Brian Hartline

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Considering he's a Dolphin football player- all he'd have to say is something like this:

BH: "I was out at the club in South Beach...I was dancin with two girls who were big Dolphin fans, I barely said a word, they introduced themselves to me and kept talkin like them celebrity chasers do. The last song that played was that "Take me Home Tonight" song. One of the girls was good to drive. So the one girl drove as the other sat on my lap...No seat belt, sorry officer...as they sung along to that stupid song "No Scrubs" playin on my radio...Damn I hate that..."

Officer: "You're digressin.."

BH: "We got over to my friends house, but there were no condoms in the house. I told the girls...well, if you'd like- you could pick up a package of Trojan Magnums...just take my car, I know you'll love the bling bling on that thing...Both girls left in my car and never came back. I guess something must have happened and they ditched the car...girls never leave me "hangin". The next thing you know...I'm talking to you officers...My wife will not get word of this statement will she? Could bring big trouble for our relationship..."

Officer: "Actually Mr. big mouth, I saw your wife right in the kitchen when I exited your restroom...Did you not know she was home?"

BH: "No I..."

Brian's wife (as she runs into the Den from the kitchen): "You!...I got a golf club and will beat you silly like Tiger Woods!..."

Brian: "Put down the golf club!...Officer please disarm her!..."

Officer: "Honey...He's all yours...I'm leavin...Peace!...And if his Heartline stops, I won't let the police department know."

Officer quickly leaves through the front door and once outside speaks to himself softly as he hears yelps and groans inside, he has a smirk on his face:
"Em athletes think they can get away with anythin...He may have evaded em law, but he won't evade an angry wife with a golf club. They brought Tiger down and my 2nd cousin Pac Man went down. It's usually only the bruthas- who trouble themselves out of a job. Finally a white balla that Jesse, Al and em' Brownie Scout/ white Rivals couldn't keep off em' field goes down...Damn I forgot about that black Panther meeting yesterday after I got home from the police department. Thank God I can keep things on the Down and low, betta than Pacman, Tiger and Mr...his Heartline just stopped".

All the sudden the intense screaming that the "officer" was hearing stops and there is an eerie silence. "Officer" softly mumbles:
"Black Power".

Anyway, JK...Hopefully this thing won't turn into a Tiger Woods like story- considering I was really rooting for Brian on the field last year.



Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[Don Wassall]

I'm surprised how well this worked out for Hartline. He was treated as leniently as black athletes always are. No Matt Jones or Big Ben style persecution, at least to this point. And he's running as the second starter as camp opens.




MIami Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline has been issued a traffic citation and fined for abandoning his pickup truck on July 3 early in the morning. Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said the "case is closed," which police confirmed to the Palm Beach Post. Hartline apparently met with police, but wouldn't say who was driving the car. A $115 fine was paid. "It's disappointing only in the sense that from a communication standpoint, I wish that maybe we would've done a little bit better job that way,"Â￾ Sparano said. "But other than that, that thing really is to bed."Â￾

 

[snow]

I am sure the next time an afflete gets busted and winds up not getting treated leniently fans will bring up this and cry racism. I still hear from dwfs that Matt Jones got off easy because he is white even though he didn't get off easy and was out of the league for an entire year.

 

[whiteathlete33]

I am sure the next time an afflete gets busted and winds up not getting treated leniently fans will bring up this and cry racism. I still hear from dwfs that Matt Jones got off easy because he is white even though he didn't get off easy and was out of the league for an entire year.

Vince Young, Cedric Benson, and Michael Vick already got off without suspensions and I think their crimes are just a little more serious than Hartline's.

 

[Don Wassall]

Encouraging report out of Dolphins training camp:


Is receiver depth chart set in stone?
I know - this is a stupid question. We're only four days into camp. How could any position battle be done? But it's not crazy to think, assuming there aren't any injuries and the top two continue to perform well.


Brandon Marshall is the number one - no questions asked. He has been outstanding every day and that continued on Monday. It's easy to see why this guy catches 100+ passes every year. The Sun-Sentinel's Mike Berardino even went so far as to refer to Marshall as a Venus Flytrap, saying that the "guy catches everything."


The interesting thing so far, though, has been that the battle for the starting receiver spot opposite Marshall - one that everyone was excited to see play out - hasn't been much of a competition at all. Second-year man Brian Hartline has worked as the starter for every single practice so far and it seems like he's cementing himself as the number two guy on this roster. Tony Sparano said on Monday that he likes Hartline as the starter opposite Hartline because of his ability to run after the catch, adding that "he had some big plays for us with his hands on the football running the ball so there was a little bit of that there."


Sparano did caution that this doesn't necessarily mean Hartline will win the job. However, Brian continues to make plays in practice. Today Hartline made a couple of notable grabs, including a "leaping catch along the sidelines" that caught the attention of some teammates. If he keeps this up, he's going to be starting week one in Buffalo. Right now it is clearly Brian's job to lose.
http://www.thephinsider.com/2010/8/3/1602106/dolphins-training-camp-day-4

 

[Jack Lambert]

Tony Sparano said on Monday that he likes Hartline as the starter opposite Hartline...

I knew Brian Hartline was talented, but I didn't know he was this talented!

 

[TwentyTwo]

Will be following this situation more closely...

<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; : transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: ; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">"¢ We're told the Dolphins are disappointed with receiver Brian Hartline; one official said he's not the same player as last year. They want more focus and consistency. Marlon Moore replaced Hartline on two series Sunday -- Hartline said it was to get Moore some game experience -- but Davone Bess and Moore will take time from Hartline if he doesn't play better.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/14/1825002/parcells-stays-on-to-back-sparano.html#ixzz0zYiTFHUw

 

[backrow]

and more from rotoworld:

The Dolphins are reportedly disappointed with WR Brain Hartline's "consistency and focus."

It can't be too much of an issue or the Dolphins wouldn't have dealt Greg Camarillo to assure that Hartline would have no competition for his starting job. Hartline was a non-factor in Week 1, but there's no realistic option to replace him out wide. The position will likely be addressed in 2011.

 

[whiteathlete33]

The position will be addressed? LOL!! They can probably bring Joey Galloway back and see what he has left.

 

[Kaptain]

Hartline was targeted only once the last game. You could have written this script long ago. Hartline has some off field incident in the off season and they will automatically question his focus/desire. Meanwhile Brandon Marshall who routinely punts the ball in practice and knows police officers on a first name basis is force fed the ball much to Hartlines dissadvantage. But it is Hartline who will get questioned for his focus.

 

[whiteathlete33]

Hartline was targeted only once the last game. You could have written this script long ago. Hartline has some off field incident in the off season and they will automatically question his focus/desire. Meanwhile Brandon Marshall who routinely punts the ball in practice and knows police officers on a first name basis is force fed the ball much to Hartlines dissadvantage. But it is Hartline who will get questioned for his focus.

This is what I don't understand. The white receivers who actually get a chance to start are never targeted. Look at Kevin Walter. His production isn't that great but he barely gets any balls thrown his way. Hartline was non existent in the offense this past week.

 

[Don Wassall]

Walter's production has been very solid during his three years as a starter in Houston. Whites used in the slot are thrown to quite a bit.

One game is too early to judge whether Hartline is getting screwed,though the negative press over the pastcouple ofweeks is kind of ominous.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Why does WR need to be "adressed" in 2011 by Miami. Obviously, if you are starting any white guy not named Wes Welker at WR, then you're team is obviously lacking talent there.

 

[whiteathlete33]

Why does WR need to be "adressed" in 2011 by Miami. Obviously, if you are starting any white guy not named Wes Welker at WR, then you're team is obviously lacking talent there.

Yes. and it's all based on one game. Sure Hartline didn't catch any passes the first game but give him a season to prove himself. Then if he struggles all season long they can say the position needs to be addressed. Hopefully he gets back on track in week 2.

 

[Don Wassall]

The media has objected to Kevin Walter starting over Jacoby Jones for going on four seasons now. The only other White receiver to start on the outside, Hartline, is also the object of an intensifying media attack. Seems like Hartline's big play ability (16.3 yards per reception as a rookie) is more than the Caste whores can take. The latest Caste System propaganda from Weenieworld:

Davone Bess was spotted in some two-receiver sets during Thursday's practice. It's notable because Bess is normally a strict slot receiver while Brian Hartline lines up opposite Brandon Marshall. But with Hartline reportedly taking steps backward, the coaches may be grooming the sure-handed Bess for a bigger role. He remains on the PPR radar.

 

[whiteathlete33]

The media has objected to Kevin Walter starting over Jacoby Jones for going on four seasons now. The only other White receiver to start on the outside, Hartline, is also the object of an intensifying media attack. Seems like Hartline's big play ability (16.3 yards per reception as a rookie) is more than the Caste whores can take. The latest Caste System propaganda from Weenieworld:
<div></div>
<div>Davone Bess was spotted in some two-receiver sets during Thursday's practice. It's notable because Bess is normally a strict slot receiver while Brian Hartline lines up opposite Brandon Marshall. But with Hartline reportedly taking steps backward, the coaches may be grooming the sure-handed Bess for a bigger role. He remains on the PPR radar. </div>

Blah! Blah! Blah! What a bunch of baloney! During preseason even Rotoworld was saying Hartline was doing very well. Various other media outlets were saying the same thing. All of a sudden he doesn't catch a pass in one game and they are saying he's taken steps backwards. The key word here is one. If he has a poor season overall then they can write this kind of stuff. Otherwise give him a chance. Black receivers can have several sub-par seasons before they are replaced.

Black running backs have even more leeway when it comes to sub-par seasons. Just look at Cadillac Williams. His first year in the league he went over a thousand yards on the season. Even then he only averaged 4.1 yards per carry. Since then he's either been injured for large parts of the season and his production has gone down significantly. He's never even gotten close to 1,000 yards on the season and his ypc has gone under 4. Where is the talk about replacing him?

 

[whiteathlete33]

Here is more from Rotoworld on Brian Hartline. He's already on the hot seat after one game.

Coach Tony Sparano confirmed a report that he wants to see more consistency out of Brian Hartline.
<div ="s_pNewsTextMain">
Sparano noted that Hartline hasn't had many "at-bats out there as far
as his balls to catch." Hartline is partially to blame because he
struggled to get open in Week 1. Davone Bess has begun to see action in
two-receiver sets in this week's practices.</div>

 

[Don Wassall]

Thevultures always begin circlingat the slightest mistake or sign of weakness by a White football player.


<H1>Brian Hartline learns to tune out the critics</H1>
<H2>Slow start in Buffalo has some questioning his focus, readiness to start</H2>
<DIV =storyDateline>DAVIE â€" Barely into his second year in the NFL, Brian Hartline has seemingly reached the first crisis point of his young career.

The vultures are circling, waiting for him to fail this Sunday at Minnesota, speculating publicly of possible lineup changes.

One shaky game is all it took.

Newly installed as a starting wide receiver opposite Brandon Marshall, Hartline was shut out Sunday at Buffalo. Zero catches, for the first time in 10 outings, dating to last year's game at the Jets.
The former fourth-rounder out of Ohio State had a pair of drops, although one of them came courtesy of a ferocious double hit by the Bills secondary. The one catch Hartline did make, for 9 yards, was wiped out by a penalty.

"If we'd lost, I'd have been furious," Hartline admitted Friday.

Instead, the win glossed over his frustration. Temporarily, as it turned out.

At midweek, a report surfaced quoting an anonymous Dolphins official saying Hartline is "not the same player as last year," when he made 31 catches and led the team with three touchdown receptions.

The report cited internal issues with Hartline's "focus" and suggested rookie Marlon Moore and slot receiver Davone Bess could take playing time from him if he didn't shape up fast.

Asked about that report Friday, Hartline said he had not seen it. Nor did he put much stock in it.

"I would say it probably wouldn't be someone in the know," he said of the anonymous source. "And I would say, really, in the end, I have more concern about what I think. No one has higher expectations for myself than myself. Really, for someone to say that is a non-issue in my eyes."

Expectations? It was Hartline himself who, back in July, said he was shooting for "over 1,000" receiving yards, doubling his total as a rookie.

Focus? Those around him say nobody is more driven to succeed, day to day, than the kid whose progress was rapid enough to convince the Dolphins to cut Patrick Turner, taken a round higher in 2009, and trade trusted veteran Greg Camarillo, who will be wearing Vikings purple on Sunday.

"He's such a perfectionist," said Karl Dorrell, Hartline's position coach. "Now he's in a role of being a starter and he wants to do absolutely everything perfect, correct -- everything. He puts a pretty good standard on what he's trying to get done, and I think from time to time he has a mistake here and there because of it or a mental lapse with a ball drop."

Hartline had at least two dropped passes in the preseason, plus a few route miscommunications with Chad Henne. He also took a shot on his left hip in the third game against the Falcons, but Hartline quickly shook that off.

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano cites "consistency" as a concern at the No. 2 receiver spot, which has caused some to wonder if Hartline's stay as a starter will be short lived.

Talk to Dorrell, however, and you get the sense Hartline will be just fine.

"The reason why he flashed to us a year ago was because he was so quick to learn our offense and be able to play different positions and he made such an impression and had a good year as a rookie," said Dorrell, the former UCLA head coach. "I see the bigger picture with him. I see a kid that's going to be a really solid, very good NFL wide receiver that is learning how to play this game at such a high level."

Removing Camarillo from the mix and adding Marshall, far more versatile than Ted Ginn Jr., has put a greater burden on Hartline to master all three receiver spots: X, Z and slot. He's also playing "twice as many plays per game" than he did as a rookie, Dorrell said.

"A year ago he came in for spot duty," Dorrell said. "Now he's in there as a mainstay, so he's just learning in his second year that it takes stamina, it takes execution and great focus and concentration."

Most of all, perhaps, it takes the ability to ignore your critics.

Mike Berardino can be reached at mberardino@SunSentinel.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/MikeBerardino

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-miami-dolphins-receivers-0918-20100917,0,182493.story

 

[Borussia]

I had to mention to CF board how sickening it is to hear local media jocks throw Hartline under the bus. The worst black worshiping jock sniffer is of course 'Miami's own' Dan Le Batard. He readily likes to admit he is a afflete 'apologist' and loves to go against the grain on every issue.
It's part of his gimmick - he does the self-critical thing all the time and witty comments thinking this makes him different from all the rest of the sport radio jocks.
His show is some of the most pro-caste garbage you will hear. They love to use radio gimmicks and refer to "athlete dongs". This is supposed to be yuck yuck funny to all the simpletons out there.

I heard about 30 minutes of his show driving home yesterday as I like to keep up with the enemy propaganda sometimes to hear what they are feeding the dolts. He went berserk on Brian Hartline saying he has no business being a starter in the NFL anywhere. I believe he also said he is surprised he is even in the NFL at all.
He co-host yucked it up in typical pukey radio fashion.

Hartline's drop is of course 10x worse then when any afflete drops a ball. Of course black WRs never drop passes that hit them in the hands. Never

 

[Don Wassall]

Hartline exudes confidence and feistiness, which is always good to see, especially since a significant segment of the South Florida media and Dolphins DWFs have been down onhim since the day he was drafted. He's not tearing it up but is currently on pace for about 650 receiving yards. If he can have a couple big games in the second half, 800 yards might be possible, very good considering Brandon Marshall is a prima donna who has to get his targets each game or he becomes disruptive, and Davone Bess is a very good slot receiver who is being targeted more and more.




<H1 =articleline></H1>
<H1 =articleline>Dolphins' Brian Hartline catching more passes, and wants to run with the ball when he does</H1>
Brian Hartline was the receiver who had the most to lose had the Dolphins claimed Randy Moss off waivers this week. And the receiver who has the most to gain now that Moss won't be wearing aqua-and-orange? It might be Hartline.


Brandon Marshall has faced double-coverage from start to finish the last two games, and Davone Bess is starting to see more of it as well.


"He's the guy who's got to beat the one-on-one," Marshall said Thursday of Hartline, in his second year. "Not to put any more pressure on him, but I think he invites and embraces the pressure."


While he may have been having the quietest season of the three wideouts, Hartline has been putting up numbers - 25 receptions for 287 yards, compared to 10 for 157 after seven games last year - that are mostly well ahead of his rookie pace.


His most notable statistic, however, is in yards per catch, where his team-high 16.3-yard average has slipped to 11.5. That's not much for a guy who gained a reputation for being able to stretch the field a year ago.


"Brian can stretch the field," quarterback Chad Henne said, "but it's all predicated on what they give us. A lot of teams are giving us more cover 2, doubling our wide receivers and not letting us get the ball downfield.


"We're trying to come up with some new ideas, and if it presents itself we'll definitely take the chance."


They did just that Sunday in Cincinnati. On a first down from the Miami 32 late in the third period, Henne handed off to Ronnie Brown, who threw a lateral pass back to him across the field. Henne then had Hartline alone at midfield only to have Hartline drop the pass.


"I knew I was wide open; that's why I dropped the thing," Hartline said, shaking his head at the memory. "I tried to make up for it. That's all I could do."


He showed his versatility on Miami's next drive, taking an end-around 30 yards to the Bengals' 19. Ricky Williams scored two plays later.


That play demonstrated Hartline's running ability, which coach Tony Sparano said became his forte last season.


"I can't recall a ball he's caught over the top of anybody since he's been here, but I can remember balls he's caught and run with," Sparano said. "That's where he's been able to make the big plays.


"We think of run-after-catch and we think of Brandon and Davone, but this guy has been able to do that on several occasions, and that's where he turns his big plays."


While the big plays have been lacking thus far this year - his longest is a 28-yarder against the Jets - Hartline has been taking a bigger role in the passing game. After catching as many as four passes only once last season, he's caught five three times this year, including each of the past two weeks. They just haven't come downfield.


"A lot of times when you see two high safeties you say these routes are dead in pre-snap," Hartline said. "When you're playing percentages it's not a safe throw.


"That's not the whole game, though," he added. "There's times when they don't go to that coverage, (and) when they don't we have to take advantage of it. I need to take advantage more after the catch, but that's still coming."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/dolphins/dolphins-brian-hartline-catching-more-passes-and-wants-1022147.html

 

[Don Wassall]

Brian Hartline has gotten almost no positive coverage in the media -- and has been pretty much under the radar even here at CF of late -- but after another good game last night is now on pace for 62 receptions and 872 yards this season. Considering he hasn't had less than 4 catches or 50 yards in a game since the Dolphins' fourth game, a thousand yard season is possible.

Hartline was pretty much Miami's entire offense last night, as hands of stone Brandon Marshall left the game with a hamstring injury, and Davone Bess was ineffective. If prima donna Marshall misses any games, Hartline's production could increase even more. Despite all the flak he takes in the media and from DWFs, he's been a consistently solid performer all season and is going to improve significantly upon his excellent rookie season in 2009.

 

[Thrashen]

Brian Hartline has gotten almost no positive coverage in the media -- and has been pretty much under the radar even here at CF of late -- but after another good game last night is now on pace for 62 receptions and 872 yards this season.  Considering he hasn't had less than 4 catches or 50 yards in a game since the Dolphins' fourth game, a thousand yard season is possible. 
<div> </div>
<div>Hartline was pretty much Miami's entire offense last night, as hands of stone Brandon Marshall left the game with a hamstring injury, and Davone Bess was ineffective.  If prima donna Marshall misses any games, Hartline's production could increase even more.  Despite all the flak he takes in the media and from DWFs, he's been a consistently solid performer all season and is going to improve significantly upon his excellent rookie season in 2009.</div>

Several weeks ago, Hartline ran an electric reverse than gained 30 yards against the Bengals.

The "gang"Â over at NFL Network was doing their trademark "everybody talk at once"Â routine (which every single analyst team seems to do nowadays) while watching various game clips.

During a video clip of Hartline's great reverse, Tom Waddle, the always-snide little Caste Scholar, shouted out above his ebonics-discharing-afro-colleagues: "Yeah, they lull them to sleep, then use the slowest guy for the reverse!"Â [Cue thundering laughter]

Negro Fran Charles then sarcastically said "look at that speed on Hartline!"Â To which Waddel snorted and remarked "Yeah, not so much."Â

The following clip was the chubby little slowpoke (and world renowned weirdo), Ricky Williams, running for an easy score. Waddle again squealed his Big Lie philosophy by saying: "You see"¦the Ricky Williams muscles are much faster twitch than the Brian Hartline muscles!" [Cue frenzied laughter]

Waddle, the protruding Caste Hemorrhoid, has become a self-loathing clone of Christine Cuckhold-Worthless. Former Bengals receivers with some serious mental issues.Edited by: Thrashen

 

[TwentyTwo]

Missed that...shame on Waddle...he's just bitter because he was ridiculed for being the slowest WR...was it a 4.7? He couldn't beat Hartline in a race on his worst day! Have you seen the size of Collinsworth's forehead?? He must have water on the brain...

 

[Don Wassall]

This is great news for Brian if Marshall does indeed miss multiple games as Hartline's alreadybeen producing one solid game after another. From Weenieworld:

Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that "no one should be surprised" if Brandon Marshall (hamstring) misses not only this week's game but "others down the road." Berardino doesn't expect the Dolphins to declare Marshall out on the injury report because "that's just not how they roll," but it looks like this will be a multi-week injury. Marshall has struggled to put up worthwhile fantasy numbers of late, but it's still clearly a blow to a collapsing Dolphins offense. Davone Bess and Brian Hartline will start while Marshall is out. Hartline has outproduced Marshall in recent games and makes for an intriguing stretch-run sleeper.Edited by: Don Wassall

 

[Don Wassall]

Here's a solid article on Hartline. It gets into stereotyping without mentioning race; in fact the paragraph i've highlighted in bold is very oddly phrased, as if the writer was downright scared to state what he was obviously talking about.


<H1 style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; : transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: ; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none" =storyline>Miami Dolphins' Hartline quietly puts together strong season</H1>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; : transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: ; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none" =facebook_like_small>

<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; : transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: ; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">Despite having the numbers to back him up, Brian Hartline's role and importance in the Dolphins offense is often misstated.
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; : transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: ; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; : transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: ; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">BY DAVID J. NEAL
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; : transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: ; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; : transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: ; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">
<H3 =credit_line>dneal@MiamiHerald.com</H3>
<DIV id=story>


Sometimes, perception clouds reality. Take the case of Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline.


Hartline's from Canton, Ohio -- 45 minutes from Cleveland -- so he really wants to have a good game this week, just to keep the Browns fans who are his pals back home quiet over the summer.


Also, it would allow him to indulge his own brashness. He's kid-faced but has the hard-nosed mentality that used to be associated with Ohio football back in the 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust days. He drew plaudits from Dolphins coach Tony Sparano for his blocking of defensive ends last week.


Perception: Not starting against Cincinnati, the only game Hartline didn't start this season -- in front of a crowd from Canton that came to see him -- served as a wake-up call. Since then, he has caught 18 passes for 328 yards -- 53.3 percent of his 2010 receiving yardage -- in the past four games.


Reality: Neither Sparano nor Hartline thinks that's the case.


``Nothing's changed as far as preparation and mind-set or anything,'' Hartline said. ``It's a weird circumstance.''


Sparano thinks Hartline's just seeing more opportunities.


``While [wide receiver] Brandon [Marshall] was out there, we've seen a lot of heavy coverage go to Brandon, and that opens some things up and some opportunities up for Brian, which it really has all year,'' Sparano said. ``He's made the most of those opportunities, and then, of course, the last couple weeks he's had run-after-catch opportunities, particularly last week. When Brandon went down in the Chicago game, Brian started to pick up a bunch of the pieces there.''


Perception: The Dolphins don't have a receiver who can stretch the field, get behind the defense for the long pass or turn a short out into a touchdown.


Reality: That might not be said if Hartline wasn't the fastest Dolphins wide receiver regularly in the lineup.


Hartline's 16.3 yards per catch led the Dolphins last year and he had the longest (67 yards) and third longest (57 yards) receptions of the season. This season has been nearly a rerun: His 14.3 yards per catch leads the Dolphins regulars, and his 54-yard catch was exceeded only by the 57-yard catch-and-run by sometime-inactive Marlon Moore last week against Oakland.


That was Hartline running 2 yards behind the safety on the first play against the Jets earlier this season. Chad Henne overthrew him, but Hartline was there.


``That's some people who don't know what they're talking about,'' Hartline said. ``I don't know why it comes that way. I don't know if it's stereotype. I couldn't tell you. Saying Brandon can't do that, myself or Marlon [Moore] or anybody for that matter, that's silly.


``We've missed opportunities. Maybe on the stat sheet it doesn't show up that way, but the ability to do so is not lacking.''


It could be stereotype. When Cleveland coach Eric Mangini gave thumbnail opinions of the Dolphins receivers other than Marshall, he called Davone Bess ``dangerous with the ball in his hands'' and ``he can take a short one a long way,'' though Bess averages only 10.9 yards per catch with a season long of 29 yards.


For the 6-2, 195-pound Hartline, Mangini gave the ``runs outstanding routes, is tough, has good hands'' summary so often given to wide receivers too big for the Speedy Gonzales mold (i.e. Brandon Stokely, Tim Dwight, Don Beebe).


Although he might not have the Top Fuel dragster speed of former college and NFL teammate Ted Ginn Jr., Hartline was a state champion high hurdler in high school and ran the high hurdles for Ohio State's track team.


Moore, the only wideout who might be as fast as Hartline, said, ``When he catches the ball sometimes, he comes back to the sidelines and says, `Did I look fast?' I was like, `Duh!' '' Moore said. ``Brian is fast.''Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/04/1956616/unhyped-hartline.html#ixzz177lpjqzT