"Where's Ted Ginn?" one fan wondered.

The fan's friend pointed at No. 19, wearing a towel from his waist.

Yes, for a change, a first-round pick actually was in training camp at its commencement.

Call that the season's first small victory.

Fans wore a smile while applauding Ginn's one-handed catch over his head in the morning session. And while he appeared worn out by heat in the afternoon, frequently grabbing a seat on his helmet, at least he has time to adjust. Ginn's attendance signified the clearing of the last significant controversy of an odd offseason, one that included Joey Porter's Vegas scuffle, Chris Chambers' Carolina arrest, Fred Evans' cab nap, Daunte Culpepper's Gandhi-like struggle and H. Wayne Huizenga's ultimatum.

Controversies gone. All systems go.

Time to start answering football questions.

Like this one:

How long before Ginn helps make Cam Cameron's offense go?

So many factors figure to contribute to whether this offense is effective. Trent Green's steadiness. Ronnie Brown's sturdiness. Chambers' resurgence. The line's cohesion. Derek Hagan's growth. And so on. Ginn, however, is the X-factor who could make the offense explosive.

John Beck's development will most determine the value of the 2007 draft class. Ginn is in position to prove his worth sooner.

Since introducing Ginn to a derisive chorus of "Brady" chants, Cameron has been yanking down expectations so they sneak under the lowest limbo bar. Don't believe the lack of hype. Surely, Cameron has offensive schemes and situations in mind.

Of the difference from college, Ginn said: "Here, you really need to know where you need to be and how you need to get there."

And here is the best-case scenario: that he figures that out quickly. That he forces defenses to ask that question ("Where's Ted Ginn?) out of fear rather than curiosity. That his presence in a formation triggers searching, shifting, shuddering.

When was the last time the Dolphins had an offensive X-factor like that?

Dan Marino and Ricky Williams were dominant performers in their respective stints here, but at least defenses knew where to find them.

Every team is searching for that extra offensive player, the one to use unconventionally, to deploy to surprise defenses and exploit mismatches. That's why the Bears are trying Devin Hester on offense, even after he struggled to grasp concepts as a receiver and runner at the University of Miami. That's why Jimmy Johnson reached in 1998 for the multidimensional skills of John Avery, who has since done his best professional work as a Toronto Argonaut.

The closest the Dolphins have come of late? That might have been in Chambers' 2001 rookie season. As the third receiver, Chambers benefited from charitable matchups against nickel and dime cornerbacks. So, even while raw as a route runner, he had 883 receiving yards, including seven touchdowns over a four-week span.

Ginn's father coached Chambers in high school. Saturday, Ginn's frequent visits to Chambers' locker hinted at how the rookie will lean on his surrogate big brother for guidance.

Chambers, admittedly still working on his own route running in his seventh season, acknowledged that while Ginn "looks like he gets in and out of his routes pretty good, he has to get better at it." Chambers recalled that when he started routinely running by defenders as a rookie, those defenders were forced to change tactics. They stopped trying to get their hands on him, choosing instead to "get out of there" so they wouldn't get beat. That helped Chambers on the shorter, sharper routes, so he could be effective even if he didn't run them perfectly.

Ginn, swifter than Chambers and with strikingly similar collegiate receiving statistics, has every chance to follow a similarly successful rookie pattern. Ginn's success would in turn help Chambers, who hasn't had serious speed threats to complement him while serving as the "No. 1 receiver."

Chambers is trying to learn all of the receiver positions, "so I can be a threat all over the place, and people can't find me as much."

And when they're searching for him . . .

"You get a guy like (Ginn) loose, he can take it 60, 70 yards," Chambers said.