Is Ted Ginn a bust?

Over the past few days, there has been a firestorm of criticism in Miami surrounding wide receiver Ted Ginn after another lackluster performance agaisnt the New Orleans Saints.

The numbers tell a grim story: Four receptions for 77 yards the past four games, with 53 of them coming on a TD catch against the New York Jets.

He has also dropped several passes, and seemingly shied away from contact.

Against the Saints, Ginn dropped two passes, with one of them a bobble that ended up in the hands of safety Darren Sharper for a 42-yard TD that aided the New Orleans comeback.

It's been that type of effort -- or lack thereof -- that's marked Ginn's career.

And now, with the heat being turned up by the local media, Coach Tony Sparano finally admitted after Wednesday's practice that Ginn has competition for a starting job that once seemed to be his for the next few years.

For the first time all year, Ginn actually shared first-team reps with another receiver.

After two seasons, it's become evident that Ginn is simply a speed receiver, a straight-line runner who does not like to go across the middle or take punishment. Add to that his propensity for drops, and you have the makings of a bust.

Against the Colts in Week 2, Ginn had his finest day of the year, catching 11 passes for 108 yards. But he also showed why the Dolphins have not been able to rely on him in the clutch, as he let a Chad Pennington potential TD pass bounce off his hands in the end zone late in the game.

If Ginn catches that pass, the Dolphins go ahead 30-27, and force Peyton Manning to rally his Colts with less than a minute to play.

The scrutiny is nothing new to Ginn, who has been under a microscope since he was drafted in 2007.

The old regime of former coach Cam Cameron and general manager Randy Mueller passed on Brady Quinn with the ninth pick (in retrospect probably a good decision) to take the speedy Ginn. In the second round, Cameron gambled on BYU's John Beck, who the Dolphins released this preseason and who is now the third-string quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, making Ginn and Beck possibly the worst first two picks in the last 20 years for Miami.

And that's saying something, considering the Dave Wannstedt-Rick Spielman draft-busting efforts that resulted in the franchise's freefall from perennnial playoff contender to 1-15 in 2007.

But back to Ginn.

His arrival on the Miami sports scene was hardly auspicious, as for the first time I can remember since following the team in 1986, he was actually booed during the introductory press conference in Miami.

That sort of thing just doesn't happen here, where the only person worthy of that kind of sentiment is current Alabama coach Nick Saban.

Usually, a player or coach is given the leeway to fail before the fans respond so lustily.

That moment said two things: One, that the fans were tired of the constant draft fiascos that resulted in the Dolphins missing out on players like Randy Moss and Drew Brees over the last 11 years, and instead getting players like Jamar Fletcher and John Avery.

Also, it didn't say much for what they thought of Ginn, another in a line of Ohio State wide receivers who were long on speed (Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn), but short on toughness.

And Ginn has never been a good fit for the current Sparano-Bill Parcells regime.

Parcells once famously said, "They let you cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries," in response to management selecting Glenn high in the draft over his objections.

Parcells does not believe in drafting skill players high. In fact, in another interview, he was quoted as saying you should never draft a running back with one of your top picks, because history has shown you can find just as good a back later in the draft.

Parcells and Sparano are meat-and-potatoes guys, while Ginn is clearly garnish: Pretty to look at and having lots of style, but ultimately, little substance.

So, with the emergence of fellow Buckeyes receiver and rookie Brian Hartline, who has caught six passes for 121 yards and a TD in the last three games (and was drafted in the fourth round, a spot Parcells would prefer to take a receiver), you could see the writing on the wall.

Now the question is, how does Ginn handle a possible demotion? Does he sulk, or does he work his hardest to regain his former position?

This may be a good thing to have happen to him, to re-ignite his competitive fires and make him into the player Dolphins fans and management hope he can be.

Or, this may prove to be the death-knell to his career here.

Either way, the answer won't be revealed for a few weeks, when we find out just what type of character and resolve Ginn has.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

Mixed results for Dolphins

The Dolphins won their third straight preseason game, 10-6 over Tampa Bay Thursday night, but it was far from a complete effort. For the second time in three games, the defense was strong, holding an opponent to under 10 points.

In fact, Miami limited the Bucs to 288 yards of total offense, and despite not forcing a single turnover, the Dolphins managed to keep Tampa Bay out of the end zone.

Of course, the Bucs were not fielding their top unit, with wide receivers Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton both out. And Tampa Bay's offense isn't expected to light up the league in 2009.

The problem was, the Dolphins' offense was just as anemic as the Bucs'. Miami gained just 250 total yards, ran for only 79 yards against a rebuilding Tampa defense, and turned the ball over three times.

The first half was a disaster, as Miami did not gain a first down until the 11:27 mark of the second quarter, and the first three possessions gained just 29 yards.

Chad Pennington was shaky until the end of the half, when he guided the team 53 yards in 10 plays in the final 1:45.

A Dan Carpenter field goal put Miami on the board, and the Dolphins went into the locker room trailing 6-3.

Pennnington came out firing in the second half, rolling to his right and hitting rookie Brian Hartline for 55 yards to the Bucs 6.

Two plays later, Pennington rolled right, turned back to his left under pressure, and found a wide open Anthony Fasano in the end zone for the winning score.

Pennington finished 9-of-16 for 128 yards and a TD.

Hartline, who started alongside Ted Ginn, made his case to line up with the first unit with a team-high 79 yards on three catches.

The running game was not up to snuff though, as the Dolphins struggled to gain yardage up the middle.

Lex Hilliard again led the team in rushing with 32 yards on 11 carries, but he almost cost Miami the game when he fumbled as the Dolphins were driving inside the Bucs' 25.

Surprisingly, the Dolphins didn't run the "Wildcat" at all, after using it five times for 53 yards in last week's win against Carolina. Rookie quarterback Pat White also did not see any playing time, though that should change when the Dolphins empty the bench in their last preseason game next week.

For the third straight week, the special teams gave up a big return. Clifton James ran back a kickoff for 30 yards, and Sammie Stroughter had a 25-yard effort.

There was some good though, as Patrick Cobbs came through the line untouched to block a Dirk Johnson punt at the end of the game's first series. But reserve linebacker Charlie Anderson dropped the ball, and Tampa Bay recovered in Miami territory for a first down. The drive ended in a 29-yard field goal by Mike Nugent.

The second half was much better, as the Dolphins' kick return coverage was excellent, though Davone Bess could not take advantagte of good blocking on one return because he couldn't turn the corner. Bess had just six yards on four returns on the night.

Chad Henne relieved Pennington in the third quarter, but he did not play well, completing 2-of-8 passes for 55 yards. He also had a bad interception inside the Tampa Bay 15 when Miami was threatening to put the game away.

The defense got off to a shaky start, as Byron Leftwich hit on 9-of-17 passes for 100 yards, but he missed three more open receivers that could have amounted to a huge day.

The run defense also struggled early, as Cadillac Williams gained 54 yards on eight carries. Earnest Graham came in and picked up where Williams left off, pounding for 39 yards on five carries, including a 27-yard run where four Dolphins missed tackles.

The defense got better as the game wore on, and did not allow a TD.

As for the cornerback battle, all signs point to rookie Sean Smith being the starter opening day. Despite missing last week's game with flu-like symptoms, Smith was back in the starting lineup Thursday.

Against the Bucs, he was targeted seven times and allowed three completions, all on passes from Leftwich to receiver Maurice Stovall for 34 yards. Smith also had one pass breakup and one tackle.

Twice Smith appeared to be beaten -- including once when Brian Clark was wide open in the end zone -- but both times Leftwich overthrew the target.

Fellow rookie Vontae Davis played the second half, starting opposite Smith. He was targeted seven times for four completions -- all coming off the arm of rookie Josh Freeman for 37 yards.

Davis broke up three passes, including the final one on fourth down, which he should have intercepted but dropped. He also got away with an illegal hands to the face on the play. All told, Davis was more active with five tackles.

Considering who the completions were against, it's safe to say that Smith should be the opening day starter.

The defensive line didn't get much pressure against the Bucs' first unit, though offensive line should be one of Tampa Bay's strengths this year. It wasn't until the second- and third-stringers entered the game -- and defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni started to call blitzes -- that the Dolphins were able to generate any pressure.

The most impressive performance amongst the first-stringers was Kendall Langford, who hit Leftwich as he was about to pass on the opening series and knocked the ball loose. Tampa Bay ultimately recovered, but had to settle for a field goal. Langford also got nice penetration to stop Williams behind the line of scrimmage. He finished with one tackle and one assist to go with his sack and forced fumble.

Paul Soliai continued his strong preseason with a sack on Luke McCown that resulted in a four-yard loss in the second quarter, and Nate Jones had another sack on the corner blitz.

In all, the Dolphins had four sacks, three coming against the Bucs' backups. Tampa Bay did a good job of picking up Joey Porter and making him a nonfactor, while Jason Taylor was held in check as well. Taylor was a step late on a blitz that resulted in a rushed McCown pass, and he finished with three tackles and an assist on the night.

It wasn't the performance Coach Tony Sparano wanted, particularly offensively, but the Dolphins have another chance to open up the playbook against New Orleans next Thursday.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)