In 2008, the Miami Dolphins drafted two players to be the cornerstones of their offense for at least the next decade. With the first overall pick, they grabbed left tackle Jake Long. In the second round, they obtained Long's University of Michigan teammate, quarterback Chad Henne.

Long has been an instant success, reaching the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons. Entering his third year, Henne's star may be ready to rise.

The Dolphins have gone through a long, frustrating search to find a worthy successor to Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, who retired 11 years ago. Fourteen men have tried and most of them have failed -- miserably.

Have the Dolphins found the answer under center? Is Henne capable of becoming the franchise quarterback that lifts the team to elite, championship status?

"The reason we drafted him and drafted him where we drafted him is that we felt like at some point this guy would be the quarterback of our team and the future of our team," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said.

Henne certainly looks the part. He's 6-foot-3, 230 pounds and can make all the throws. But having good physical tools doesn't equate to being a good quarterback.

He has to manage games and even take them over when necessary. He needs to be the man who leads and gets his teammates to follow.

That comes with the territory of being the anointed face of the franchise.

"Obviously there are big expectations," Henne said this week during a conference call with the Buffalo media. "I'm taking it in. I just have to keep at it and keep learning and keep getting better and better each and every day. If things go my way and I'm making good decisions out there, we'll get there someday."

Henne took the first steps in that direction last year when he started the last 13 games after Chad Pennington suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

Miami won seven games under Henne, including a 38-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills in his first career start. But the Dolphins' 7-9 record was indicative of Henne's performance -- some good games, some bad.

He completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 2,878 yards, but threw more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (12). Three of his INTs came in a 31-14 loss to the Bills, who host the Dolphins in the opener on Sunday.

Pennington, the runner-up to Peyton Manning in the 2008 NFL MVP voting, is back but as a backup. The Dolphins are Henne's team now. And with a season under Henne's belt plus a full offseason of work as the unquestioned starter, Sparano believes his young passer has made tremendous strides.

"He's continued to get better each and every time that we're out there on the field," Sparano said to the Buffalo media this week. "The season was one stage for him obviously getting the call to duty when Chad Pennington got hurt. I thought he played pretty well throughout the season. Obviously, he had some young guy ups and downs that you go through in there playing against some of the defenses in our league.

"I thought he had a very productive spring. Things started to slow down for him a little bit. He made some corrections and improvements in some areas, and I think he's had a good training camp. I would say that right now he clearly understands what's on his plate."

The strength of the Dolphins' offense will continue to be the running game, but this is a passing league now. Seven of the NFL's top 10 passing teams made the playoffs last season.

The Dolphins ranked 20th in passing yards in Henne's first year as a starter, while finishing fourth in rushing. They are going to need a more balanced attack if they're going to reach the playoffs for the second time in three years.

That's where Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall comes in. Acquired in a trade with Denver, Marshall gives the Dolphins the dominant No. 1 receiver they desperately needed. He is coming off three consecutive 100-catch seasons and helps keep defenses from crowding the line of scrimmage trying to stop the run.

Just as important to the Dolphins, Marshall's presence should contribute to Henne's continued development.

"I think he could make Chad Henne certainly better, no question about it," Sparano said.

Henne and Marshall struggled to establish chemistry in the preseason. Although Marshall caught eight passes in limited duty, his numerous drops raised concerns among the Dolphin faithful about the team's $50 million man.

But Henne is confident the work he and Marshall have done together in training camp will yield more positive results in the regular season.

"I mean, obviously there still needs to be work done," Henne said. "But I feel confident in knowing where he's going to be and how he's going to run the routes."

Confidence is what the Dolphins have in Henne. Starting Sunday, he'll get a chance to justify it.

"Consistent, effective and efficient," Marshall said of Henne. "He's the leader of our offense, and I think he'll do fine."

awilson@buffnews.comnull