"Just this week Chad Pennington had a conversation with Jeff Ireland, but it wasn't about what you might think.

It wasn't about the future and whether Pennington thinks he can make it all the way back from a fourth major surgery on his throwing shoulder.

It wasn't about the Dolphins' plans for their unsettled quarterback position and whether Pennington, a 34-year-old free agent, still fits into those. (Realistically, he probably shouldn't at this point in his career. Too risky.)

Rather, the star-crossed quarterback and the Dolphins general manager spent that talk in the weight room at the team's Davie facility discussing "things other than professional football," Pennington said Friday."