by The Boston Globe

Simms said that coach Bill Parcells had NFC East foes foremost on his mind when he pieced together the Giants' roster. The Redskins, for example, had ``The Hogs'' on the offensive line - a big, physical group that Parcells felt had to be countered by a big, physical defensive line.

Two decades later, Parcells's divisional mind-set is still apparent. One look at the Dolphins' offseason activity provides confirmation.

Parcells, in his second season as executive vice president of Football operations in Miami, has orchestrated a significant overhaul of the secondary. The Dolphins signed free agent safety Gibril Wilson to a lucrative contract, added cornerback Eric Green in free agency, and drafted cornerbacks Vontae Davis (first round) and Sean Smith (second round) - four moves aimed at improving a pass defense that ranked 25th in yards surrendered per game last season (227.8).

Think Parcells had the Patriots and their high-flying passing attack in mind?

There is little doubt, not to mention the addition of receiver Terrell Owens in Buffalo, and to a lesser degree Jerricho Cotchery in New York.

In assessing some of the new personnel, Miami coach Tony Sparano pointed out that part of the appeal to drafting Davis (5 feet 11 inches, 203 pounds) and Smith (6-4, 214) was their physical stature. It also helped that they were the best players available in an area the Dolphins had targeted for improvement.

``There are some big receivers out there that these corners get matched up against quite a bit, and it's always been our philosophy - ever since I've been around Bill - to have bigger corners,'' Sparano said. ``It's just not easy to find them.

``It's not a secret that first and foremost you're concerned about your division because you play those people twice. When you're playing against teams that have passing attacks like the Patriots have, that have a receiving group like the Patriots have - that's one of the best in the league - and a team that added Terrell to go with Lee Evans in Buffalo, and Jerricho Cotchery and that group in New York, there is no question about it.

``You're obviously trying to put the best pieces together for your team overall, but you're also conscious of what other people around you have. We have to be able to match up with them somehow.''

Sparano knows the true test will come when the pads come on, but for now, he says the Dolphins have given themselves a chance for more favorable matchups. Even with former starters Andre Goodman (cornerback) and Renaldo Hill (safety) now in Denver, the depth appears better than last season.

Nine-year veteran Will Allen is as steady as they come at one cornerback spot, so the question is who will start opposite him, and who will be the third and possibly fourth options against three- and four-receiver sets that the Patriots like to employ.

The Dolphins will monitor how quickly Davis and Smith emerge, while Green - a third-round draft choice out of Virginia Tech in 2005 - is another possibility. Green (5-11, 196) started 33 games for the Cardinals over the last four seasons but wasn't re-signed in Arizona.

``He's kind of a last-chance player, if you will,'' said Sparano. ``He was down there in Arizona and it didn't work out for one reason or the other. Our philosophy is that we like to take chances on guys like that who have a little something to prove.''

Jason Allen, whom the Nick Saban-led Dolphins selected in the first round of the 2006 draft, also falls into that ``last-chance'' category. He's in the mix along with Nate Jones.

At safety, Sparano is excited about the addition of the 27-year-old Wilson, who spent last year in Oakland after four seasons with the Giants. When Sparano was helping formulate game plans against the Giants twice a year as a Cowboys assistant, Wilson often caught his eye.

``I know the guy, and I know what type of a physical presence he is,'' said Sparano. ``He is a young guy who still has good Football upside to him. We felt like that was an important piece, to bring somebody with that kind of experience [66 regular-season starts] back there.''

Wilson will team with 31-year-old Yeremiah Bell, who was re-signed this offseason, while Sparano pointed out that another safety, Tyrone Culver, played 550 of 939 snaps for the Dolphins last season, so he's another chess piece on the board. Rookie Chris Clemons, a prospect the Patriots liked in the fifth round of the draft but weren't in position to select, is also part of the safety mix along with special teamer Courtney Bryan.

In addition to the reconstructed secondary, the Dolphins hope they've boosted their pass rush with the signing of outside linebacker Cameron Wake of the Canadian Football League, and by bringing Jason Taylor back to play a situational role.

Sparano wants more pressure on opposing quarterbacks, pointing out that while outside linebacker Joey Porter had 17.5 sacks last season, the team's No. 2 sacker was Jones (3), who plays cornerback.

No NFL coach knows how it will all come together in late June, but at this point, Sparano is encouraged by some of the early signs.

In a division with Tom Brady returning to the Patriots , and with Owens adding a spark in Buffalo, the Dolphins' changes in the secondary figure to play a major role in whether they can defend their AFC East championship.

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