Miami Dolphins

Winning is great. Winning a lot is better. Ask the Penn and Harvard football teams, whose stouthearted lads carry identical 7-0 records into Harvard Stadium today. Ask the NHL's New York Islanders, who recently basked in the thrill of a 9-0-1-1 start this season. Who knows? The team that comes out of today's Penn-Harvard matchup undefeated may be on the road to its own history-making win streak. And if they're students of sports history, they may find inspiration (and instruction)

For 29 boys, ages 8 to 13, the "Brothers" Youth Development Outreach Camp was a week of positive inspiration through interaction with role models. Speakers included Temple basketball coach John Chaney and Irving Fryar of the Miami Dolphins.

The Eagles' game at the New York Giants on Dec. 17 has been moved to a 4:15 p.m. start, the NFL announced yesterday. The game, likely to have NFC wild-card implications, can be seen on Fox. The change was made because of the NFL's new flex scheduling for Sunday night games. Kansas City will play at San Diego at 8:15 on NBC. The Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills game also will shift to 4:05 on CBS.

The Soul signed free-agent quarterback Tim Levcik and released wide receiver/defensive back Van Johnson. Levcik, 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, played briefly in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins. A four-year letterman at Robert Morris University, Levcik was a three-time all-Northeast Conference selection and was the league's offensive player of the year in both his junior and senior season. The Soul have begun their first training camp in the Arena Football League and will open the season against New Orleans at 3 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Wachovia Center.

1. c. 14. 2. d. 1968-69, SBs II and III, both in the Orange Bowl in Miami. 3. d. 9, six times in Superdome (SBs XII, XV, XX, XXIV, XXXI, XXXVI) and three in Tulane Stadium (IV, VI and IX). 4. b. SB XLI, Chicago Bears. 5. c. Three, as Indianapolis Colts in XLI; as Baltimore Colts in V and III. 6. a. One; 16-7 to the New York Jets in SB III. 7. d. Pittsburgh Steelers, with six wins. Dallas and San Francisco have each won five, and New England three. 8. a. Dallas Cowboys, with eight.

Running back Ricky Williams has prepared a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell requesting reinstatement back into the league, his agent said over the weekend. Williams was suspended last April for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy for the fourth time. Williams is not required to wait to send the letter until April 27, which marks the 1-year anniversary of the date his suspension was upheld by the league. The formality of sending the letter will signal the start of the reinstatement process, which includes an investigation into Williams' behavior since last year.

Safety Sammy Knight, who made the Pro Bowl with the New Orleans Saints in 2001, received a free-agent contract offer from the Miami Dolphins yesterday. The Saints decided against trying to keep Knight after last season, saying they wanted more speed at safety. Jets. Free-agent tackle Brent Smith signed with New York after missing the last two seasons with knee injuries. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Smith has been with the Dolphins since entering the NFL in 1997. The Jets also waived quarterback Todd Husak.

Dan Marino decided 420 touchdown passes are enough. The most prolific passer in NFL history will announce his retirement Monday, ending a 17-year career with the Miami Dolphins, a source told the Associated Presss yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Dolphins confirmed a news conference for Marino is scheduled Monday. They declined to comment further. Marino, 38, badly wanted to go out like John Elway and retire as a Super Bowl champion. But after parting ways with the Dolphins, Marino reluctantly rejected an offer to play this year for the Minnesota Vikings.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been given a new 5-year contract as the league heads into a key period of labor negotiations that could lead to a work stoppage in 2011. Goodell replaced Paul Tagliabue on Sept. 1, 2006, and his contract was due to expire this September. The NFL said yesterday that owners voted to award the new contract when they met in December, and his new deal runs until March 2015. "We're going into a major negotiation. It will be very difficult probably in many ways and we want to have someone who has his own views, who's going to have to make some hard decisions that maybe some of us won't like," New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said.

A week ago, Wayne Huizenga seemed poised to sell his beloved Miami Dolphins and abandon his long quest for a Super Bowl title. Scratch those plans. Huizenga brought in Bill Parcells instead, giving him the task of restoring Miami's lost luster. Miami yesterday signed Parcells to a 4-year contract as executive vice president of football operations. He will oversee "anything that has to do with football, directly or indirectly," Huizenga said. The two-time Super Bowl champion coach will report directly to Huizenga, whose affinity for big-name help now has led him to a 66-year-old former coach of four NFL clubs.

DAVIE, Fla. - When the Miami Dolphins lost their first six games, coach Tony Sparano decided to change his ways. He eased up in his players' routine and solicited their feedback on how to improve the gloomy mood. He made practices later, shorter and less rigorous. He even altered the way the team stretched. "It's a deviation really from much that I know," Sparano said. They lost their next game to go to 0-7. But then, a dramatic turnaround came. Since then, the Dolphins have outscored opponents by 85 points while winning four of their past five games.

DAVIE, Fla. - When the Miami Dolphins lost their first six games, coach Tony Sparano decided to change his ways. He eased up in his players' routine and solicited their feedback on how to improve the gloomy mood. He made practices later, shorter and less rigorous. He even altered the way the team stretched. "It's a deviation really from much that I know," Sparano said. A dramatic turnaround came one week later. After starting 0-7, the Dolphins, who host the Eagles on Sunday, have outscored opponents by 85 points while winning four of their past five games.

ARLINGTON, Texas - Tony Romo doesn't care about winning in style. He's leading the Dallas Cowboys to victories, and that's all that matters. Romo overcame a pair of early interceptions by throwing two touchdown passes to Laurent Robinson and rookie Dan Bailey made a 28-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Cowboys a 20-19 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday. The Cowboys (7-4) were never able to grab control, but they also never trailed by more than six points.

After failing to hear his name called out during the three-day NFL draft, then waiting anxiously for the lockout to end, Pat Devlin finally got some good news Tuesday on the first day of postlockout business. Devlin, a quarterback who played at Downingtown East High, Penn State and Delaware, agreed to a free-agent contract with the Miami Dolphins, according to Carter Chow, his agent. Chow did not disclose the terms of the agreement, but ESPN.com reported that Devlin had said yes to a three-year deal.

The Miami what? You would think a team as well-established as the Miami Dolphins would have no worries about name recognition. Drive around South Florida and you'll encounter the Dolphin Expressway, the Dolphin Mall, the Dolphin Bar & Lounge, Dolphin Termite Services, Dolphin Used Auto Parts and Dolphin Bail Bonds. All of a sudden, though, the Dolphins are No. 2 in Miami's buzz machine behind LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. "If the Heat are bigger, that's cool," Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell says.

ENOUGH ALREADY! Yesterday, the Miami Dolphins took out full page ads in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel , Palm Beach Post and the Miami Herald welcoming LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Miami and thanking - yes, thanking - Dwyane Wade for staying with the Heat. The Rev. Jesse Jackson actually said that Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert views LeBron James as a "runaway slave. " Gilbert made a bunch of asinine comments after James announced he would sign with the Heat.

The Denver Broncos traded wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the Miami Dolphins yesterday for a second-round pick in next week's draft and a second-rounder in 2011. Marshall and the Dolphins agreed on a 4-year, $47.5 million contract, ESPN reported, with $24 million guaranteed. Marshall has long wanted out of Denver. His 4-year stint in Denver was filled with fantastic plays but also plenty of frustration. He posted his third consecutive 100-catch season last year and made his second straight trip to the Pro Bowl despite several run-ins with coach Josh McDaniels on and off the field.

The mercurial and maddening career of Brandon Marshall as a Denver Bronco wide receiver is finished. Marshall was traded Wednesday to the Miami Dolphins for a second-round pick that the Broncos will use next Friday in the NFL draft. Denver also will receive a second-round draft pick in 2011. Marshall, who set a league record by catching 21 passes in a loss to Indianapolis in December, signed his $2.521 million tender offer Tuesday to facilitate a trade. He had been a restricted free agent.

There are conflicting reports regarding the job status of San Francisco 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan. AOL Fanhouse reported yesterday that the 49ers are cutting ties with McCloughan over a personal matter not related to team issues. McCloughan told FanHouse via text message, "I'm fine and moving forward. " The report said he would not elaborate. McCloughan's agent, however, said his client is still employed by the team - for now, anyway. Peter Schaffer, McCloughan's representative, told the Associated Press in a phone interview last night that he has "not heard any different" regarding McCloughan's job status amid speculation he's on his way out. The 49ers are mum on the situation.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been given a new 5-year contract as the league heads into a key period of labor negotiations that could lead to a work stoppage in 2011. Goodell replaced Paul Tagliabue on Sept. 1, 2006, and his contract was due to expire this September. The NFL said yesterday that owners voted to award the new contract when they met in December, and his new deal runs until March 2015. "We're going into a major negotiation. It will be very difficult probably in many ways and we want to have someone who has his own views, who's going to have to make some hard decisions that maybe some of us won't like," New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said.