William Delahoussaye Testing Perfection

<blockquote><p align=justify><b>Rookies test waters</b>

DAVIE — Next to the name of William Delahoussaye on the Miami Dolphins' training camp roster are the letters LS. No, they do not stand for long shot, though the kid wears the designation well.

"I have to be perfect every day," said the only player under Miami contract as a long snapper, and nothing but a long snapper. "I can't give them a reason to let me go. I can't get the ball back there even a little bit to the left or a little to the right or a little high or a little low. It's got to be perfect every time or you hear it from your punter, your coaches, everybody who's watching everything you do. 'This is your job, do it right,' that's what they say. It's a lot of pressure."

This is the stark reality of training camp for rookies, the little people who have no particular personal interest in the retirement of Ricky Williams, who have no time to waste worrying about the Jay vs. A.J. debate, who, in other words, have helmet-rattling problems of their own.

Delahoussaye, for instance, bounced from his chair Tuesday after sharing with a reporter his thoughts on being a one-trick pony in a roomful of highly versatile athletes. There was a smile on his face and an enthusiastic message for some other Dolphins free agents. "Hey, guys, I got an interview," said the former Ragin' Cajun from Louisiana-Lafayette.

Not much of a training-camp highlight, but then in this business, you never know.

<center><p><a href="http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2004/08/04/a1b_PBPGEORGE_0804.html">The rest of the story</a>

By Dave George
PalmBeachPost<!--

There are 90 players with locker space today at the Dolphins' training facility. In a month, that number will be down to 53 for the start of the regular season, with room for up to eight more on a practice squad. Do the math. That's a lot of waived men walking, which makes for more than the usual share of gallows humor.

Rex Hadnot, a sixth-round draft pick who appears to be set as the backup to Seth McKinney at center, takes particular pride in keeping the kids loose. After six practice sessions in the space of four training-camp days, not everybody has the energy or the inclination to laugh, so Hadnot stirs it up, picking at rookie cornerback Will Poole for driving around town with his Dolphins helmet on the dashboard of his car, and accusing undrafted free agents Renaldo Works and Willie Johnson of playing catch with a football at the mall and wearing their Dolphins jerseys there, too, all in an effort to impress the local ladies.

"Just keeping a happy perspective on things, man," said Hadnot, who is far more comfortable with the TV cameras than most newcomers. "You hear about NFL training camps as a rut, as a grind, so it's kind of me being a delight for everyone. I guess they say I'm the jokester."

Derrick Pope, a middle linebacker drafted in the seventh round, rejects Hadnot's claim that he has been seen wearing his helmet in public. This is serious business to the former Alabama star, who played two years of junior-college football to keep his dream alive. Ball High School in Galveston, Texas, Pope's alma mater, has sent plenty of players to NFL training camps but only a few, such as Pittsburgh defensive tackle Casey Hampton, have made it stick.

"There are no scholarships here," Pope said. "I make contact with the other young players in this locker room. You don't have enemies. Still, everybody's competing for a job on this team. If you lose, you're out."

Zach Thomas, an undersized 1996 fifth-round pick, came to his first Miami training camp with that same demolition-derby attitude and has gone on to lead the team in tackles in seven of his eight pro seasons. Thomas joined the Dolphins at the beginning of Jimmy Johnson's Miami coaching run and at a time when no veteran's starting position was safe — Dan Marino being the consistent exception to every rule.

Tony Bua, another 5-foot-11 linebacker drafted in the fifth round, faces a tough challenge in winning a significant defensive role as a rookie. Just in case that wasn't obvious enough, the converted free safety from Arkansas reported last week to find his assigned locker squeezed between those of Thomasand Junior Seau. Think of it. Those two have been selected to 17 Pro Bowls combined and Bua, bless him, has never played a down of professional football.

"I'm sitting between two future Hall of Famers here," Bua said, "so I don't jump into conversations. I don't feel it's my place to do that. There's a time to talk and a time to listen. With these guys, I just sit here nice and quiet and see how they handle different situations."

Too bad the Dolphins didn't give Hadnot, eloquent and amusing, that locker assignment. He is a different situation.

"I call 'Moms' every day to tell her how practice went," said Hadnot, referring to his mother, Eva, back home in Lufkin, Texas, "She thinks I should have been the No. 1."

Everybody, from the QB to the LS, has to believe he belongs during two-a-days. It's the mental requisite for surviving August's physical flogging.

It's the impossible task of trying to be perfect. Every day.
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