DAVIE, Fla. -- Things went from bad to worse for the
Miami Dolphins, who lost running back Ronnie Brown for the rest of the
season because of a knee injury.
Brown will need surgery to repair a torn ACL, coach Cam Cameron
said Monday. He twisted his right knee in the third quarter of the
Dolphins' 49-28 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
"His spirits are up," Cameron said. "He's already talking
about getting the surgery and getting ready to get back and get it
rehabbed and be ready for spring."
Brown has been one of the few bright spots in Miami's bleak
season. Coming into Sunday's game, he led the NFL in yards from
scrimmage and had reached the 100-yard rushing mark for four
consecutive games.
"He was having a Pro Bowl season," Cameron said. "There's no
doubt about it. ... There's a lot of resolve in this guy. He's
committed to getting this taken care of and coming back, coming
back even stronger. He is an impressive, impressive young man."
Brown had 76 yards rushing against the Patriots on 17 carries,
and had five receptions for 33 yards.
"He was on his way to another big game," Cameron said.
The Dolphins are off to an 0-7 start for the first time in their
42 seasons. They travel to London this week to face the New York Giants in the first regular-season NFL game outside North America.
"These are times when you're tested," Cameron said. "And the
bottom line is, you take it day to day. You take it one game at a
time."
Miami will now turn to running backs Jesse Chatman, Patrick Cobbs and Lorenzo Booker to take Brown's place.
"You don't replace a Ronnie Brown," Cameron said. "But you
say, 'These are the guys we have. How do we maximize the guys we
have? Who are our best 11?'"
After Sunday's game, Brown said he could walk and put pressure
on the knee. He injured himself chasing Randall Gay on an
interception and was able to walk off the field.
"I was coming down and running across the field and the guy was
running at me and he actually cut behind me," Brown said. "I
tried to plant and it twisted up a little bit."
Brown's injury puts renewed focus on suspended running back
Ricky Williams, who applied for NFL reinstatement Oct. 1.
Williams remains under contract with Miami, where he won the NFL
rushing title in 2002, but Cameron has not indicated whether he
wants Williams to stay with the Dolphins.
"As soon as he's reinstated, I will comment," Cameron said
Monday. "If in fact, he is."
Williams has played in only 12 NFL games since the start of the
2004 season, but rushed for 3,225 yards in 2002-03. His current
suspension began in April 2006 after he violated the league's drug
policy for the fourth time. He tested positive for marijuana this
April, again delaying his return.
On Sunday, the Dolphins also lost safety Renaldo Hill for the
rest of the season because of a torn ACL, Cameron said, further
depleting a position plagued by injuries.
"I think we're on our fifth safety, maybe sixth now," middle
linebacker Zach Thomas said. "Hopefully somebody steps in and
steps up, because teams are going to start to throw on us a lot."
Cameron said he expected surgeries for Hill and Brown would take
place within the next week to 10 days.
Miami's season has been rife with injuries. Quarterback Trent Green suffered a severe concussion and was placed on injured
reserve Saturday. Safety Yeremiah Bell injured his Achilles tendon
in the season opener. A concussion sidelined Thomas for two
consecutive games and defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday is nursing
an ankle injury.