"Tim Dobbins was on the opposite sideline in San Diego 13 1/2 months ago.

He saw the seemingly innocuous hit fellow Chargers linebacker Kevin Burnett put on Chad Pennington four plays into the second half. He saw Pennington wind up face-down on the turf and walk off under the close observation of Dolphins trainers, clutching his right arm to his side.

"Took him out," Dobbins, acquired in a draft-day trade, says with a shake of his head. "It's always good to get to the quarterback."

The injury proved season ending, and a third major operation on Pennington's throwing shoulder soon followed. Months of rehabilitation came next, followed by the decision to re-sign with the Dolphins as an insurance policy behind Chad Henne.

This week, the Dolphins decided to pull Pennington out of storage. He makes his first start in 59 weeks Sunday against the Titans,and the obvious question becomes: How long can the Dolphins keep him healthy this time?

"You want to make sure you always give those guys a clear pocket, [especially] knowing Chad has had some injuries that were significant," Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown says. "I think individually there may be a little bit of added pressure. Or mentally, in my case. I want to make sure I don't let a guy through and I'm not responsible for a guy getting a hit on him."

Pennington has been sacked just once since his latest surgery. That came in the final preseason game at Dallas, and it was young tackle Lydon Murtha that missed the block.

Having suffered two season-ending injuries of his own, Brown knows better than most the agony Pennington has endured or the danger he faces now that he's back under center."