DAVIE, Fla. � Ted Ginn Jr. was sprinting over the middle when the pass arrived a bit high, forcing him to reach up and leaving him exposed to defenders. Such moments can test an NFL receiver�s backbone � and ribs.

Ginn passed the exam by making the catch. The jarring collision never came, but Ginn earned a pat on the back.
�That is a good sign for me,� said his coach, Tony Sparano.
�You just go out and show what you can do,� Ginn said.
How much Ginn can do is one of the biggest questions in the Miami Dolphins� training camp. He�s entering his third season, and while he hasn�t been a bust, he has yet to make the impact expected of a player taken ninth in the draft.
The Bill Parcells regime has dramatically upgraded the roster since taking over last year, but the role of a No. 1 receiver remains unfilled. The speedy Ginn is the leading candidate, but he must shake the rap that he shies away from contact. More than once last year, the slender, 180-pound Ginn stepped out of bounds with a tackler bearing down.
That�s what made the catch over the middle Monday night significant. It produced a modest 15-yard gain in the Dolphins� exhibition opener against Jacksonville, but second-year coach Sparano was pleased.
�I�ve seen progress there with Teddy catching the ball over the middle since I got here,� Sparano said. �I really wanted to see if he could bring that to the game, and he did.�
Playing only one period, Ginn also made an 11-yard reception and gained 14 yards on an end-around. If he�s that productive in every quarter this season, the Dolphins will be delighted.
They believe Ginn could be poised for a breakout year. His development was slowed because he had to learn a new playbook working with a new coach and new quarterback in each of his first two NFL seasons.
Now, he�s finally adjusting to coverages instinctively.
�That�s exactly what it is,� quarterback Chad Pennington said. �You can tell such a huge difference when a player is thinking compared to reacting. When he is thinking, he is hesitant, his eyes are really big and he is really unsure of himself, and he is always a split second late on cuts or a split second late getting his head around a making a decision.�
Ginn said it�s good to feel like he knows what he�s doing.
�I�ve been in this for three years, and I�m comfortable,� he said. �I�ve seen every defense.�
But when asked if he�s the Dolphins� No. 1 receiver, he answered before the question was finished.
�No,� he said. �You have to earn it.�
Since being drafted out of Ohio State in 2007, Ginn has provided glimpses of the quick-strike ability every team seeks. He returned a punt for a touchdown as a rookie. He made a 64-yard catch last year and scored on a 40-yard run.
Ginn caught 56 passes last year, but he has only seven touchdowns in two seasons, and only a single 100-yard receiving game.
Pennington said Ginn is still learning how to use his speed.
�No one can run with him,� Pennington said. �He�ll outrun every quarterback�s arm, it doesn�t matter who it is. If you�re getting open 50 yards down the field, John Elway can�t get it to you. But if he�s getting open around that 15- to 20-yard area down the field, then we can put the ball up early and let him go run and get it, and it makes a huge difference.�
Sparano said Ginn made significant progress in offseason practices. He caught the ball more cleanly, reacted to defenses more quickly and even looked stronger.
�He took giant steps,� Sparano said.
Improvement is needed after Miami wideouts caught only five touchdown passes last year. The team devoted two draft picks in April to receivers: Patrick Turner of Southern Cal and Brian Hartline of Ohio State.
Ginn said he draws motivation from those who disparage the receiving corps.
�Just to know that we are young and they think we can�t do it, and last year they underestimated us, we just try to go out there and play as hard as we can,� he said.
If that means Ginn will keep reaching for passes over the middle, the Dolphins may have themselves a No. 1 receiver.