Harrison believes his actions will speak louder

"I haven't gotten into anything with him. I don't even know the guy," said Harrison, whom McMichael referred to as a "garbage player" and a "dirty player" following New England's 19-13 overtime win at Miami Oct. 19. "This is the first I've ever heard of him."

Anyone familiar with either team will undoubtedly monitor the two closely when the Dolphins and Patriots meet in their second matchup of the season Sunday at Gillette Stadium. While he responded similarly to how he did the week following the Oct. 19 game, Harrison made it clear yesterday that there's no rift between the two as far as he's concerned.

A 10-year veteran who has made an impact as a team leader on and off the field in his first season in Foxborough, Harrison said he would rather allow his actions to speak volumes on the field, where he has posted 87 tackles (including 61 unassisted), a sack, 2 interceptions, 7 passes defensed, and a fumble recovery.

Yesterday, he suggested McMichael do the same.

"He said some comments, and then after the game when he saw me in the parking lot he comes up to me and tells me what a safety I am," said Harrison. "He tells you guys one thing and then he comes up to my face, telling me, while he's drinking a beer, `Oh, man, you're a great player, you're the best safety I've gone against.' And now, he's saying these things.

"I think he's a very talented guy. I think he's got a great future ahead of him. I just think he needs to just kind of, you know, just shut his mouth and play football. All that's not called for. I've been in the league a long time. I'm a guy who is going out there and play 100 miles per hour, but I'm not going to do my talking through the media. It's not some big emotional thing for me. I just go out and help the team win."

In the first meeting, McMichael had one of the best games of his career. He led the Dolphins in both receptions (8) and yards (102), yet Harrison said, "The whole game, basically, I didn't [cover] him. Once I got him, he made one catch."

Harrison said that when a player singles out an individual opponent -- rather than focus upon the team he must face -- he places himself at a disadvantage.

"It just shows that, he said that I tried to break his ankle or something like that, it shows that he's thinking about me," said Harrison. "Obviously, because if I was such a garbage player, why would he even mention me? He knows better. When you start focusing on one individual battle, it kind of distracts you from other things."

Miami's heating up

The Patriots say the Dolphins have improved since their last meeting. "I think they're better now; they have some momentum going," said linebacker Tedy Bruschi. "They won, like two football games in five days. They're feeling good about themselves, their offense has some momentum going. They're where they want to be, so it's going to be a fight when they come up here."

The Patriots can clinch the AFC East title with a victory and could record a season sweep for just the fifth time in the 74-game series, and the first since 1997.

Miami has not played a game in the Northeast since playing the New York Giants Oct. 5. Since then, they've played road games at San Diego, Tennessee, and Dallas.

Bruschi said the anticipated cold weather factor is vastly overrated with a team like Miami, which annually plays in such climes. "Last year it was cold [in Foxborough], too, and they were up on us big with three minutes to go," said Bruschi, who said he believes the Patriots have a major advantage in playing the second game at home.

"We're in front of our fans and it's been a few weeks since we've been here, so I'm excited about that," he said. "We finish the year more at home than on the road; that's what I'm looking forward to."