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Aug. 26--DAVIE -- While not exactly a state secret, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano officially tabbed Chad Pennington as the starting quarterback for the season opener against the New York Jets, and he did so in a playful manner.
"Yup, it's Chad," said Sparano, pausing for dramatic effect and purposely not differentiating between Pennington and rookie quarterback Chad Henne.
"It's Chad Pennington. Chad Pennington will start."
Sparano also clarified whom Pennington would be throwing to by divulging that Ted Ginn Jr. and Derek Hagan had "separated themselves a little bit from the pack."
Receiver Ernest Wilford was also pegged for plenty of playing time in Thursday's exhibition finale against the New Orleans Saints. Wilford, who received $6 million in guarantees upon his signing in February, has been outplayed most of camp by Ginn, Hagan, Greg Camarillo and rookie receiver Davone Bess.
Sparano added that tight ends Anthony Fasano and David Martin have been his main tandem "from Day 1," with Justin Peelle and Sean Ryan battling for a spot.
It was obvious the Dolphins didn't sign Pennington on Aug. 8 to a two-year, incentive-laden $7.9 million deal strictly to mentor a rookie or back up John Beck and a well-traveled Josh McCown. Still, Sparano said he didn't truly make up his mind between the two Chads until watching the eight-year former Jet talk to his young offense at halftime of Saturday's 24-0 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I like the way he started the ballgame," Sparano said of Pennington's direction of a 10:03 game-opening scoring drive. "I like what he did at halftime. His demeanor with the players at halftime ... the way they respond to him. That really made my decision."
Fifteen minutes after Pennington addressed the media Sparano gave him the good news, so he later issued a perfunctory statement expressing his excitement about "leading this team." But it was his strong words uttered before he knew that revealed his competitive side.
"As a quarterback if your goal is not to be the starter you don't need to be in this league because you don't have the competitive desire," Pennington said.
Pennington's experience and game management is what convinced Sparano that he would be the Dolphins 13th starting quarterback since Hall of Famer Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season.
He watched Pennington start the past two exhibition victories and calmly guide a balanced offense to five scoring drives in eight series of work. He watched Pennington complete 76.2 percent of his passes (16 of 21) for 149 yards with no interceptions. He raved about how Pennington hit Fasano for a 17-yard touchdown pass Saturday with full knowledge he was about to get creamed. He even saw a 32-year-old with a history of shoulder and ankle woes scamper for 31 yards on three scrambles when the pocket collapsed.
Although Sparano wouldn't name Henne the backup, the second-round pick out of Michigan has been taking most of the snaps when Pennington hasn't, while McCown and Beck have become mostly spectators.
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