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August 23, 2008
MIAMI (AP) -Ted Ginn Jr. took the punt, ran backward, shook off two defenders and jetted up the left sideline. He crossed the goal line and put his fist in the air, waiting for a mob of teammates as the Miami Dolphins ' sideline erupted.
Forgive them for the preseason celebration. Miami doesn't get many chances to cheer.
Ginn had a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown and added three receptions to lead the Dolphins to a 24-0 romp over the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night for their second straight exhibition win. Ginn's starting to look as though he was worth that high draft pick, becoming a top target this preseason in Miami's offense.
And he's starting to get used to the celebrations.
''It's great. We love to celebrate. We were 1-15 last year and we really got away from all that enjoyment of winning and things like that. So just to go out and get two preseason games under our belt, we just need to continue and push this into the regular season.''
The speedy Ginn, taken No. 9 overall in the 2007 draft, is finally displaying the go-to-skills of a top NFL receiver. He finished with 29 yards receiving in his third solid performance of the preseason, getting a big boost with the arrival of quarterback Chad Pennington .
Pennington threw for 94 yards on 11 for 15 passing, including a 17-yard pass to Anthony Fasano that put the Dolphins ahead 17-0 at the half. Pennington, cut by the New York Jets barely two weeks ago to make room for Brett Favre , has had a smooth transition to Miami.
''With a guy like Ted, he's got something that you can't coach. And that's speed,'' Pennington said. ''It's so important to have speed. It's so hard to score with 12- and 15-play drives on a consistent basis. You have to have that quick fire power to be able to score on a big play, and Ted has that.''
