A man wearing a polo shirt embroidered with the San Diego Chargers logo was walking alone down the hallway of the Dolphin Stadium press box Sunday, outside the door where the scouts and coaches sit, mumbling under his breath about the halftime score.

''The Miami [bleeping] Dolphins?'' he said to himself, shaking his head in disgust as a result of San Diego's 14-point deficit.

Yes, the Miami (bleeping) Dolphins.

For just about everyone in the NFL, and undoubtedly the past two opponents that became the victims of Miami's impressive and sudden turnaround, it has been nearly impossible to think about this team without associating it with last year's 1-15 record.

It's surely safe to say this year's team is better than the last. Now, in the wake of the team's second win of the season (one more than last year's total), it also is a matter of fact.

''Last year is gone -- way gone,'' cornerback Will Allen said. ``I don't even like talking about it. It's so gone. Like a blur.''

After the victory against the Patriots, there was a sense of euphoria. This time, though, that euphoria was replaced by more understated confidence that Sunday's 17-10 win against the Chargers was for real.

''It's new, it's refreshing,'' linebacker Matt Roth said. ``Last year was awful. Thank God these young guys don't need to go through what we went through last year. Coming from last year, it seems like we're on top of the world right now.

STAYING HUNGRY

``But it's only two wins. We still need to get better from here.''

Coach Tony Sparano is warning his players to not ''eat the cheese,'' an analogy he picked up from Bill Parcells that serves as a reminder of what happens to a mouse that gets tempted by the bait in a trap. So far, his players appear to be listening.

Sparano, although spending most of Monday's news conference praising his team's successes, still was blunt when asked what are the concerns about the team going forward?

''I've got a bunch of concerns,'' Sparano said. ``I really do.''

Among them, Sparano wants to spend time this week improving the kickoff and punt return units. He's partly talking about a botched catch on a punt by Ted Ginn Jr., along with a fumbled kickoff by Davone Bess.

He also talked about the importance of sustaining drives at the start of the second half in order to maintain better time of possession. That criticism should show just how far this team has come, since Sparano's desire for improvement in the area comes after Miami had the ball more than 13 minutes longer than the Chargers.

Then again, considering the Dolphins committed just one penalty and had just one turnover, the nit-picking should probably be expected -- and welcomed.

''I don't think [the new leadership] would say we're ahead of schedule,'' defensive end Vonnie Holliday said. ``I don't think anyone signs up to be mediocre. You approach every season like you have the opportunity to be a Super Bowl champ.''

NO RESPECT

Then again, can anyone really blame Holliday? Can anyone really tell a man who endured the dread of last season that his newfound expectations are too surreal or unattainable?

There's no doubt Holliday understands much more work needs to be done before this team is ready to make a deep run into the playoffs. But consider a recent trip for Holliday to Atlanta, where he attended the funeral of a family member.

''My stepbrother, he's in middle school, and I'm asking him about his season,'' Holliday said. 'He tells me, `We're 0-3 right now, but you were 1-15.' I'm thinking, are you serious? That's what it comes to! Even my family and friends are making fun of it!''

No doubt, the Dolphins entered this season as the reigning punching bags of the NFL. And those days of lowered expectations aren't entirely over, made clear by oddsmakers' decision to make the winless Texans a three-point favorite against Miami this week.

But if they can play one impressive game after another, it could soon cause the Dolphins to become something they haven't been in years: Respectable.

''Last year was such a disaster, I don't think anyone wants to bring it back up,'' safety Yeremiah Bell said. ``At the same time, we want to show that we're not even close to being that team.''

The Miami (bleeping) Dolphins? Not anymore.

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