FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (KRT) – A loss of power at Dolphins headquarters Saturday wasn’t the only impact of Hurricane Frances on the franchise.

Of the nine players who didn’t travel to New Orleans for Friday’s 20-19 exhibition victory, five (wide receivers Antonio Freeman and Chris Chambers, tight ends Donald Lee and John Jones, and defensive lineman Chidi Ahanotu) missed the team flight because of Frances-generated confusion.

A sizable number of players left team headquarters Thursday believing the Dolphins-Saints game would be canceled because of the hurricane threat, but the NFL ordered both teams play the game.

The Dolphins then failed to communicate with Freeman, Chambers, Lee, Jones and Ahanotu on Friday morning before the team’s charter flight left to New Orleans. Those players also didn’t have a chance to catch a later flight because of the closure of local airports.

“There were a lot of guys complaining,” said Chambers, referring to worries by many players about having to leave their families with South Florida under a hurricane warning. “The next thing I know, they’re in New Orleans.

“It was just miscommunication. No one called the house. … I was ready to go.”

Coach Dave Wannstedt appears to believe some of his players should have shown more diligence in checking whether the game would be played.

“I talked to most of them,” Wannstedt said after the Saints’ game. “There are one or two guys I need to speak with. It will be dealt with once I decide if and what (fines will be issued). I will deal with it in-house and that will be the end of it.”

Left tackle Wade Smith and defensive tackle Larry Chester stayed behind with their pregnant wives, while fullback Rob Konrad and defensive tackle Tim Bowens were excused because of injury.

The Dolphins didn’t return to Fort Lauderdale until almost 7 a.m. Saturday when forced to take a four-hour bus ride from Tampa after weather conditions from Frances prevented the charter flight from landing at a closer airport. Because of expected poor weather conditions, Wannstedt scaled back the practice work he had originally slated for today.

Overall, the Dolphins played only 11 of 22 regular starters against New Orleans as Wannstedt wanted to rest his first-tier players. Wannstedt said middle linebacker Zach Thomas, cornerback Patrick Surtain and defensive end Jason Taylor were nursing nagging injuries.

Search for RB help

The Dolphins continued to explore trade options at tailback Saturday night but did agree to send reserve guard/tackle Brad Bedell to Green Bay for a conditional 2006 seventh-round draft choice.

A four-year NFL veteran acquired off waivers from Washington last November, Bedell spent the past two weeks serving as Smith’s backup. Bedell also can play guard.

The Dolphins are searching for a tailback who has starting-caliber talent. Travis Minor had a disappointing preseason and appears on the verge of losing his first-team spot to Sammy Morris, who had seven carries for 37 yards against New Orleans.

“I thought Sammy took advantage of his opportunities,” Wannstedt said. “There have been a couple of weeks in a row where Sammy Morris has come in and made plays.”

Team files grievance

The Dolphins are moving quickly toward trying to recoup $8.6 million in salary from retired tailback Ricky Williams.

The Dolphins have filed a grievance with the NFL asking for an arbitrator to hear their case within a week, although it may take months before a judgment is reached. Williams agreed to the recoupment provisions when signing a restructured contract in 2002, but the NFL Players Association is set to argue that the deal’s language should be invalidated.

The Dolphins contend Williams violated his contract when retiring in July.

Wannstedt high on list

When it comes to getting the most bang for the buck, Forbes magazine considers Wannstedt one of the NFL’s best coaches.

Forbes ranked coaches based on how their teams fared in a player-cost-to-win ratio and Wannstedt ranked ninth out of 32 coaches. Bill Belichick was the winner because New England won Super Bowl XXXVIII despite being tied for 23rd in the 2003 player expenditures at $97 million.

Although the Forbes Web site didn’t list player expenditures from other franchises, Wannstedt ranked ahead of more heralded coaches like Denver’s Mike Shanahan (10th), Dallas’ Bill Parcells (12th) and Tampa Bay’s Jon Gruden (22nd).

Bowens gets knee scare

Left defensive end David Bowens experienced a scare in the second quarter against New Orleans when carted into the locker room after suffering a right knee injury. But Bowens returned to the sideline unaided for the second half and said he will start against Tennessee.

“I turned the wrong way and it buckled,” said Bowens, who tore his right anterior cruciate ligament last summer. “Afterward, I thought my knee had popped out because I felt it crunch a little bit. But what happened was the rest of the scar tissue from my surgery was broken completely.”

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(c) 2004 South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

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AP-NY-09-04-04 2029EDT