Dawkins made a point to tell Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell of Nolan's defense: ``Everybody gets their turn in this defense as far as pressure, making plays. You're going to have your chance to make plays in that defense. He in particular is going to love it.

``We wanted to be aggressive, dictate the tempo, dictate what the offense was going to do and wasn't going to do.''

When Dawkins calls a defense aggressive, his analysis must be taken seriously. Not only is he one of the most respected players in the league, but he spent the previous 10 years in Philadelphia with the late defensive coordinator and blitz expert Jim Johnson.