Four Dolphins rookies had major roles Sunday -- Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, Brian Hartline and Chris Clemons. But what's the deal with Pat White (13 snaps all season) and Patrick Turner (who hasn't played)?

The Dolphins were disappointed by White's erratic accuracy this summer, and though he has gotten better, White said more improvement is needed. Beyond that, the Dolphins say they want to be cautious with White after Chad Pennington's injury.

``I maybe at the beginning of the summer thought I might have a little different use for him, a little more,'' coach Tony Sparano said Monday. ``The reason why his snap count is down is because he is the next quarterback. Our quarterback got sacked six times [Sunday], so you could be the next one really fast if you keep that stuff up. We are picking and choosing closely what we want Pat to do.''

The Dolphins still believe he has a strong upside as a change-of-pace option. In practice, ``he's gotten a lot better. His ball has gotten tighter, there are fewer [overthrows], he's settling down,'' cornerback Nate Jones said.

But though the Dolphins trusted him enough to use him late in the first Jets game, they haven't entrusted him with a pass since he overthrew Ted Ginn Jr. in the opener. ``My accuracy has gotten better, but it's not where it needs to be,'' White said.

White, whose accuracy was a strength at West Virginia, blamed it on fundamentals and said quarterback coach David Lee made tweaks in his delivery that ``have made a difference.''

Some evaluators believe White, selected 44th overall in the NFL Draft, could play receiver, but he said the Dolphins never have broached that. ``I definitely would like to stay at quarterback.''

A Dolphins executive told people that Miami has a high regard for Florida's Tim Tebow. But even if he slid to the Dolphins' first-round slot, it would be surprising if they drafted him after investing second-rounders in Chad Henne and White and trading a fifth-rounder for Tyler Thigpen.

• Several veterans raved about Turner, who stands 6-5, in minicamp. But he lost some of the staff's confidence in training camp because of drops, less-than-precise route-running and trouble separating from defensive backs.

There has been some improvement, but not enough to make the staff believe -- as of last weekend -- that he would be a better option than the other four receivers. Turner, picked 87th overall, hasn't been active in games because there are backups at other positions who are better on special teams.

Still, ``Pat has had some good solid weeks of practice,'' Sparano said Monday. ``I see a lot of progress. I think he's getting better and better, and sooner or later we will see him.'' Turner conceded that not playing ``is frustrating. I'm making more plays in practice, running routes more smoothly.''

CHATTER

• Why is highly-recruited linebacker Arthur Brown not playing much on defense (besides the fact UM has begun often using a fifth defensive back instead of a third linebacker)? ``It's because of the mental part of the game,'' defensive back Chavez Grant said. Of Brown and freshman cornerback Brandon McGee, Grant said, ``Schemes, blitz packages, dropping into coverage are not those guys' strong suits.''

• Only five quarterbacks have more interceptions than Jacory Harris' 11, and Harris and coordinator Mark Whipple have evaluated every one of Harris' passes this season as they try to correct it. Several resulted from careless decisions on blitzes.

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