The absence of a good QB option hurts on field, off

Jimmy Johnson wanted to get back into coaching in 1996 and he wanted to do it in Florida so he looked around the landscape of possible jobs and weighed the Tampa Bay Bucs and Miami Dolphins. In Tampa, he had more cap room, a budding great defense with youngsters Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch, and the promise of a new stadium.

In Miami, Johnson saw Dan Marino.

Johnson picked the Dolphins. And he did it primarily because he believed Marino could get him to the Super Bowl quicker than anyone on the Tampa roster playing quarterback at the time could. Johnson figured he could build a team around the quarterback easier than find the quarterback to build the team around.

Yes, he was wrong because Marino would soon begin his decline.

But a team's quarterback situation was important for more than one reason all the way back then -- even before the NFL became a lubricated lightning strike league where teams can score four touchdowns in four minutes of playoff action as New Orleans and San Francisco did last weekend.

Fast forward to 2011. The Dolphins lost out on hiring Jeff FIsher a few days ago. And on Monday there was this in Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback column in Sports Illustrated quoting Fisher:

"From day one, when I began this process after the season, I felt Miami and St. Louis were my best options. I did my research. I looked at every team that had an opening. I looked at the personnel on each team, I looked at the owners, I looked at the cap situations, and I narrowed it to two. Not Marvin. Me. Marvin didn't push me. I am convinced he was completely objective.''

Fisher went on to say at the start of the process he was interested in a team that had a good owner and good quarterback, and he felt St. Louis had the best combination of both.

I'm not going to replay the Fisher fiasco. That's done.

But the lesson from that missed opportunity is that aside from hurting the team on the field, aside from keeping the team perpetually playing a secondary role to NFL teams that do have quarterbacks, the Dolphins decade-long inability to land even a good quarterback has come to roost off the field as well.

We've seen glimpses of how the QB situation has driven the direction of the franchise before.

Nick Saban quit after 2006 when he realized he made a terrible mistake in his chase of a quarterback and that mistake was probably irreparable, thus killing his chances to win soon, thus making life in the NFL miserable.

The 2004 Dolphins were terrible because Ricky Williams quit days before the season, that is true. But if they had a great quarterback instead of the terrible Jay Fielder-A.J. Feeley competition that was never settled, they might have overcome the disaster of that season.

The one season the Dolphins did kinda sorta solve their QB woes -- 2008 -- also gave the team its most successful season in years. Chad Pennington was great and the club won the AFC East.

Knowing this history, knowing how the quarterback situation has repurcussions on and off the field, how can anyone rightly say that the status quo is good enough?

It is not.

 

Comments

[C63-AMG]

Big Baby...who cares it will never stop. The ireland will be bashed until he's gone.

[GAfin]

The negativity in these articles is lame. using phrases such as the "jeff fisher fiasco" isn't even representative of what took place. The elite QB rant is getting old. True elite QBs come along once every 2-3 years in the entire league. Aside from the Niners reaching the playoffs with Alex Smith, the Ravens are also there w Flacco who had a worse year than Moore. We do need to fix the oline. Columbo cost us the Bronco game and gave up key sacks in other losses as well. Would love to see us pick up TE Orson Charles from UGA in the 3rd round. If we dont go oline w first pick then a shut down corner would be ideal unless we can find an impact pass rusher. If we draft a lineman such as Reiff, it's possible he could play left tackle and move Long to right tackle if injuries continue to slow him down.

[LoseIreland]

I would go after blackmon, a second good receiver. Then when Marshall is shut down, we will beat them with second receiver. This will also open up the running game. Matt Moore threw some wicked passes this year down field. He's ready for the next step if he's given the chance.

[ESPNsucks]

I think FS is more of a concern than CB.

[Big Baby]

I might be new here but there are enough clowns in here to fill a circus tent.

The owner is on a learning curve and trying to win. Just new at it. He's not selling anyime soon. Get over it.

Ireland has made some good moves. Parcells did too. We have a very good defense right now.

This team is not far away. Now go get Peyton!

[RoeBlount]

Having a franchise QB hides your deficiencies look at what Peyton Manning and Tom Brady and Rodgers have done. Pats and the pack have horrid defenses and they're franchise QB' make up for that. The Colts are garbage without Peyton, they're o-line is poo and they're defense is straight garbage, with him they go to the superbowl. Matt Moore and Flynn aren't those QB's

[Big Baby]

If Blackmon falls to our spot you have to take him.

Best player available.

I don't think he falls to us.

[I Have Seen The Future]

China is your master. Obey their commands.

[greg]

why is everybody freaking out about getting a qb this year. how much better could matt moore have played. the guy went deep, he took chances, he got the ball to marshall. what more do you want from him. if there isnt a good prospect out there when we draft, then go with moore. i like matty. Hes a leader and a gamer. go get em matty! oh by the way, half the people on here are idiots. if you dont know football then dont write on here. we must have the most unintelligent fan base on the fing planet

[Big Baby]

Agree greg Moore was very good.

If he improves into next season this could be a playoff team. He must reduce his turnovers though.

I don't see any better option on the horizon but maybe Moore is our diamond in the rough.

[Texas_Dolfan]

Andy,

I like your draft strategies number 1 and 2 but not a fan of 3 or 4.

In option number 3 I don't see Floyd going that high. I know you said he's a reach but he's a way late 1st to early 2nd round pick. I agree he's got talent but WR's unless elite seem to slide.

In option 4 kuechly is rated fairly high at the moment but I'd bet by draft time he'll slip to late first early 2nd round as well. He's a small and slow ILB yet very productive at the college level. He kind of reminds me of the Rams Laurinaitis from OSU. He went in the early 2nd round.

In the first draft strategy why not see what it would take to get Luck. How for would you go. 4 1st rounders, maybe 5? What is the going rate for Luck and could it be done?

In option 2 I can see us going Reiff, Martin or DeCastro if we don't trade back or up. I like option 2 if we can't trade up for RGIII or Luck. So if we take OL first pick I would then like to see us trade into late first or as high as needed to get Foles or Tannehill. I think his option is the most likely.

Brock Osweiler might be a consideration in the 2nd as well. I am reading good things so far. I have not seen much of his play except highlights. He's tall with a strong arm and can make all the throws. I am not sure about much else.

To me in this draft getting the right QB at the right pick is priority #1 for me.

[GlennRices'12incher]

the daaaafins will get much worse b4 they get better.

[AndyNJ]

Texas_Dolfan

Thanks for the input.

1.As far as going all in for Luck I would love to considerate but I don't think there is anyway or anyhow the Colts even entertain trade offers. Manning is too much of a question. Even if he returns he has at best 2 maybe 3 season in him to lock up a QB as highly rated as Andrew Luck for a small market team right after having Peyton Manning is a God send! No way you can risk Indianapolis and that brand new stadium being empty because you decided to be loyal or build around an old beat up Peyton Manning.

2. I know guys hate it but having bookend tackls especially when any other position is a huge risk and reach is not a good strategy to me. Miami needs a permanant RT not a stop gap or costly FA (Grove, Smiley) who doesn't pan out because of age or injury.

3. Yeah I know Floyd is a huge reach. I was just looking at NFL.com mock draft and he went 18, 19 and 27 so that's a huge reach at 8 or 9 but that is the back up of all back up plans. If Floyd runs a 4.5 or less 40 I think he shoots way up and it wouldn't be such a reach especially with his ability but I see where you are coming from.

4. Kuechly isn't too small they list him at 6'3 237 so give or a take a few 1/8s of an inch he is rock solid in his ability. He isn't Patrick Willis fast but he is plenty athletic and fast for the position. I see the comparison you made in Lauranitis although I think he is much better but I do see the comparison.

Good insight!

As far as Brock Osweiler I watch a ton of college football but I know nothing about him. I saw a few highlights but never saw a game start to finish to make any judgement on him.

[beerphin]

Kirk Cousins, Brandon Weeden, Chandler Harnish

[Spiderman]

Why would you guys want to take Blackmon, isnt he the same type of player B Marsh is? A physical guy who can get you between 10 and 20 yards but not a 60 plus yard TD speed guy.

Sign Deshawn Jackson
Sign Jermichael Finley
Find some way to move up and take RG3 maybe trade away next years #1.
Trade/cut Hartline and Fansano for draft picks

If Ross claims he has all this money and money isnt an issue I dont see why the scenario cant play out...

[Mark in Toronto]

Very good defense. There's another misnomer. The defense buckled down in the red zone and was good against the run. Fine.

However, it was poor against the pass, very poor.

Its a middle of the road unit. A very expensive one at that.

[2 watt]

0-7. 6-10.?. wtf.lol yeah. just 16 more players away. lmao!

[ALoco]

DO YO GUYS HAVE JOBS ? HOW CAN YOU PROVIDE FOR YOUR OWN AND BE ON THIS BLOG 24/7 ?

NAMES COME TO MIND ;;

ODIN
DC
YG/DB
NHFINFAN

[Texas_Dolfan]

Andy, I agree, if Indy does trade out of that 1st pick it would be heavy one-sided in their favor I am sure. As a GM I would call to see an asking price tho.

I do see Miami going option 2 tho. I would also like to see them go after Carl Nicks too. Who knows, if we get Carmichael as our new HC Nicks could follow.

[ALoco]

ADD ,MARK IN TORONTO TO THAT LIST .....

MARK,

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR LIVING ?

[Mark in Toronto]

I also agree on one thing mentioned here. Tight end is the position to be addressed in free agency and not the draft. John Carlson, jermichael Finley, and Greg Olsen all available in free agency.

[ESPNsucks]

I do not watch enough college football to make an accurate assessment on the players coming out. All I could feasably do is take what different media outlets say about each player and I do not trust these outlets enough to voice an opinion on who I think we should take where. That being said, based on performance I witnessed on the field and player contracts I think our needs are as follows. Whether they be addressed through draft or free agency.
In no particualr order
QB, OT, FS, TE, Dline, WR, LB

[Mark in Toronto]

ALoco, I'm a gigolo. I work nights and weekends which is why I'm only here on your business hours.

[Texas_Dolfan]

Here are the QB's playing in the SR. Bowl.

Foles, Nick
Lindley, Ryan
Moore, Kellen
Tannehill, Ryan
Weeden, Brandon
Wilson, Russell

[Big Baby]

Miami defense gave up 19.6 yards per game placing them at 6th in the league overall.

That puts them in the very good category.

[42LyleBlackwood]

Well thats a first.Someone thinking Marc Colombo is worth keeping.(DC Dolfan @9-57).Too many beers last night I reckon for that comment to be real.Hope he has sobered up by now.
Get the best player available on the OL with the first pick and if that is RT then so be it.

[Big Baby]

19.6 points per game.

[newmiamidolfan]

Maybe Washington go for Flynn and then that leaves RG111 for Miami,presumimg Cleveland stay with McCoy that is.

[AndyNJ]

Spiderman,

Sounds easy! The Eagles won't just let DeSean Jackson walk and sign where he chooses. They will either franchise him and look for a trade or transition tag him. Same for Finley.

But the interesting thing is that if Green Bay doesn't work a contract out with Finley they certainly will tage him. You can't afford to lose that caliber of player and that means Matt Flynn will become a FA.

As far as Blackmon he and Marshall are similar in tough and physical but Blackmon is much faster. He couldn't blow by anyone wil over the top help and double teams every game so he ran more slants and crossing patterns but make no mistake much faster then B Marshall

[Big Baby]

McCoy is clearly not the answer for Cleveland.

They will not pass on RG3 if he is there.

Hope they do though hee hee.

[clock ticking]

Why all the hating on Armando's "negative articles." Do you guys want him to lie to us and say everything is peachy? Because that's what the Dolphins owner does...how's that working out for him??

Keep up the good work A.S.!

[Fred Flintstone's Panties]

I saw a giggling pyramid in my sleep.

[Mark in Toronto]

Miami was 15th yards allowed per game and twenty fifth in pass yards allowed per game.

Not very good.

[greg z.]

armando's job as a columnist is to hold the regime accountable and get some answers for us. this is necessary because we have an owner and GM who arent credible and they dont believe we have a right to know anything. our GM hasnt come out of his rabbit hole to address the fans(who pay the freight) in over a year.

[ALoco]

MARK,

ANOTHER ONE IS GREG Z,HE ALWAYS HERE ,HE MUST BE A GIGOLO .......

UNLESS HE LIVES IN A STUDIO LIKE YG .

[Big Baby]

I think Week 1 skewed the stats a bit Mark LOL

[Spiderman]

Andy, Only if the NFL got rid of that dreadful "franchise tag".

[Spiderman]

And wasnt Marshall a 4.4 guy when he ran in the combine. He cant be that much slower than Blackmon

[Reverend William Norquist]

Aloco--I will always remember our wedding night and waking up in your nude embrace.

[greg z.]

RG3 is not even close to cam newton. to trade up would be foolish. we have alot of holes on the team due to poor drafts with ireland. sean smith was rated as a near bottom cb who always ends up chasing. we desperately need a solid CB,a FS,TE and OT. flynn is a FA possibility or we can draft a QB as a back-up to moore. mike nolan would be my pick for coach as he assembled many of the 49ers you are watching; he drafted gore,vernon davis and patrick willis i believe.

[Clue]

greg z, Sean Smith is a decent corner I dont remmeber him getting burned too often. Nicks did him in though. A FS would be nice

[TN HILLBILLY]

A bunch of IDIOTS, ROSSY, IRELAND, FO. Should have kept Spazzo and lost the finaL 3 games. Could have had a shot at a QB and a GOOD COACH.IDIOTS,IDIOTS,IDIOTS!!!

[Randy griffith]

Mr Ross don't know a soccer from a football if Jeff Ireland doesn't stop whacking off and get a Qb he will dig his own grave as well so dolphins Arron the clock

[Yesterday's Gone]

Dolphins Have 2 Choices And They Must Be Made This Offseason:

A.

Trade the house for RGIII

B.

Focus on adding great pieces offensively and defensively around Matt Moore.

Selection A., because of the abundance of draft picks given to obtain RGIII is both a rebuilding mode move and a huge cap freedom move.

Selection B., stick with Moore, bring in competition(or draft a 2nd rd qb), and surround him with as much premium talent as our cap limits will allow.

The Problem is I dont have confidence Ireland is fully capable of pulling off either selection A. or selection B.

[MARCHANT !!!!!]

PAY THE PRICE
KINGS RANSOM
THIS YR 1ST , 2ND , 5TH PICKS
NEXT YR 2ND MIGHT DO IT
RG3

[SEARCH THIS!!!]

Miami's defense was pretty good when they played lousy teams. How'd they fare against good competition?

The lesson here is: Stats lie.

[Yesterday's Gone]

Spiderman,

Actually Blackmon isnt any faster than Marshall at all. Like Marshall, Blackmon's an extremely physical wr. He has better hands too.

Speed alone doesnt make a great NFL wr. Jerry Rice was a 4.6 forty wr. What's far greater than speed in the NFL for a great wr, is his ability to "SELL" his routes.

Jerry Rice was the greatest wr in NFL history at "selling his routes". A defender was once quoted as saying about Rice, "Every single time he leaves the line of scrimmage it looks like the exact same route until he gets by you".

Justin Blackmon does an incredible job of selling his routes too. Over 1,500yds and 18 td's last season sells this fact.

[AndyNJ]

Spiderman,

Yeah the franchise tag is a bad thing. Supposedly you can't franchise a player and trade them but the NFL's favorite team (because Kraft brings in a ton of NFL revenue with Patriots mall and brand) were able to do it. I don't think the new CBA corrected it either.

But as far as Marshall and Blackmon. I think Blackmon is much more fluid and faster in and out of breaks which makes a big difference in game speed. Maybe running a 40 they are close but Marshall isn't the best route runner because he can't break down a route and stop and go. From what I have seen Blackmon does it with ease.

[wolfman13]

From what I've been reading and hearing, most are talking about the Redskins moving up from #6 to #2 to take RG III, with the compensation being to swap the 1st pick, give up this years 2nd, give up next years 1st and next years 3rd. That's not definitive of course, but that's what many of these analysts are saying.

For Miami to move up from 8 or 9, I would assume they would have to make that 3rd round pick next year a 2nd rounder....or at minimum, a conditional 2nd rounder.

That's quite a bit to give up, and I'm not sure how great I feel about not having anything but 3rd round + draft picks for two years running....but on the otherhand, they've tried everything else.

[SEARCH THIS!!!]

Miami can either pay the price to get a QB or continue to linger in mediocrity without one. In the process, never land the top QB prospects.

Then you can all bicker about which Guard or Tackle to take in the draft. Maybe even have a great discussion on which "Chad Henne" 2nd round acorn may work out.

In todays NFL, No QB = almost no Chance.

[Big Baby]

Miami lost by three points to NYG.

Second game against NE lost by 4.

Small sample size yes but this defense really came together towards the end of the year.

Too little too late yes but let's hope we can build on it.

[Big Baby]

I think it was 3 to NE also.

[TGH]

Was Ireland fired yet?

[AndyNJ]

Yesterday's Gone,

Exactly my point with Blackmon too. He is able to make cuts at the same speed or stop and go to sell the route while keep his movement and speed. Marshall is sort of a plodder. He is plenty fast for his size but selling routes is average. He uses his size and strength to get open more then route saviness.

[Big Baby]

If Washington moves up to take RG3, Peyton Manning may very well fall into our lap.

I would be ok with that.

[Yesterday's Gone]

Dolphins cant keep letting future great wr's slip past them when drafting top 10. We've done this in the past drafting need over BPA. It hasnt served us very well yet.

Use history as your learning lesson Miami. If you dont have the balls to grab RGIII, get Blackmon. He has early pro bowler written all over him.

In about 3 season wr will be a need. Marshall's entering his "EIGHTH SEASON". For once think ahead of the game, not behind it.

[#1 Dolphin Fan in Montreal]

2 free agents should be on the Dolphins'radar. Carl Nicks and DeSean Jackson. It looks like Andy Reid will be back in Phily so it makes it highly unlikely DeSean Jackson will be brought back. Jackson is more of the type of receiver we lack than Blackmon. We need speed, we need to stretch opposing defenses. Jackson and Bush would REALLY open things up for Marshall, Bess and Fasano. Hard to say who to pick in round 1, free agency hasn't even started yet. A pass rusher or a playmaking free safety would make sense to me...

[Darryl Dunphy]

..I see Brock Osweiler is getting some play here today.. First off he does have the Ryan Mallet size and arm strength. Problem is he has the Ryan Mallet pocket awarness, and lack of mobility.. Probably not as good of deep thrower as Mallet, and not as accurate. Which is a problem. He is in essance a 7th round version of Ryan Mallet..

This said..he could be a developmental player. He should be a developmental player. Seriuosly he is the closest player to Mallet in this draft..Except without the baggage. If you were a Mallet guy..here is your poor mans version. Imo Brock should have stayed in School..He would have been a mid to early rounder next year..This year..No way.

He is also from Montana.I have seen him play in High School.. He went to the same school as Lex Hilliard. So I have seen him, and in this tiny populated state. Everything the sporting hero does is magnified because there just aren't many..Heck Osewieler has a thread on the Griz blog just because the fans are still pissed he didn't go to Montana.So I know a little about him.

[Yesterday's Gone]

@ 12:45 I meant to say Miami cant afford to continue allow future great player slip past them by "reaching for need" instead of BPA.

[TGH]

P Manning may never play again...