The ragged nature of preseason openers doesn't lend itself to any sort of sweeping evaluations -- especially for the starters, who barely last a quarter.

But they can provide a snapshot of a player's abilities -- and his limitations.

For the Dolphins' receivers, it was a little of both in Miami's 12-9 preseason victory over Jacksonville Monday night.

Ted Ginn Jr. showed glimpses of the explosive player the Dolphins had in mind when they made him the No. 9 pick of the 2007 draft.

Davone Bess searched for soft spots in the Jaguars' defensive backfield, and found a few.

And the Dolphins' biggest receiving play of the evening -- a 33-yard touchdown pass from Chad Henne to Ernest Wilford -- was made by a failed wide receiver who was converted to tight end.

But with Greg Camarillo still limited by the knee injury he sustained last fall and none of backups truly emerging, the roles of Miami's receivers remained just as unclear after the game as they were before it.

As a team, the Dolphins totaled just 139 passing yards, and no receiver had more than three catches.

After the game, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano focused on the positives, most specifically Ginn, who had two catches for 26 yards and one carry for 14 more, all for first downs.

``He did some nice things during the course of the game,'' Sparano said. ``He had the under [route] and then a dagger in the middle of the field. Those are things he's getting better at [in practice]. And he was able to do it during the game, which was a good thing.''

Ginn's production came against Jacksonville's starters in general, and former Pro Bowl cornerback Rashean Mathis in particular.

Ginn used strength instead of speed to create separation from Mathis on a post route for 15 yards on a drive that ended with a 48-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter.

Then late in the first quarter, with the Dolphins pinned against their own goal line, Ginn got behind corner Brian Williams and drew a pass interference call, earning the Dolphins 34 yards.

In all, Ginn, who averaged 14.1 yards per reception on 56 catches last year, showed flashes indicating he could emerge as Pennington's go-to deep threat.

``I think I'm older, learning the game more and more,'' Ginn said. ``I think I'm learning more about the position, and I continue to get better and better.''

Then there's Wilford, who has moved to tight end after catching three passes in seven games at receiver last year.

His lone reception Monday evening went for a score. Wilford caught a pass off a seam route in the left flat, brushed off an arm tackle by Gerald Alexander and sprinted to the end zone. The former Jaguar then emphatically spiked the ball in a cathartic release of frustration that has built over the last year.

``There's a sense of urgency for me,'' Wilford said. ``It's been a long time coming and a long road for me. I want to play well this year.''

With the starters relegated to the bench after just a dozen or so snaps, rookies Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline took the bulk of the repetitions the rest of the way.

Turner led all receivers with three catches for 33 yards, and showed both ability and inconsistency.

No better example of that than on consecutive plays in the third quarter.

Turner pulled in a diving catch thrown by Pat White for 6 yards, and then dropped a pass that was placed between the numbers. Hartline's lone contribution was a 20-yard catch on third-and-8 midway through the fourth quarter.