Nolan Carroll showed some promise returning kicks this preseason but why not upgrade to a Pro Bowl returner? That's exactly what the Dolphins did late last night when they signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Clifton Smith.

Smith followed up his Pro Bowl two touchdown 08' season, with an NFC leading 29.1 yards per return last year. To make room for Smith on the 53-man roster, the Dolphins were forced to cut offensive lineman Joe Reitz, who was picked up off the waiver wire on Sunday.

Small Talk

-Jake Long participated in limited work in practice today, which all but locks him in as good to go against Buffalo.

-Channing Crowder missed another practice this morning, and the newly acquired Bobby Carpenter got some time with Karlos Dansby on the first-team.

-Vontae Davis looked just fine in practice today after media reports suggested he was walking around the locker room with a limp on Monday.

-The Dolphins have resigned offensive lineman Andrew Hartline and a mystery tight end to the practice squad, and have cut 7th round pick Chris McCoy.

-No time to post now, but be on the lookout for a Q&A segment I did with Joe Pinzone from Buffalo Wins a little later this afternoon.

In preparation for Sunday's opener against the Bills, it's time to hit the film room for a little study session. Okay, so I don't have the time or resources to put together the kind of film NFL teams evaluate week in and week out. But with a little trip to YouTube, we can revisit the two Dolphins-Bills games from last season, as well as check out some Bills highlights that showcase some of the things the Dolphins should probably be worried about.

2009 Week 4: Dolphins 38 Bills 10- An example of what the Dolphins are capable of if they can get the running game going early and often, avoid turnovers, and force a few takeaways on defense.

According to a statement released by the team, Jeff Ireland has assumed full control of all personnel decisions, and Bill Parcells has stepped down to a daily consultant position. The statement also claims that this was part of the plan from the beginning.

Not exactly the news Dolphins fans probably wanted to hear with less than a week before opening day. As far as the present goes, I don't think this effects much. Realistically, the foundation for this roster is already set in place, and with the season set to begin there aren't many roster moves left to be made.

So this may seem like bad timing and an unneeded distraction, but it appears Parcells is just stepping down at the end of the personnel calender. Make no mistake, his presence will still be felt around the team facility. He's going to continue to mentor and mold Ireland, as well as Sparano.

Could this be detrimental down the road? Of course. Parcells is one of most respected people in the business, and clearly knows the formula for success in this league. The Dolphins didn't transform from the laughing stock of the league to respectability over night by accident.

Parcells brought a change of culture that was as clear as night and day, and with him no longer in co-control there's a little more uncertainty heading forward.

I don't think the fan base truly trust Ireland yet. He obviously had some negative media attention with the whole Dez Bryant debacle, and despite the bringing in of two game changers on offense and defense with Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby, there have been a few head scratching moves made over the past year.

But if Ireland has learned anything from Parcells over the past three years, the Dolphins should be in good hands, it's just no longer a sure thing.

The key to victory might rest right here for both teams. The Dolphins and Bills both feature a surplus of talent in the backfield, and we should see a concentrated effort from both to get the running game going early and often.

Obviously the Dolphins possess one of the best duo's in the league with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, a.k.a. the R&R Express. The Bills, however, are a little more tricky. The talent is there, three deep I might add, but it's still somewhat a mystery how each will be used, especially considering we don't know how healthy Fred Jackson is yet.

Bills running game vs. Dolphins run defense
I mentioned it's still not definite how much action Fred Jackson is going to get with that broken hand. I'm not saying he's not a very solid back-he is. The guy surpassed the 1,000 yard milestone for the first time last season. I'm just saying anytime C.J. Spiller isn't on the field, it will be a little easier to relax.

Yes, the preseason is just the preseason, but C.J. Spiller looked the part of the next Chris Johnson- always a threat to take it to the house. Combine that with the fact Miami has struggled to set the edge and have really looked like a overall slow defense at times, and this division's first impression of Spiller could be a scary one.

The Dolphins can't get caught over-pursuing any angles, or it could be cut back and off to the races. We could also see a lot of Ikaika Alama-Francis on early downs, because Koa Misi didn't do a great job of setting the edge in the preseason. While Ike projects better in the department, I still have my concerns if he can set the edge quick enough against the world class speed of Spiller.

The Bills may have taken a little scrutiny for drafting Spiller in the first round, but I think the Dolphins are wishing they would have picked up an offensive tackle or quarterback right about now. I think that's exactly what Buddy Nix had in mind. Marshawn Lynch is also expected to get some touches, but considering the Dolphins have looked pretty stout up the middle, I'm less concerned about a bruiser type back like Lynch.
Edge: Bills

Dolphins running game vs. Bills run defense
It's no secret that the Bills struggled pretty heavily against the run a year ago, while the Dolphins put together the fourth best ground attack in football. The Bills switched to the 3-4 defense for a reason.

Will they improve in the area? In the long term I would say yes. But in the short term, and more specifically this Sunday, I expect to see some bumps in the road as they attempt to make the transition.

This isn't taking into account how shaky Miami's interior offensive line looked in the preseason, though. I'm not going to get concerned until we see the Dolphins struggle to run the ball in a real game, but if they don't get something going against a presumably mediocre at best run defense, it may be panic time after all.

But we really didn't see them pound the rock like they will in the regular season. There really was no reason to add any more wear and tear on Ronnie and Ricky. Expect the Dolphins to establish the run early and make the Bill's new look front seven prove they can stop it.
Edge: Dolphins

Because the Dolphins are as tight-lipped of an organization as they come, especially when dealing with injuries, the fans and media alike were forced to wait and see Jake Long's status when the team held their first practice of the regular season this morning.

As feared, Long sat out practice with a brace on his injured knee. He did ride the bike, though, so sitting out could be purely precautionary. We will have to wait to see how he progresses the rest of the week, and for the Dolphins to release their first injury report, because you should know by now  that Sparano is going to tap dance his way out of every question regarding any injury.

Channing Crowder reportedly took part in pre-practice stretches, but didn't workout with the team. Crowder's status for Week 1 is still a mystery, but the Dolphins signing former Cowboy Bobby Carpenter today could have something to do with Crowder being out longer than expected.

Carpenter was the 18th pick of the 2006 NFL Draft, but never established himself as a starter in Dallas and was traded to St. Louis this May, where he was later cut on Saturday.

Carpenter isn't known for being much of a run-stuffer, but could end up getting some action in the nickel package, as he possesses some good speed and coverage ability.

To free up room on the roster, the Dolphins were forced to cut outside linebacker Charlie Anderson, who had also been cross-training on the inside.

In addition to bringing in Carpenter and disposing of Anderson, the Dolphins also revealed their practice squad:

OLB Chris McCoy
ILB Austin Spitler
S Jonathon Amaya
OG Ray Feinga
DE/NT Ryan Baker
WR Julius Priutt
TE Nathan Overbay

Everyone expect Nathan Overbay participated in Dolphins' training camp, with McCoy and Spitler being the team's seventh round draft picks. Overbay is a 6'5, 270 pound tight end from Eastern Washington. He spent training camp with the Denver Broncos before getting cut this weekend.