NFL Rumors: Dolphins Desperately Need to Sign Matt Flynn in Order to Save Face

Having traded wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears and seemingly lost out on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, the Miami Dolphins have had a rough offseason thus far. The only way to save it is by signing Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Flynn.

According to Izzy Gould and Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel, Flynn is scheduled to meet with the Dolphins this weekend after visiting the Seattle Seahawks. The Dolphins had been all in when it came to wooing former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, but he appears to have narrowed his choices to the Denver Broncos or the Tennessee Titans.

The Dolphins began last season with Chad Henne as their starting quarterback, but he suffered a season-ending injury early in the year. Matt Moore took over under center, and while he was often solid, he was unspectacular at best. There is no question that Miami needs an answer at quarterback in order to keep up with its AFC East counterparts.

Regardless of what happens during the offseason, the New England Patriots are still going to be good next year. Also, the New York Jets figure to bounce back from their disappointing 2011 season, while the Buffalo Bills signed Mario Williams to bolster their defense, so Miami needs something to stop the bleeding.

There were high hopes entering the offseason as the Dolphins looked like they could be players for both Manning and Williams, but things clearly haven't gone according to plan. Flynn is obviously no Manning in terms of pedigree, but in the few chances he has gotten to prove himself, he has shined in a big way.

As Aaron Rodgers backup with the Packers, Flynn has just two career starts. The first game was in 2010 as he threw for over 250 yards and three touchdowns in a narrow loss to the New England Patriots. The other start was a historic one as he set a Packers passing record with 480 yards and six touchdowns in a win over the Detroit Lions in Week 17 of this past season.

Say what you will about Flynn being a product of the system or the players around him, but it takes some degree of talent to put together a performance like that. Because of that, it makes perfect sense for the Dolphins to make a run at him.

Perhaps the most sensible reason for Miami to sign Flynn is the fact that new head coach Joe Philbin was the Packers' offensive coordinator from 2007 through last season. He had a hand in Flynn's dominant game against the Lions and he has the benefit of having worked with him for a long time. That means the transition process would be much easier for Flynn.

There is no guarantee that signing Flynn will work out, as plenty of quarterbacks have turned out to be flash in the pan after a couple strong outings. The Dolphins have largely been downtrodden since Dan Marino retired, so taking a risk on a promising signal caller like Flynn should be a no-brainer.

The fans can't be happy with the way things have gone thus far as the Dolphins have actually gotten worse following the trade of Marshall. If Miami wants to save the offseason and have a chance at competing during the season, then signing Flynn is a must.