AFC

They’re all ears

The Miami Dolphins caused a stir this week when several players said they’d studied audio clips of New England quarterback Tom Brady before their stunning 21-0 rout of the Patriots.

The Palm Beach Post reported that two Dolphins players said the team had “bought” audiotapes of New England’s games that included Brady.

But Miami Coach Nick Saban said his players were probably confused about where the tapes came from. He said they were merely dubbed off the TV, and he regularly provides such study tapes of opposing quarterbacks so his players can familiarize themselves with their cadences.

“We did it in Cleveland when I was defensive coordinator, which is about 100 years ago,” Saban said on a conference call with Buffalo Bills beat writers last week, during a break from preparations to play the Bills. “I think everybody in the league does it. Our players were laughing today about it.

“There’s nothing unique about this. Maybe someone in the media just didn’t know about it, but I mean, everybody does it and there’s nothing illegal about it.”

Is that Gone-zalez?

Kansas City tight end Tony Gonzalez is none too happy about the Chiefs’ 7-6 record and that they’re on the verge of missing the playoffs for the eighth time in his 10 seasons. After last Sunday’s home loss to Baltimore, he told reporters, “I wouldn’t be bitter if they let me go.”

Although he emphasized he’d prefer to remain in Kansas City, he said, “Right now, winning is more important” than staying.

Uno, dos, tres,

cuatro ... stinko

The Denver Broncos started the season strong, winning five of their first six, but have nosedived since mid-November, losing four in a row. The franchise hasn’t had a five-game losing streak since 1990, when Dan Reeves was coach, so times are tense at the Broncos’ facility.

“It’s hard to conjure up the words and thoughts to put this together and see this happening here,” defensive lineman Gerard Warren told the Denver Post. “I never imagined it. But hey, it’s here now and we have to deal with it.”

The Broncos (7-6), who play at Arizona, would not make the playoffs were the season to end today. The Jets and Chiefs have identical 7-6 records, but both have the tiebreaker advantage over Denver.

Young and the restless

Now, more than ever, folks in Houston are steamed that the Texans didn’t draft local star Vince Young and instead chose defensive end Mario Williams.

Last Sunday, Young led Tennessee to a 26-20 victory at Houston, with a 39-yard touchdown run in overtime.

It was the second time this season the rookie quarterback had beaten the Texans.

“That was a storybook ending for him and a nightmarish finish for us,” defensive end N.D. Kalu told the Houston Chronicle. “I never wanted to give him his props, but he made a believer out of me. I wasn’t all that impressed until” last Sunday.

Men behaving badly

Cincinnati is 8-5, and the joke going around is that the Bengals have one victory to match each of their player arrests this season. That’s right, eight players have found themselves in the backseats of squad cars, most recently cornerback Deltha O’Neal, who got a DUI in the wee hours Dec. 9.

The situation has gotten so bad that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called Bengals owner Mike Brown on Monday and offered his help. Maybe that’s why Coach Marvin Lewis spoke up on the issue last week after having previously been surprisingly mum.

“Unfortunately, I can’t hold their hands 24/7, but it’s embarrassing,” Lewis said. “It’s an embarrassment to our organization, to our city and to our fans.

“These things socially are not right. Hopefully, this is a positive so our young people who are fans understand there are certain things in our society that are unacceptable.”

Finding a positive in that? Now that is coach-speak.

-- Sam Farmer