Dolphins still have faith in Pouncey

The Dolphins expect Mike Pouncey to be their starting center in Week 1.

But it’s probably a good thing the season is still another five months off.

Pictures taken by photographers outside of Aaron Hernandez’s private memorial service show Pouncey back on crutches.

Pouncey, the Pro Bowl center who hasn’t been able to stay healthy the past three seasons, missed all but five games in 2016 with a recurring hip injury. He’s needed surgery on both hips in recent years.

However, the team was neither surprised nor alarmed by the development. Pouncey did not need an additional surgery and did not suffer a setback. Pouncey on crutches, even five months since the last time he took a snap, is part of his rehab process.

Furthermore, the Dolphins are confident enough in Pouncey’s health that they didn’t bring in a replacement for him in free agency.

Coach Adam Gase explained why at the owner’s meetings several weeks ago:

“I’m not going to turn my back on who I think is the best center in football. I’ll roll the dice with him for as long as I can because that’s how good he is. That’s how much he means to our organization. We’re always going to have good contingency plans if something happens. No one is ever going to be as good as him. It’s just a fact. He’s that good.”

Nice note to Sanu

Most stories seen about passengers’ experiences on airlines have been negative in recent weeks— but not this one.

After a recent flight, Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu posted a note he received from a fellow passenger during a flight.

“Our son sat behind you on this flight and watched you,” the letter said in part. “He saw you studying your plays, watched you make (healthy) choices with your snacks, food and drink. He watched how polite you were to everyone. He is only 10 but just made an elite hockey team and we’re on our way to training in (Connecticut.) You are an inspiration to children and for that you should be proud!”

When asked, Sanu revealed what his healthy choices were on the flight: a banana and some cranapple.

Root sellers

“Rooted in Oakland” is the A’s new slogan for 2017.

The Raiders, not to be outdone, immediately came up with “Re-accommodating from Oakland.”

Talking the talk

■ Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, on the Dolphins’ Stephen Ross being the lone dissenter when NFL owners voted 31-1 to let the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas: “Ross has since been so heroically lauded in the media, you’d think he’d rescued three nuns from a burning car.”

■ Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Express, on why it took the NFL 52,129 tries to come up with its next NFL schedule: “Apparently everyone wanted to play Cleveland twice.”

■ Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg, after Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones got into an altercation with a reporter at a news conference in Cincinnati: “Been a rough week for Adam. Earlier this week he beat up his anger-management therapist.”