Coach Tony Sparano, Dolphins look to unheralded receivers to catch on before season opener

Sparano, Dolphins look to unheralded receivers

DAVIE, Fla. — Hardly a day goes by that Greg Camarillo doesn’t hear about the play that changed his career.

Camarillo’s 64-yard touchdown catch in overtime against Baltimore gave the Miami Dolphins their only win in 2007 after an 0-13 start. Things haven’t been the same for him since.

“I went from being a guy nobody knew to a guy everybody knew and loved,” Camarillo said.

The Dolphins aren’t afraid to give a receiver a chance.

That’s why they begin this season with a cast of relatively unproven wideouts competing for spots behind former first-round pick Ted Ginn Jr.

Miami is hoping the blueprint followed by Camarillo — and matched last season by another surprising undrafted rookie in Davone Bess — will be enough to improve a position that lacked depth and consistency last season.

It’s made for a wide-open receiver race.

“When you are going through this whole thing, you can get a little lost about what a guy has done in the past,” Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. “You have to go by what you see right now, being as open-minded as you can.”

This pattern is how the Dolphins have been able to find hidden talent at receiver.

Camarillo had 55 catches last season, one shy of Ginn for the team lead, despite missing the last five regular-season games with a knee injury.

Miami needs several receivers to fill the gaps if it wants to improve on its 11-5 record. The competition is among players who are all fighting for roster spots.

Ginn, Camarillo and Bess are the only receivers that seem certain to make the roster. Rookies Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline are competing with Brandon London and Anthony Armstrong for the last two or three spots.

“This coaching staff is all about giving guys opportunities,” said Bess, who had 54 catches for 554 yards last season. “It’s like back in college, walk-ons get opportunities. We all have that here.”

Taking in castoffs also has put pressure on others to perform — or else.

Even some who were thought to be established veterans have been weeded out. Ernest Wilford was the latest receiver to meet that fate.

The Dolphins terminated Wilford’s contract Monday. He made only three catches for 25 yards last season after signing a four-year contract for $6 million guaranteed, easily making him the biggest free-agent bust since the Bill Parcells regime took over.

That’s the chance they take.

Sparano said he likes the receivers on the team because even though they may start out as unheralded, their work ethic gives them an opportunity to be molded into game-day performers. It’s how Camarillo and Bess won him over.

“The guy is out here every day, doesn’t say ‘boo’ and takes as many reps as you can give him,” Sparano said of Camarillo. “Bess has always done that. That is why he made the team last year. And to do it practice after practice really showed me something. Then to do it in a game, that’s how I came to trust the guy.”

Even with all the surprises the past two seasons, receiver still remains the glaring impediment in Miami’s offense.

The Dolphins have two talented running backs with Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a Pro Bowl left tackle in Jake Long and the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year with quarterback Chad Pennington. There’s just no go-to receiver.

The Dolphins are still waiting for Ginn to flourish, and they’re counting on a host of relatively unheralded players to fill the void as a group.

“I think with the receivers we have, everybody is going to get their chance to shine,” Camarillo said. “You just have to make the most of it when your time comes.”