Backup quarterback Tyler Thigpen impressed his coach again Saturday night, even while running for his life behind the Dolphins' second-team offensive line.

"Show(ed) me a lot," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said after a 27-26 win over Jacksonville. "Ty's a pretty tough kid. I knew that after playing him a couple years ago (in sub-freezing temperatures in Kansas City). I thought he did a nice job being able to battle back. He made a couple big plays out there for us, a couple third-down throws I thought were really important plays in that situation."

While veteran Chad Pennington led a touchdown drive against the Jaguars in his only series this preseason, Thigpen continues to show he has the mettle to step in should something happen to starter Chad Henne.

Even a four-sack night that included one scary play where Thigpen took a hit from behind while prone and helmetless at Jacksonville's EverBank Field could not stall his momentum.

Nor does Sparano find fault with the natural leadership Thigpen has begun to show now that he's more comfortable in his surroundings.

"Tyler is pretty calm in the huddle with the team," Sparano says. "Shows good command. When he feels convicted about something, whether it's a route depth or the way somebody should have run the route, he'll get after them a little bit that way. There's a lot of credibility with what he's done."

Remember, it was during veteran minicamp this summer that Sparano invoked the name of another late bloomer from his Dallas days.

He even said Thigpen has "a lot of qualities that I've seen before" in this particular quarterback, another small-college product who also had to overcome an earlier willingness to abandon plays a bit too quickly.

Guy by the name of Tony Romo.

He was made to run for his life too often while playing the whole second half in Saturday's 27-26 win at Jacksonville, but Thigpen still finished 8 of 12 passing for 76 yards.

"I feel like I've come a long way from where I was two years ago," says Thigpen, 26. "It's helped a lot going through the offseason with Coach (David) Lee. He's developed me to stay in the pocket a little longer rather than escaping the pocket."

Lee, who coaches Dolphins quarterbacks, has harped on this nuance so much in the past 10 1/2 months since Thigpen was acquired from Kansas City, his pupil can recite those teaching phrases by rote.

"Stand in the pocket, make the throw and take the hit," Thigpen says. "As a quarterback, that's the thing. You've got to take the hit and you've got to pop right back up and lead your offense, whether it hurts or not. You can't show your offensive guys that. You're the leader of the offense."

This offseason makeover has been such a point of emphasis, Sparano had to remind Thigpen in recent days that it's still OK to take off and run should the situation call for it.

"I actually had a little conversation with Tyler recently about this little bit of 'it' that he has," Sparano says. "I think sometimes that's really a good thing. Now, make sure you go through your progression and do what you're doing, OK, but at the end you are charged with moving the team."

CAMP CALENDAR
Aug. 27: Third preseason game vs. Falcons. Sept. 2: Final preseason game at Cowboys.

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