Dolphins' Skylar Thompson savors the moment with father, then rolls up his sleeves | Habib

MIAMI GARDENS — Skylar Thompson is three years older than Jevon Holland, two years older than Jaylen Waddle, one year older than Tua Tagovailoa and the same age as the man snapping to him Sunday, Connor Williams — who is in his fifth NFL season.

“He’s not the run-of-the-mill rookie,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said of Thompson on Wednesday.

We started to figure that out in August when Thompson lit it up so much in preseason that he screwed up the Dolphins’ plans, which did not involve keeping three quarterbacks on the active roster. The plans also did not involve being down two quarterbacks entering Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Yet, this is where the Dolphins find themselves and, more importantly for this discussion, where Skylar Thompson finds himself, as Miami’s starting quarterback for a week.

“It’s a dream come true,” Thompson said. “Something that I’ve worked for my whole life.”

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With Tagovailoa just beginning to ease his way back from concussion protocol and Teddy Bridgewater still ensnared in it, McDaniel sat down with Thompson early this week to set the stage for Sunday. Thompson’s first move upon hearing the news of his first NFL start?

“I called my dad,” he said. “And he was emotional and excited for me. He just told me that I earned it and he was proud of me.”

Long before Skylar could say the Dolphins were his team, it was Skylar and Brad Thompson as a team. They were  trying to carry on the best they could after the tragic loss of Skylar’s mother, Teresa, to cancer as Skylar was starting school.

So yes, nobody will ever begrudge Skylar for those emotional, shared moments over the phone with his father. But soon after the call concluded, he knew it was time to focus on what comes next.

He’s not a run-of-the-mill rookie, remember?

So much stacked against Skylar Thompson against the Jets

Yes, there were times Thompson looked like a rookie quarterback last Sunday. To expect much more given the circumstances would have been unrealistic. Bridgewater was sidelined after one play, meaning a young(ish) quarterback who had taken far more snaps in his head than on the practice field the previous week suddenly had the game in his hands.

Just to make this challenging, both of his starting tackles were out, neither of his starting receivers were healthy and neither of the quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart were around to offer advice when the defense was on the field.

“It was a different feeling,” Thompson said.

Know what else is different? Preseason. Thompson, remember, threw for 450 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in those pretend games as a seventh-round pick out of Kansas State. By August’s end, if you were clamoring for him to not be the No. 3 quarterback — if you thought his name deserved to be higher in the pecking order — you weren’t alone. Then the Jets came along, sacking him twice, intercepting him once and forcing him to fumble once.

“It’s a lot different than the preseason,” Thompson said. “Defenses are more complex. There’s a lot more going on. The offensive playbook is expanded further.”

On the plus side, he completed 19-of-33 passes for 166 yards.

“What was encouraging for me is reflecting back on the game, there were moments where it was slowing down for me and I was trusting what I was seeing, making a good throw, making some plays for us,” Thompson said.

Mike McDaniel offers perspective to Thompson

McDaniel helped keep things in perspective. He told Thompson to think about the 10 plays he wasn’t happy with, then find a common denominator. Think about things like footwork, going through progressions, timing.

“You got, basically, your first start out of the way,” McDaniel said. “This week you have a great opportunity to hone in on the details of all the things you'll be asked to do on Sunday. And so move forward with that and gain confidence with that.”

Next came the words of a quarterback whisperer.

“If you’re going into a game — especially as a rookie, completely blind without reps — if that’s the worst you’re going to do, we’re all right,” McDaniel said.

He concluded with this: “Be excited and just go after it because everybody believes in you."

Guard Rob Hunt does.

“You know, he’s 25,” Hunt said. “He’s mature and a leader. I mean, he’s been put in this position and we all know what comes with this position: leadership. So he’s been doing a really good job of that.”

Waddle: “He’s confident in his ability to throw the ball, his preparation throughout the week, believing what he sees when the defense shows up.”

Thompson said the receiving corps as a whole rallied around him.

“They’re excited for me and I think that that gives me confidence,” he said. “And you know I'm looking forward to having a week to prepare with those guys and build that timing and trust. That's going to be big time for me, having a week of prep with those guys.”

Having a week knowing the game is in your hands.

As opposed to a second.

Sunday's game

Vikings at Dolphins

1 p.m., Fox

Hal Habib covers the Dolphins for The Post. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami QB Skylar Thompson savors moment, preps for start vs. Vikings