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Title: Quarterback duo leads Miami Dolphins to win Post by: DolFan619 on August 17, 2008, 02:11:11 am http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/miami-dolphins/story/645273.html
Quarterback duo leads Miami Dolphins to win BY JEFF DARLINGTON Miami Herald JACKSONVILLE - As he marched the Dolphins downfield Saturday night, mixing a few handoffs with a few passes and a few scrambles of his own, quarterback Chad Pennington didn't necessarily look spectacular or stunning. But he did look efficient and effective. Poised and patient, too. Most important, during a 19-14 preseason victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pennington's debut with his new team began to prove precisely why Miami believes he will be the upgrade at a position that all too often has looked flawed. ''Sometimes people look down on game management,'' said Pennington, who completed 5 of his 6 passes for 55 yards. ``But to me it's about playing smart football and understanding when to take a shot and when not to take a shot. ``Our whole goal this week was to take the next step.'' On one drive in particular -- Pennington's second offensive possession of the game -- it looked as if Miami did indeed make that progression. The team went 57 yards on an eight-play orchestration that included a sample of several qualities these coaches want to see. The running game, for one, excelled as Ricky Williams rushed five times for 26 yards and a four-yard touchdown. Wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. began looking comfortable with a 22-yard completion across the middle. And Pennington made the smart decisions (he scrambled twice for 18 yards when the options were limited) to fend off turnovers. Was it spectacular or inspiring? Maybe not. But it was, at the least, productive. ''Well, as a quarterback, you have two responsibilities,'' Pennington said. ``You want to win, and you want to get your team in the end zone.'' When Pennington left the game after a little more than one quarter of action, he had jump-started the team toward achieving both of those goals. In his relief, rookie Chad Henne kept the offense clicking during the most production he has seen as a pro. So the Chad of the present looked pleasant. And for the most part, so did the Chad of the future. Henne completed 17 of 26 passes for 133 yards and a quarterback rating of 77.9. He played almost three full quarters, and backups Josh McCown and John Beck never played. SPARANO IMPRESSED ''I think Chad Henne did a great job,'' Sparano said. ``He called a nice game and gave us a chance out there. I though the offensive line really helped him a bunch today, too. They protected him well with no sacks.'' And although it is clear Henne still needs plenty of development before he could make a legitimate push for what clearly appears to be Pennington's starting job, he showed many encouraging signs. One pass that wasn't even ruled a completion might actually have been the most inspiring play of the game. Henne heaved a 43-yard pass down the sideline, placed over Ginn's shoulder. But Ginn apparently didn't maintain possession before stepping out of bounds, a ruling that was close enough for Sparano to throw a challenge flag. The referee's original call was upheld, and it remained an incompletion. Nonetheless, in the spirit of the preseason, it still showed Henne's potential to go deep and Ginn's potential to make a play. As a result, in what should be treated only as a cautiously optimistic glimmer of hope, the Dolphins' situation at quarterback seemed to take its first step toward respectability. The rest of the team didn't too bad, either. Beyond the play of Pennington and Henne, the brightest signs on offense came from Ginn and kicker Dan Carpenter. For the first time during training camp -- really, for the first time of his career -- Ginn was playing with a noticeable swagger. He caught two hard-thrown passes from Pennington across the middle for 17 yards and 22 yards, and he nearly came down with a brilliant catch on the long pass from Henne. Carpenter also continued to keep anyone from questioning the team's decision to waive veteran Jay Feely, as the undrafted rookie free agent made four field goals -- and two of them were longer than 40 yards. THAT WINNING FEELING With those hopeful signs, the Dolphins can continue to build toward the regular season with their first victory of the preseason. It doesn't count, but Sparano said the feeling of victory should still be something this team takes away from this game. It's a feeling he hopes they don't soon forget. ''I don't care if you're playing checkers, chess or whatever it is, you want to win,'' Sparano said. ``It was important, and I think it's important that they feel that in there. I don't want them to be surprised by that feeling. ``I want them to get used to it. That's very important.'' |