One autograph after another, Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington worked his way down the fence that separated him from hundreds of screaming fans.

He would grab a photo, sign it, and hand it back. Grab a mini-helmet, sign it, hand it back. Grab a shoe (yes, really, a shoe), sign it, hand it back. He was methodical and silent, in his typical fashion, stopping only to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his shirtsleeve.

``Sign this!'' a fan said, extending a piece of white paper over a mass of people shortly after the conclusion of Sunday's training camp debut.

As Pennington began to autograph it, a shy, almost embarrassed look fell over his face. A cartoon rendition of Pennington urinating on a Jets logo had been drawn on the paper. What was the always-classy quarterback supposed to do?

Well, that's easy: He signed it. And he handed it back. Yes, Miami Dolphins, Pennington is your quarterback now.

If there was one aspect of Sunday's uneventful practice that stood out, it was the respect that has developed for Pennington in the eight months since he led the Dolphins to an AFC East title. Respect from fans. Respect from teammates. And respect from coach Tony Sparano.

``It's Chad Pennington's team,'' Sparano said Sunday.

It's Pennington's team, not only because of the way he pulled it together last season, but also the way he has continued to pull it together during the offseason.

EARNING RESPECT

On several occasions, the quarterback called on his wide receivers to meet for private throwing sessions. But for a more definitive example of the respect he commands, you needed to be at his home on June 4. That's the day Pennington hosted a barbecue. He simply invited the team and gave everyone directions. Guess who showed up? Every single player.

``Everybody,'' wide receiver Greg Camarillo said. ``It's really difficult to get all of the different social groups to gather in the same place. It's difficult for any team, any group of friends, to all gather at the same time.

``It was the kind of thing a college team would do. Everybody respects Chad, and everybody respects what he's trying to do for this team.''

His leadership has been contagious, and it has brought together an entire team -- on offense and defense -- before the camaraderie produced through training camp even had a chance to cultivate.

That's what Pennington has done to help in the locker room. But now that training camp has begun, the quarterback realizes it's time to help on the field, too. That's where things get interesting.

Even in the midst of Pennington's high approval rating, there continues to be reasons to wonder how long it will be his job. Sparano reiterated Sunday that Chad Henne would get an increased amount of repetitions -- especially during preseason games -- as a way to test his decisiveness in game situations.

In general, it's a harmless, smart strategy. But Pennington is in the final year of his contract, which leads to questions about his long-term stability. The quarterback has nonetheless handled the situation with class.

`LONG WAY TO GO'

``I don't ever look at it as a competition,'' Pennington said. ``We are in preparation and coaches are in an evaluation phase. We are trying to prepare not only ourselves, but each other. We do a lot of communicating.''

Pennington, who has dealt with more pressing situations in the past, seems to take solace in the moment, continuing to lift up a team around him in a fashion that has boosted the morale in Miami.

So while the future remains unclear for a quarterback who has done everything right, the present couldn't be more vivid. On Sunday, this looked and sounded like Pennington's team.

As everyone -- every player, fan and coach -- will tell you, that's because it is. Now, he will attempt to make this his year, too.

``I'm excited,'' Pennington said. ``I am excited about where we are, but we've got a long way to go.

``We've got a big challenge in front of us.''