DAVIE, Fla. -- Speaking at a near whisper, Miami Dolphins rookie receiver Brian Hartline was looking over his shoulder Monday when explaining what he did with the ball he caught for his first NFL touchdown -- which also happened to be Chad Henne's first TD pass.
"It's already on its way to be painted and embroidered," Hartline said with a laugh, insisting Henne he had no problem with him making the ball his trophy. "Maybe I'll get his name on it next to mine."
There were so many firsts for the Dolphins on Sunday there weren't enough footballs to go around.
Nothing mattered more than the first win for Miami (1-3), providing an ever-so small glimmer of hope that the season isn't completely lost and all that young talent may not be so far away.
"It was good to get that first touchdown out of the way -- for me and for Chad," Hartline said. "It was good to get that first win, just so we can move on and get this thing moving in the right direction."
There were plenty of reasons for Miami to be encouraged Monday.
Henne was mistake-free in his first professional start, going 14-for-22 passing for 115 yards and no interceptions in the Dolphins' 38-10 win against Buffalo. First-round pick Vontae Davis had his first interception, and 27-year-old rookie and former Canadian league standout Cameron Wake had three sacks.
"Like coach said, 'Young guys have to play old and old guys have to play young," Wake said.
Miami's road ahead might not provide another feel-good film session anytime soon without some major strides.
The Dolphins' next four games -- against the Jets, Saints, Jets and Patriots -- will provide the kind of tests they faced the opening three games of the season that led to ugly losses. Miami's next opponents have a combined 10-2 record.
"Things aren't getting any easier," guard Justin Smiley said. "We got that first win, and we realize we can play with anybody. We know that, we just needed that win to prove it. We're going to have to keep doing it, or we'll be right back in the same place."
For a team with a losing record, Miami has had little trouble running the ball.
The wildcat formation has never worked better, perhaps the biggest reason the Dolphins are leading the league with 183.5 yards rushing per game. The running back trio of Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and Patrick Cobbs has kept teams off balance.
The only defense that was able to consistently contain the wildcat were the Ravens last year.
When the Dolphins host the Jets on Monday night, they might get some of the same looks. New York coach Rex Ryan was the man behind those schemes last season when he was Baltimore's defensive coordinator.
Don't think that fact has slipped by Miami's Brown, who also maintains that the Dolphins are staying ahead of the competition and always giving new wrinkles, even though they've yet to pass out of the formation this year.
"Coming into this season, a lot of people were saying the wildcat is a fad and this and that," Brown said. "It works for us. So we'll see."
The Jets are sure to make things tougher on the Dolphins than the Bills did.
Henne, while avoiding turnovers against Buffalo, never did show the kind of big-play ability so many in Miami were expecting with his strong arm strength. He also was sacked six times, and he often showed little patience in the pocket.
Still, teammates and coaches were encouraged with Henne's first NFL start and said they saw many of the same things done by mentor Chad Pennington, who had season-ending shoulder injury in Week 3 against San Diego. Henne's presence alone gives Miami reason to believe there is still much to be salvaged this season.
"There wasn't a lot of panic on the sideline, and that shows me he was handling things well in the huddle," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. "There was a lot to be encouraged about."