He ran toward one side of the offensive line, but there wasn't an opening.
So Dolphins running back Jesse Chatman bounced the other way. Made another move. And outran a batch of Jacksonville defenders for the type of 74-yard touchdown that has been absent in Miami for years.
Did it really happen already? Has a formidable offense finally arrived in South Florida? Did coach Cam Cameron already transform this unit into a high-powered group by just his first preseason game?
Not even close.
In an 18-17 win against the Jaguars on Saturday, that 74-yard run by Chatman (the team's No. 2 running back behind Ronnie Brown) was impressive. The rest of the Dolphins' performance, however, was far from the same.
The first-team offense did little to prove this group will be different than any of the past -- a modest blow to the growing confidence that had been felt in Miami since Cameron's arrival.
The Dolphins' starters accounted for three of the team's 18 points. Cameron noted that a basic game plan, with the focus on improving internally rather than out-matching the opponent, contributed to what looked like a lackluster showing.
`ZERO PLANNING'
''We did absolutely zero game planning,'' Cameron said. ``We just wanted to execute the fundamentals. We're not coming to any conclusions about anyone. We've got a lot of time to grow before the season starts.''
Cameron can at least be glad about this much: He has been adamant since the start of training camp about leaving competitions at all positions open. On Saturday, it was clear why.
During the first half, while all of the team's starters remained in the game, Brown gained just 8 yards on eight carries. Quarterback Trent Green completed 6 of 15 passes. He was sacked twice, threw one interception and was penalized for throwing a pass when he was beyond the line of scrimmage.
The offensive line wasn't impressive, either. The group allowed the offense to muster one first down during three drives in the first quarter (and that took a fourth-down conversion to make). The Jaguars first-team defense only played two of those series.
''We haven't blocked anybody yet, and if you don't block anybody, you aren't going to score many points,'' Cameron said at halftime.
Cameron's biggest compliment? The coach said Green was ''still clever in the pocket.'' To his credit, Green seemed forced to worry more about who was about to hit him rather than which receiver might be open downfield.
''It was about what I expected [from Green],'' Cameron said. ``I wanted to put him in as difficult of a position as I could. We probably called some routes that we normally wouldn't call on purpose so that he'd get stuck with the ball.''
Not to mention, Green also was dealing with an offensive line that continues to change. The Dolphins shifted Rex Hadnot back to right guard after listing sixth-round draft pick Drew Mormino as the team's first-team guard on the depth chart. Mormino shifted to left guard in place of Chris Liwienski.
The Dolphins can take comfort in one aspect of a lackluster debut of the offense: It's early. As players continue to develop -- and Green continues to learn the system -- the curve for progress should be sharp.
''We have areas that we need improvement, but it's a good first step,'' Green said. ``There were things we did right, and we showed flashes of it. It wasn't all that bad.''
There were a few positives on offense. Wide receiver Derek Hagan took advantage of Marty Booker's absence because of an ankle injury. Hagan led the offense with three catches for 47 yards -- including a 30-yard completion from Green.
Rookie Ted Ginn, although not able to capitalize on his efforts, looked solid in his debut. He looked smooth on kick and punt returns, and his route running looked natural.
On the defensive side, the Dolphins didn't resemble one of the league's most feared units from a year ago. But unlike the offense, the defense had three reasonable excuses for its mediocrity.
Defensive end Jason Taylor, linebacker Zach Thomas and nose guard Keith Traylor all rested Saturday. The decision to sit the three players was made as a way to keep the critical trio healthy.
Linebacker Joey Porter also missed Saturday's game as he recovers from last week's arthroscopic knee surgery.
FILLING IN
In their absence, defensive tackle Rodrique Wright and defensive end Matt Roth stepped up with solid performances. Defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday also was solid with his pass rush, laying a fierce hit on Byron Leftwich that yielded a 15-yard penalty for helmet-to-helmet contact.
The Dolphins' secondary, however, didn't look nearly as effective as it had during the first two weeks of training camp.
The group looked like it struggled with communication, and depth is clearly an issue as the backups did little to push for starting jobs.
''A lot of young guys back there,'' Cameron said. ``Plus, that's a nice corps of receivers [on the Jacksonville side].''
The group allowed 148 passing yards. Jaguars quarterbacks David Garrard and Leftwich combined to complete 14 of 21 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown.
Dolphins-Jaguars postgame audio
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