DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -Ted Ginn Jr. cracked a rare Monday morning smile, getting to savor a breakout game with something usually reserved for winners: a day off.
It was a long time coming for Ginn and the Miami Dolphins.
In a short professional career filled with disappointments, Ginn had plenty of reasons to be in good spirits. He shed some of that “draft bust” stamp that has plagued his stay with the Dolphins, catching seven passes for a career-high 175 yards in Miami’s 25-16 win against Buffalo on Sunday.
“It was different,” Ginn said. “It was more of an enjoyment.”
Most days with Miami have been otherwise.
shining example of the suddenly rejuvenated Dolphins.
Miami (3-4) already has tripled its win total from last season under the new Bill Parcells regime, and if only for a day, Ginn looked like the go-to receiver who deserved that high pick.
“He just keeps getting better and better,” Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington said after the game. “You can just tell in his eyes when we’re talking about routes that he’s just very hungry. He wants to be the guy.”
He was Sunday.
Ginn set the tone on the game’s first play from scrimmage, beating the Bills deep for a 46-yard gain. He later turned a short pass into a 64-yard reception that set up another Miami score.
“I think he seized the moment,” Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said Monday.
The thrill of a breakout game was long overdue for Ginn. But it was just one game in 1 1/2 mediocre seasons.
It was a game where the cornerback covering him, Terrence McGee, was playing with a sore knee. And a game where the opponent’s defensive scheme stacked the line of scrimmage to take away Miami’s duel running threat of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, leaving Ginn with single coverage and open space that caters to his style.
Regardless of the circumstances, Miami is pleased Ginn finally arrived.
“A lot of people were saying, ‘Where’s Ted? Where’s Ted?”’ Pennington said. “But with young receivers it just takes a while. You have to be patient.”
Ginn’s time in Miami has been anything but.
His selection from Ohio State as the ninth overall pick in 2007 created by far the biggest buzz on draft day at the Dolphins’ headquarters. Most fans there thought he wasn’t worth the pick, and that Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn was.
Miami fans even booed then-coach Cam Cameron when he emerged to make the announcement.
Ginn, who has been often criticized for his inability to create separation, ended last season with 34 catches for 420 yards. He was touted as a premier kick returner, but managed only one punt return for a touchdown – hardly the production most observers in Miami thought was worthy of a top pick.
“Just getting up every day was hard, knowing you got to get up every day and you got to do this again and not get any outcome out of it,” Ginn said. “To where now, you know you got a chance. Every time you get up you got a chance. There’s no doubt in your mind that you got a chance.”
Those around him are realizing that, too.
Ginn often speaks with friends and family after games, sometimes struggling to get a hold of them by phone. After his big game against Buffalo, things were different. And he’s hoping to keep it that way.
“Sunday,” Ginn said, “I heard from everybody.”
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