Once running back Ricky Williams applies for reinstatement Tuesday, he might have to wait as many as 10 weeks for an answer. Medical advisers can take up to 45 days to submit an evaluation of Williams, who has been out of the NFL the past 18 months after being indefinitely suspended under the league's substance-abuse policy. Commissioner Roger Goodell then has 15 days to render a decision. The Dolphins have not said whether Williams will be allowed to return to the team.

Raiders quarterback Josh McCown will miss Sunday's game against the Dolphins with a broken toe on his left foot, giving Daunte Culpepper the start against his former team. McCown has not practiced all week but coach Lane Kiffin waited until Friday to officially declare that he would not be able to play Sunday. McCown broke his toe in the first quarter of last week's 26-24 victory over Cleveland. Culpepper replaced him in the second half and finished the victory. Culpepper, who was released by the Dolphins in July after one season, will get his first start since last Oct. 1 for Miami.

Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas wants to play Sunday against Oakland but isn't sure whether he will be cleared medically. Thomas said he has no idea whether doctors will permit him to play Sunday. He sustained a concussion against Dallas, forcing him to miss last week's Jets game. He has had limited participation in practice the past two days. Thomas said his only other concussion was seven years ago, and that one did not cause him to miss a game. ''I want to play,'' he said. ``It's going to be a medical decision, not my choice. I've got to be cautious and go with what they say. I feel a lot better.''

The Dolphins are 0-3 and in desperate need of a victory, but Joey Porter has guaranteed one will come this weekend when Miami hosts the Oakland Raiders. "Write it how you want to write it," Porter said. "We will win on Sunday." The 'we-will-win' promise is a tactic the often-outspoken Porter used at times during his eight seasons as a lightning rod in Pittsburgh. Miami can only hope it works again, or the Dolphins will be 0-4 for the second time in four seasons.

Prosecutors in North Carolina are expected to dismiss charges of driving while impaired and reckless driving against Dolphins receiver Chris Chambers today under the conditions of a plea deal, attorney George Laughrun said Tuesday. Under the terms of the deal Chambers will plead guilty to speeding, stemming from his July 14 arrest. Chambers, 29, was pulled over south of Charlotte at 2:31 a.m. and charged with DWI after he refused to submit to an on-site breath test and failed a series of field-sobriety tests.

Linebacker Zach Thomas' history of concussions doesn't seem to have caught up with him yet. Thomas, 34, will sit out the Dolphins' road game Sunday against the New York Jets because of a concussion he suffered in the Dolphins' loss to Dallas six days ago. But medical tests didn't raise red flags for a player who has suffered multiple concussions and once considered retirement because of the problem. "It's good news," coach Cam Cameron said Friday. "They brought back the MRI, and they didn't see anything on that." Cameron said the playing status of Thomas, who missed the past three practices, will be day-to-day after Sunday.

Dolphins middle linebacker Zach Thomas underwent tests Thursday for a possible concussion, and he may miss Sunday's game against the Jets. Thomas played every snap in Miami's loss last week to Dallas but said he felt "a little lightheaded" in the locker room after the game, coach Cam Cameron said. Thomas complained of a migraine Wednesday and missed practice, which led to the tests.

Coach Cam Cameron won't say whether he wants suspended running back Ricky Williams to rejoin the Dolphins, but one of his players isn't pulling any punches. Dolphins kicker Jay Feely said he wouldn't want Williams on his team. "No, I want a locker room full of guys who aren't going to quit on us or fold when it's tough and take the easy way out,'' Feely said. Williams, 30, who was suspended for the 2006 season after failing his third drug test, was slated to return this season. However, it was revealed in May that he failed a fourth drug test, pushing back the date for his possible reinstatement into the NFL to after Oct. 1. His attorney, David Cornwell, recently said that Williams is eager to return to the NFL.

It was no coincidence that the Dolphins' run defense gave up 150 of the Redskins' 191 yards in the second half and overtime when strong safety Yeremiah Bell was sidelined by what was initially described Sunday as a calf injury. On Monday, the news got worse. Bell actually suffered a season-ending torn left Achilles' tendon early in the third quarter while he was backpedaling. "He's a guy on our leadership group and had done everything to have a great year," coach Cam Cameron said Monday. "You thought letting a guy go was tough. This is the tough part of the business, where you sit down with a guy who has given you everything he's had and is a wonderful young man and now his season is over. Wasting no time, the Dolphins are bringing in veteran strong safety Donovin Darius for a workout today, according to a source. Darius, 32, known for his hard hitting (franchise-leading 846 tackles) during his nine years with the Jaguars, was cut by the Raiders last week and by Jacksonville last June.

Jason Campbell's first pass was intercepted, his starting right tackle was gone by halftime, and he only completed 12 passes. Still, the Redskins quarterback had Antwaan Randle El helping him and the meager Dolphins as an opponent, and that was enough for a 16-13 overtime victory Sunday. The Redskins took a positive first step as they try to rebound from Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs' worst season. Shaun Suisham kicked a 39-yard field goal 5:36 into the extra period to spoil the NFL head coaching debut of Miami's Cam Cameron.