Greg Hardwig: A fine line between good and bad

And so far, that unit has been grossly on the wrong side of that line in the first eight games of the Miami Dolphins' season.

How can this be? Four of the five were together almost all of last year. True, a rookie is starting at left tackle, but Wade Smith has done an OK job, his performance against the Colts last week notwithstanding.

Unfortunately, for Wannstedt, his options aren't palatable. But once again, he's got to try something, given the circumstances.

He's trying to work in second-year player Seth McKinney, who started at left guard the last three games of 2002 when starter Jamie Nails suffered an Achilles' tendon injury.

Last Sunday, McKinney was in there in place of Nails for a handful of series. That appears to be the plan for this week as well, perhaps with some center and right guard thrown in.

With left tackle Mark Dixon now officially out for the year, Wannstedt and player personnel director Rick Spielman have been compiling a short list of potential backup linemen.

"Short" being the operative word here. At this point in the season, there isn't a long list of ways a team can get a player to make any kind of impact.

For one, the trade deadline has passed -- not that many trades can be made in the NFL these days anyway.

Secondly, there aren't many good options anyway. When Richmond Webb, a 36-year-old who couldn't make it with the Bengals, is perhaps your best option, that says it all.

Coming into training camp, the quarterback's backside was entrusted to Dixon, a good offensive lineman when healthy, but that last part has been the difference the last couple of years.

On the eve of training camp, Dixon underwent surgery for a stress fracture in his ankle. Wannstedt was upbeat a couple of times during the season that Dixon would be back, only for Dixon to suffer a setback. So he had another surgery. Finally, Tuesday, Dixon agreed to go on injured reserve.

Dixon was better as a guard anyway. He only was playing tackle because of Nails' emergence in 2002 training camp.

Anyway, if the Dolphins don't make the playoffs and/or Wannstedt ends up sent packing, the first question he should ask himself is: Why didn't I go out and get that left tackle in the offseason?

It wasn't that he didn't try: there were overtures made to Wayne Gandy and rumors of a Kyle Turley trade in the works. Neither happened.

Instead, money was spent on improving the defense, which already was good, and bringing in Brian Griese as a backup at quarterback.

The defense is better and since starter Jay Fiedler got hurt again, Griese is a better option at quarterback.

But the offensive line is worse.