty-seven of the 53 players on the active roster are in their first year in Miami.

"I think that is the biggest imprint right now," Sparano, the Dolphins' first-year coach, said of Parcells.

Parcells, whose 183 wins are ninth-most in NFL history, has been hands-on as an executive. But he apparently has kept his hands out of the X's and O's part of the operation, something skeptics didn't believe would be possible.

"His iNFLuence as far as anything we do from a game plan or practice standpoint, there really isn't anything much there unless I have a question where I may go down there and pick his brain, which is nice to be able to have in this building," Sparano said. "Other than that, as far as what I have learned from him, the list is long. He prepared me to be in this position, without a doubt.

"Some of the greatest strengths I have taken from him are the game-management parts of this whole thing. As a young coach, what I am finding is that finally the game is starting to slow (down) for me right now. Kind of like quarterback."

Lions' share of blame...

No one has clinched a playoff spot yet, not even the 10-0 Titans. On the other side of the tracks, the 0-10 Lions are the first team to be guaranteed a playoff-free January. It's hard to remember, but the Lions were 6-2 at the halfway point last season and seemingly headed to the postseason for the first time since 1999. They've been in freefall since, having lost 17 of 18 heading into today's home game against the Bucs. The Lions will, as always, be at home Thursday for Thanksgiving. Coincidentally, the Titans are on the menu this season. The Lions are 33-33-2 all-time on Thanksgiving. They've lost four straight and six of seven. ... There are currently 21 teams with a record of .500 or better. That ties 2002 for the most such teams at this stage of the season. Taking it a step further, all 12 teams in the AFC East, NFC East and NFC South are at least .500. That never has happened this late in a season since the league realigned in 2002. ... As noted last week, five quarterbacks, including Matt Cassel, have combined for six 400-yard passing games this season. However, their teams are 2-4 in those games.

A shift in power...

With Tom Brady out of the game and Peyton Manning off his game, there was talk in September about a shift in power from the AFC to the NFC.

But after walking the walk for a couple of months, it's more like a balancing of power. The AFC has the Titans, along with the Steelers, Jets, Patriots and Colts (combined 37-14). The NFC counters with the Giants, along with the Panthers, Buccaneers, Cardinals and Cowboys (combined 37-13).

As for those Cardinals, they can clinch their first division title since 1975 - when they played in St. Louis and the NFC East - with a win over the Giants today and losses by San Francisco and Seattle. They're 4-0 at home, and Kurt Warner is playing like an MVP, so it's a distinct possibility.

It's only a matter of time, though, before the Cardinals officially end Seattle's four-year reign as NFC West champ. They hold a four-game lead in a division that has three of the worst teams in Football.

The 49ers, Seahawks and Rams are a combined 7-23 (.233), with four of the wins coming in the division. Until the 49ers beat the Rams last weekend, the trio collectively had lost 11 straight games.

It's all about the fans...

Patriots fans have been accused in recent years of taking their dynastic team for granted.

But Dolphins defensive end Vonnie Holliday never has taken the fans for granted.

An 11-year veteran who has previously played in Green Bay and Kansas City (two great Football towns), Holliday adheres to the old cliche that it's the fans who pay his salary.

And in tough times, that support is appreciated more than ever.

"I've been one of those guys who do thank the fans, because I don't take it for granted," Holliday said. "I do understand. I do have family that isn't in my same tax bracket, and I know what the economy is doing to society and our country.

"To the people who are able to come out and support us, I'm very appreciative of them. To those who can't, watch us on television. That's why I was opposed to the whole blackout (rule), because I do understand that the economy is different now."

The NFL requires a sellout 72 hours in advance of the game for it to be shown on local television.

What to look for today...

What to look for today, courtesy of the folks at the NFL: The Giants are back at University of Phoenix Stadium, site of Super Bowl XLII, this time to play the Cardinals. Since 1990, eight Super Bowl champions have returned to the venue of their triumph the previous season. Those teams have gone 7-1. ... San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson needs six catches and Tampa Bay's Warrick Dunn 11 to join Marcus Allen, Tiki Barber, Marshall Faulk and Emmitt Smith as the only running backs with 10,000 rushing yards and 500 receptions. ... Tomlinson is one away from tying Faulk (130) for fifth place in career touchdowns. ... If Minnesota's Adrian Peterson runs for 110 yards against Jacksonville, he'll have the second-most rushing yards ever after the first 25 games of a career. Eric Dickerson tops the list with 2,771, with Jim Brown second at 2,550. Peterson stands at 2,441. ... Arizona's Anquan Boldin reached 400 receptions in a record 67 games. With three catches against the Giants, teammate Larry Fitzgerald can get to 400 in 70 games, second-fastest in history.

Quick hits, numbers...

Some quick hits and useful numbers with regard to this week's games: The Eagles are 0-3 against the NFC East, 5-1-1 against everyone else, as they travel to Baltimore. ... The Browns are 4-3 after starting 0-3 with the losses by 3, 10 and 4 points. They held a double-digit lead in two of those defeats. The Texans are 0-4 on the road. ... The Cowboys are averaging 13.8 points in their last four games; the 49ers have scored 69 points in their last two games. ... Five of the Lions' last six losses have been by nine points or less. ... The Jaguars are 1-4 at home with the losses by 4, 5, 6 and 10 points; the Vikings are 1-4 on the road with the losses by 5, 13, 7 and 6 points. ... In his last four games, Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen is 85 of 140 for 945 yards and eight TDs with one interception. ... The Rams have lost four straight, three by least 19 points, since playing the Patriots tough. ... The Broncos have won 9 of 11 against the Raiders, all but one by double digits. ... The Giants are averaging an NFC-best 29.2 points. The Cardinals are second at 28.9. ... The Panthers are 6-5 against the Falcons in their last 11 meetings. Three of the last four have been decided by a touchdown. ... The Seahawks have won the last two meetings with the Redskins, both coming in the playoffs in 2005 and '07. ... The Colts have a turnover differential of plus-6, the Chargers are minus-5. ... The Packer are plus-7, the Saints minus-5.

Random thoughts

Some random thoughts in no particular order: The Colts are officially resurrected. ... The Patriots will tell you one person doesn't make the machine. Lose too many persons and the machine has a hard time making the playoffs. ... Here's a well-deserved hand for the Nashoba Regional boys' cross country team, which hoofed it to third place at the Division 1 state championships for the second straight season. ... Due to a recent run of futility, my wife has taken control of my NFL picks for this week. ... High school Football, the turkey, the couch, the Cowboys. Same as it ever was.

Material used in this report was collected from personal interviews, wire services, Web sites, and league and team sources. Rich Garven can be reached by e-mail at rich.garven@verizon.net or rgarven@telegram.com

Wildcat strikes

The Dolphins unveiled their Wildcat formation against the Patriots in Week 3, and it was an instant hit in a 38-13 win. They've used it every game since, generally for six or seven plays. The Dolphins averaged 12 points, 256.5 total yards and 60.5 rushing yards before the 'Cat; those numbers are 23.2, 377.8 and 131.8 since. Here's a look at who's done what:

Rushing

Player Att. Yds. Avg. Long TD

Ronnie Brown 34 207 6.1 62t 5

Ricky Williams 20 146 7.3 51t 1

Patrick Cobbs 1 3 3.0 3 0

Passing

Player Att. Comp. Yds. TD Sacks

Chad Pennington 1 1 53 1 0

Ronnie Brown 1 1 19 1 1

Ricky Williams 0 0 0 0 1

Receiving

Player No. Yds .Avg. Long TD

Patrick Cobbs 1 53 53.0 53t 1

Anthony Fasano 1 19 19.0 19t 1