DAVIE - Jerry Sullivan has seen David Boston at his best, catching 98 passes for 1,598 yards in 2001 and making the Pro Bowl. He also believes Boston can return to form.
Sullivan and Boston were reunited this week when the Dolphins traded cornerback Jamar Fletcher and a sixth-round draft pick in 2005 to the San Diego Chargers in exchange for the enigmatic receiver.
"The only way you right all the doubts, all the wrongs and all the things that have been created is be responsible off the field and play football the way its meant to be played," said Sullivan, beginning his first season as Miami's receivers coach. "That's all you can control."
The trade is contingent on Boston passing a physical, which was scheduled Wednesday. But Boston arrived late in Miami, and team officials said some tests were carried over to today.
Boston is expected to line up opposite Chris Chambers for a team that ranked 26th in passing last year. Sullivan said the combination should dissuade defenses from focusing on running back Ricky Williams.
One factor in getting Boston back to his former form will be helping the bulked-up receiver lose some of his muscle mass.
The 6-foot-2 receiver weighed 226 pounds at the end of the 2001 season. After that season, he pleaded no contest to drunken driving charges when police said he tested positive for marijuana and cocaine. That incident affected his performance the following year, Sullivan said, and he ballooned to 258 pounds last season with the Chargers.
He is now down to 237 pounds - and hoping to return to form.
CHARGERS: Free safety Jerry Wilson re-signed, agreeing to a one-year deal.
GIANTS: The team released offensive tackle Jeff Hatch, less than two years after drafting the former Penn player in the third round. New York also signed veteran defensive tackle Martin Chase, who spent last season in Washington.
SAINTS: Offensive lineman Spencer Folau was signed to a three-year contract.
OBITUARY: Norb Hecker, the first head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, died Sunday of cancer in Los Altos, Calif. He was 76. As Falcons coach from 1966-68, Mr. Hecker compiled a 4-26-1 record, but he won eight championship rings with other teams.
ARENA LEAGUE: The Storm worked out former South Florida quarterback Marquel Blackwell and linemen Ron Boldin and Louis Williams. Boldin, who played at Florida State from 1999-2001, is the cousin of Arizona Cardinals and former Seminoles receiver Anquan Boldin, the NFL Rookie of the Year. In other news, an MRI revealed that lineman Nyle Wiren has a torn labrum, a potential season-ending injury.
- Staff writer Frank Pastor contributed to this report.
