High hopes: Healthy Ronnie, sober Ricky give Dolphins a chance

Ronnie Brown remembers the first time Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano addressed the team. It wasn't fire and brimstone or Mike Gundy but Sparano did get Brown's attention pretty darn quick.

"He came in and let us know right off the bat what we should expect," Brown said. "It was a pretty tough speech."

Offseason workouts are just part of the rehab work for Ronnie Brown. (US Presswire)

Was it Tom Coughlin-like? Did he state if anyone's five minutes early for a meeting, they're late?

Brown laughed. "Well that's pretty universal," Brown said. "He was letting us know where he stands on things and I respect that."

How well Sparano's first year goes will depend greatly on how Brown is doing.

So, Ronnie, how the hell are you?

"It's all going pretty well for me," he said. "In fact, it couldn't really be much better."

If it is, if Brown can indeed resemble the powerful runner he was before his knee imploded against New England in October last season, then Miami might be able to crawl out of its 1-15 basement sooner rather than later.

That, however, is a tremendous if.

NFL running backs with repaired ACLs are like Jesse Jackson near a hot microphone. Things might be just fine or there could be an eye-opening, devastating moment just around the corner.

Running backs, even ones as young and tough as Brown, often aren't the same after ACL surgery. There are numerous examples, with one of the best being Edgerrin James. While age was a key factor in James' deterioration, it took the runner several years to truly get back to being himself.

If Brown can come back even at 75 percent -- here comes the idiotic prediction -- then the Dolphins could end up being much better than people think in the coming season.

You start laughing in three, two, one ...