Guarantees and Other Pre-Game Notes

So Joey Porter is guaranteeing that his Miami Dolphins will beat the Raiders on Sunday? Gotta love anyone who creates any incentive for the opposition to play their best. The 0-3 Dolphins are 4 point favorites heading into the AFC showdown in South Florida.

"Of course he's going to have some things he's going to want to take care of, to feel like he's the difference maker when they come out here and try and win this game," Porter said. "But it's not going to happen."

Home field certainly provides an advantage and the weather may play a role. Heat & humidity are always an issue, but the forecast also calls for scattered showers and wind on Sunday. Throw in temps in the mid-80's to go with the South Florida humidity and you have all kinds of variables that could influence the outcome of the game.

The Daunte Culpepper factor could go either way for the Raiders. Obviously the guy wants to show the Dolphins that they made a mistake in letting him go, but retribution isn't always a good thing. Adrenaline can force you to do things you hadn't intended. Culpepper is a seasoned veteran, but he's also starting for the Raiders for the first time AND he missed most of training camp, so he's been in fast track playbook learning mode for the past 6 weeks.

The Dolphins are likely to be without the services of tackling mad-man Zach Thomas, who sustained a concussion last week. Thomas has not yet been cleared by the Dolphins medical staff to play, so he will be a game time decision. Safety Travares Tillman is all questionable for the game on Sunday.

Raiders training camp castoff Donovin Darius was signed by the Dolphins right before the start of the regular season, but Darius has not appeared in any games for the Dolphins.

Be sure to join us for in-game Live Blogging on Sunday morning. I'll be here chiming in on pre-game and in-game events.