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Facing A Short Week, Dolphins Working Through Issues

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DAVIE (CBSMiami/AP) — Through three weeks of the new NFL season, the Miami Dolphins have provided more questions about their play than answers.

With a road game on a short week, Dolphins coach Adam Gase is dealing with several injuries and the uneven play of his team.

And that's with Miami coming off their first win of the season.

Tight end Jordan Cameron has already been ruled out of Thursday's against the Cincinnati Bengals after suffering his fourth concussion in as many years and now the majority of Miami's offensive line is a question mark.

Left tackle Branden Albert sprained his ankle during Sunday's 30-24 overtime win over Cleveland and center Anthony Steen also sprained his ankle and was replaced by Kraig Urbick.

Right tackle Ja'Wuan James was pulled from the game after allowing a sack of Ryan Tannehill near the end of regulation that led to a fumble and was replaced by Billy Turner.

Add to that the uncertainty of Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey's return from a hip injury that has kept him out of the lineup through the first three weeks of the season and Gase has quite a challenge. But he has not ruled out keeping James on the sideline.

"We'll see where it goes. We've got a couple of moving pieces, obviously, with our injury situation," Gase said.

"It's one of those things you're trying to move quick, you're trying to evaluate the game, you're trying to move on to the next game and you try to figure out who you have available for this game. We still obviously have some time.

"We have to get through today and figure out tonight what we want to do, as far as who's available and what we can do."

One thing was clear in Gase's message to the team and during his meeting with reporters and that was his frustration level with the Dolphins' inconsistent play.

He pointed to the number of mental errors, turnovers, missed blocks and missed tackles as being among the things he needs to see cleaned up.

And when he was asked how James handled being pulled and what that was discussion was like, Gase was succinct.

"I didn't have any discussion with him," he said. "I'm over discussing any of this stuff with players. We're either going to start getting the job done, or we're going to make changes."

Inside the locker room the players, while acknowledging the importance of pulling out a victory over the Browns, echoed Gase's sentiments when it came to their overall performance.

They also understood where he was coming from when it came to being accountable.

"That's just the NFL. You've got to do your job. If you don't do your job they're going to find a replacement," cornerback Byron Maxwell said. "There are a lot of guys that want to do your job and want to do the right things."

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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