The Miam Dolphins have a No. 1 receiver on the roster, no doubt about it, coach Tony Sparano and some of his players would tell you.

They say there is someone on the team who can be Chad Pennington’s go-to guy, someone who can lead the offense in receptions and be there when a desperation pass needs reliable hands to finish a big play.
The Dolphins insist they are comfortable with that guy.
They just don’t know that guy’s name yet.
“I would say that, yeah, I would say I feel that way, sure,” Sparano said last week. “Who that guy is, I am not quite sure of yet. I think there are a couple of contenders out there that I am curious to watch when we get through this whole thing.”
I’m kind of curious, too, coach, because there is only one contender for the job.
It has been a long time, 2005 to be precise, since the Dolphins had a 1,000-yard receiver on their roster. It has been longer than that, around 1999, since they had a true No. 1 receiver.
Chris Chambers, you will recall, had No. 1 receiver statistics and got to the Pro Bowl because of those numbers in 2005. But he was never a true No. 1.
The same year Chambers led the team in receiving yards, he led the NFL in dropped passes. And he failed to lead the receiver corps off the field.
TRADED AWAY
After Chambers had that memorable 2005 season, general manager Randy Mueller suggested to Nick Saban he should trade Chambers. A year later, when Saban was gone and Mueller was calling the shots, Mueller took his own advice and sent Chambers to San Diego.
A No. 1 receiver, you see, does more than catch a lot of passes or gain yards. He shouldn’t drop many passes. He is a consistent threat against any coverage in most games. He demands the football when times are tough and delivers big plays when his demands are met.
A No. 1 receiver is an example to the rest of the team in his performance and work ethic and locker room standing.
Paul Warfield was a No. 1 receiver.
O.J. McDuffie was a No. 1 receiver.
Irving Fryar was a No. 1 receiver.
The Dolphins seem convinced one of the 11 receivers now with the team can join those names in the annals of Miami No. 1 receivers.
But because time is short and the regular-season looms, all wisdom must agree Ted Ginn Jr. is the only player with a true chance to accomplish that.
The hope, the plan, the prayer, has been for Ginn to be Miami’s No. 1 receiver from the moment he was drafted in the first round in 2007. He is not there yet and that’s disappointing, only because he has had two NFL seasons to make the climb and the mountaintop is still far off.
But that disappointment would soon fade if Ginn could manage the 2009 breakout season some Dolphins coaches, players and fans believe he’s capable of delivering.
“We know he has the straight-ahead speed,” quarterback Chad Henne said. “What we are working on is route running right now. He is doing what we ask him to do, and right now he is getting a lot of balls, doing a good job using his technique and everything.”
CONSISTENCY NEEDED
Ginn has the speed to be a No. 1 receiver. He has the work ethic. He has the good hands. If he can deliver the consistent performance, and the big numbers that come with that consistency, he will gain confidence and respect and complete the resume of a No. 1 receiver.
If that seems a distant and faint hope to you, realize that expecting the same of any other Miami receiver is a Hail Mary hope far more distant and more faint.
Consider:
Greg Camarillo knows how to play and was leading the team in receptions last year before a knee injury. Unfortunately, that injury casts a giant shadow now, not only raising questions about Camarillo becoming a No. 1 receiver, but whether he will earn a roster spot.
Davone Bess? Quick, tough and reliable, he is improving in impressive bursts. But Bess will never have elite speed nor elite size, and he also is not guaranteed a roster spot.
The Dolphins have high hopes for rookies Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline. But can we let them catch their first NFL pass before believing them candidates to be Miami’s No. 1 receiver?
There is only one player on Miami’s roster that should be the No. 1 receiver in 2009.
Ted Ginn, this has to be your year.