MIAMI — As the Miami Dolphins came off the practice field, Chad Pennington took a seat in the sideline shade with his family, grinning at his three young sons soaking up the scene.

Next year, the Penningtons may all be in another town. It’s strange but true: Little job security comes with being the Dolphins’ best quarterback since Dan Marino.
“My family totally understands we could be moving,” Pennington says. “We take solace in the fact we’re enjoying the moment here. And we’ll see what happens.”
Starting with Sunday’s opener at Atlanta, the 33-year-old Pennington will try to show he’s worth keeping when his $11.5 million, two-year contract expires after this season.
The Dolphins might be convinced if Pennington has another season like 2008, when he was NFL Comeback Player of the Year and tied for second behind Peyton Manning in the vote for MVP. But Pennington has never put together consecutive productive seasons, in large part because of injuries.
“Staying healthy is my No. 1 goal,” Pennington says. “History has proven things go pretty well when I stay healthy.”
Staying healthy would keep heir apparent Chad Henne on the sideline, at least for now. And a healthy Pennington helps the Dolphins’ chances of building on last season, when they made a 10-win leap to finish 11-6 and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
They won the AFC East without a 1,000-yard rusher, 800-yard receiver or dominating defense. They won with a quarterback who made the most of the talent around him.
“It was the most enjoyable year I ever had,” Pennington says.
The Dolphins believe the offensive line is more stout, the secondary more athletic and the roster deeper than a year ago. And while Pennington threw for a career-high 3,653 yards last year with only seven interceptions, coach Tony Sparano says his quarterback wants to improve.
“Sometimes players get on in age and so many years in the league, and you can’t tell them anything,” Sparano says. “This guy is not built that way.”
Pennington knows the offense and his receivers better than a year ago, when he joined the team a month before the season after being released by the New York Jets. Sparano says a rigorous offseason workout regimen helped Pennington’s durability and arm strength, areas with room for improvement.
Last season, Pennington played in all 16 games for only the second time in his nine-year career. As for arm strength, he has been called Noodle Arm or worse, and his longest completions last year were largely the result of an uncanny knack for lobbing passes just beyond the fingertips of defenders.
So it was a surprise when Pennington rolled out and threw a pass more than 50 yards on a line for a completion during an exhibition game last month.
“Pretty good throw,” Sparano says. “Probably a lot of ’oohs’ and ’ahs.’ I think you will see progress with Chad with balls that maybe a year ago didn’t have as much zip on them.”
Even without a Marino-type arm, Pennington gave the Dolphins a lift as soon as he arrived. They were desperate for leadership after going 1-15 in 2007, and teammates say Pennington filled the void in ways small and large.
Small: He met twice a week with his receivers, and also met with his linemen. Large: He directed an offense that was at its best in the fourth quarter of close games.
Teammates called him coach Pennington.
“He has meant everything to us,” receiver Greg Camarillo says. “He has been that catalyst who has pushed us and brought us together. He is what completes our team.”
Even Henne sings Pennington’s praises. The two Chads enjoy a friendly relationship despite competing for the same job, and Pennington has been a willing mentor.
“It really helped me learning behind Chad for a full season,” Henne says. “I can’t tell you how much I have learned from Chad and how much he has helped me.”
A second-round draft pick from Michigan, Henne threw only 12 passes as a rookie last year. His strong arm earns raves, but his performance was spotty in training camp last month, which might slow the timetable for his promotion to the No. 1 job.
There’s something to be said for stability. Pennington is Miami’s 13th starting quarterback since Marino retired following the 1999 season, and this is the first time since 2003-04 that the Dolphins have opened consecutive seasons with the same QB.
Henne’s the quarterback of the future, but Pennington’s the quarterback of the present.
“If I take care of business now,” Pennington says, “the future will take care of itself.”