"I’ve told Tony that, to me, I want an aggressive, creative offense, not playing just to keep it close, where people really are a little more unpredictable. So, I think I look for a different brand, seeing the Dolphins how fans want to see it, and how we win, going downfield, in the days of Dan Marino, the days we all want to go back to."
That is easier said than done, Mr. Ross.
Sure, we would all like an offense like that, but you have to have a quarterback who is capable of running it first. The majority of us agree that Chad Henne is not that quarterback. I know there are a few Henne believers out there, and I am sorry to tell you, but he just isn't the guy for the Dolphins. I would be shocked if he ever played another down in Miami as the starter. He may be a backup, but not the full-time starter.
What I am saying, though, is that if Stephen Ross wants to have an offense like that, then he needs to find a good-enough quarterback for that offense, and thankfully, there are going to be a lot of good quarterbacks available this offseason.
If Ross wants to look into either free agents or players that will be available to trade for, then he will have players like Kyle Orton, Kevin Kolb, and Vince Young available.
I would prefer Orton over the other two, because he puts up great numbers without a lot of interceptions. The Broncos benched him after two bad games, but before those games he was putting up great numbers almost every week.
I wouldn't mind Miami getting either Kolb or Young, though. Kolb might not be my first choice, but the Eagles still trusted him enough to get rid of Donovan McNabb, so he can't be that bad.
Young is somewhat of a wild-card. He could turn out to be Michael Vick-esque, or he could just do the same thing he did in Tennessee: nothing special. I could actually see Vince Young playing for Miami, though, and I wouldn't be surprised if Stephen Ross pursues him.
There is also the NFL Draft, and I am not sure whether Ross is willing to trade up to get a better draft pick or not. If he doesn't trade, some candidates that might be available are Ryan Mallet of Arkansas and Jake Locker of Washington. Mallett could possibly go before Miami has a chance to get him, but there is still a good chance the Dolphins will have a shot at drafting him.
Mallett is my favorite quarterback in the draft or free agency. He stands tall at 6-6, and he has the fire and intensity that you need to see in a quarterback. He also has an insane ability to fit a ball into tight coverage perfectly where only the receiver can get it.
A kid like Mallett has off-the-charts potential because of his fire and drive, and that is the type of player I want playing for the Miami Dolphins. He has been known to choke in late-game situation, which is why he isn't the top quarterback, but if you can get him with NFL coaches that teach him how to keep his composure, then he should be able to get over his late-game problems.
I don't know too much about Jake Locker yet. All I know is that he is a great athlete with a really good skill set who suffers from poor decision making. He is also extremely tough and a great leader. Just last year he was considered one of the best QB prospects in the draft, but has fallen this year after returning to college as a senior and having a bad year. I think the Dolphins could take a risk on Locker and see it pay off, but they better be ready to teach him a lot to improve his decision making.
Those are some of the main candidates for the quarterback job now, and please, to anybody who still thinks that Henne is the man, just give up on him already. He isn't accurate enough and doesn't make good enough decisions to be an NFL quarterback. It took me a while to realize, but I finally did after the Cleveland game. Now it's your turn.
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think about these prospects and other potential ones the Miami Dolphins might be able to get.
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