DAVIE, Fla. — Speaking at a near whisper, Miami
Dolphins rookie receiver Brian Hartline was looking over his shoulder Monday
when explaining what he did with the ball he caught for his first NFL touchdown
– which also happened to be Chad Henne's first TD pass.
"It's already on its way to be painted and embroidered,"
Hartline said with a laugh, insisting Henne he had no problem with him making
the ball his trophy. "Maybe I'll get his name on it next to mine."
There were so many firsts for the Dolphins on Sunday
there weren't enough footballs to go around.
Nothing mattered more than the first win for Miami (1-3),
providing an ever-so small glimmer of hope that the season isn't completely lost
and all that young talent may not be so far away.
"It was good to get that first touchdown out of the way –
for me and for Chad," Hartline said. "It was good to get that first win, just so
we can move on and get this thing moving in the right direction."
There were plenty of reasons for Miami to be encouraged
Monday.
Henne was mistake-free in his first professional start,
going 14-for-22 passing for 115 yards and no interceptions in the Dolphins'
38-10 win against Buffalo. First-round pick Vontae Davis had his first
interception, and 27-year-old rookie and former Canadian league standout Cameron
Wake had three sacks.
"Like coach said, 'Young guys have to play old and old
guys have to play young,'" Wake said.
Miami's road ahead might not provide another feel-good
film session anytime soon without some major strides.
The Dolphins' next four games – against the Jets,
Saints, Jets and Patriots – will provide the kind of tests they faced the
opening three games of the season that led to ugly losses. Miami's next
opponents have a combined 10-2 record.
"Things aren't getting any easier," guard Justin Smiley
said. "We got that first win, and we realize we can play with anybody. We know
that, we just needed that win to prove it. We're going to have to keep doing it,
or we'll be right back in the same place."
For a team with a losing record, Miami has had little
trouble running the ball.
The wildcat formation has never worked better, perhaps
the biggest reason the Dolphins are leading the league with 183.5 yards rushing
per game. The running back trio of Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and Patrick
Cobbs has kept teams off balance.
The only defense that was able to consistently contain
the wildcat were the Ravens last year.
When the Dolphins host the Jets on Monday night, they
might get some of the same looks. New York coach Rex Ryan was the man behind
those schemes last season when he was Baltimore's defensive coordinator.
Don't think that fact has slipped by Miami's Brown, who
also maintains that the Dolphins are staying ahead of the competition and always
giving new wrinkles, even though they've yet to pass out of the formation this
year.
"Coming into this season, a lot of people were saying
the wildcat is a fad and this and that," Brown said. "It works for us. So we'll
see."
The Jets are sure to make things tougher on the Dolphins
than the Bills did.
Henne, while avoiding turnovers against Buffalo, never
did show the kind of big-play ability so many in Miami were expecting with his
strong arm strength. He also was sacked six times, and he often showed little
patience in the pocket.
Still, teammates and coaches were encouraged with
Henne's first NFL start and said they saw many of the same things done by mentor
Chad Pennington, who had season-ending shoulder injury in Week 3 against San
Diego. Henne's presence alone gives Miami reason to believe there is still much
to be salvaged this season.
"There wasn't a lot of panic on the sideline, and that
shows me he was handling things well in the huddle," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano
said. "There was a lot to be encouraged about."