Dolphins safety Kelcie McCray hopes he has done enough to make team

Source: The Palm Beach Post, Fla.新蒲崗迷你倉Aug. 30--MIAMI GARDENS -- All Kelcie McCray can do now is wait -- and hope the numbers work out in his favor.After missing all of last season because of a broken foot, McCray has gotten his shot at safety in this year's training camp and was rewarded with a start in Thursday night's preseason finale against New Orleans. He had four tackles, a pass defensed and an impressive tackle in a one-on-one situation against Pierre Thomas in Miami's 24-21 win at Sun Life Stadium.Chris Clemons and Reshad Jones are the starters at safety and Jimmy Wilson is a solid backup. But after them, a handful of longshots -- McCray and rookies Don Jones, Keelan Johnson and Jordan Kovacs -- are likely battling for one spot.Getting the start alongside Wilson would seem to put McCray in the driver's seat. "It was a good feeling," he said.Signed as a free agent out of Arkansas State, McCray broke his foot just as the preseason was ending last year and missed the entire season."That was devastating," he said. "I'd waited too long to get to the National Football League, and once I got here, I got hurt. So it made me appreciate the little stuff."McCray was outstanding during OTAs and mini-camp but less so during training camp. He said he's hopeful he'll still be around when the 53-man roster is set Saturday."I feel like I've done some good things; I've also done some bad things," he said. "Hopefully, I've done enough to convince the coaches that I deserve to be here."His open-field tackle of Thomas on a third-and-7 situation ended a Saints drive in the second quarter and proved something to himself."That was definitely a good feeling," he said. "Not saying that I ever doubted myself, but it was a good feeling putting my skills up against one of the best backs in the league. I'll give myself a pat on the back for that."Tmini storageenty starters sit: No one expected the vast majority of the Dolphin starters to play and that proved to be the case, with 20 of the 22 being given the night off.Guard John Jerry and fullback Evan Rodriguez remained in the lineup. Jerry missed about three weeks of training camp with a knee problem, while Rodriguez remains on the bubble even after Jorvorskie Lane was waived earlier in the week as the Dolphins decide whether or not to keep a traditional fullback.With so few regulars playing, Jerry, linebacker Jason Trusnik and Stanford served as captains for the pregame coin toss.New Orleans also sat almost all of its starters, but the Saints had a number of familiar names among their backups, including former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, who scored the game's first touchdown, wide receiver Marques Colston and safety Jim Leonhard.The Dolphins and Saints square off again on Monday Night Football at New Orleans on Sept. 30.Rubio in the house: Senator Marco Rubio took advantage of some down time at the Capitol to take in the game. Wearing a Dolphins baseball cap, Rubio enjoyed a one-on-one with General Manager Jeff Ireland on the Miami sideline during and after warmups. Dolphin spokesman Harvey Greene said CBS News was shooting footage of the occasion for future use.Sun Life getting busy: Groundskeepers at Sun Life Stadium are having a busy weekend, with Thursday's game kicking off three contests in as many nights. University of Miami and Florida Atlantic open their seasons at 8 tonight, and on Saturday night, two of the state's top football powers, Miami Northwestern and Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas, meet for the first time ever.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.) Visit The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.) at .palmbeachpost.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesself storage