David Garrard to Dolphins: Signing Caps Miami's Pitiful Pursuit of a QB

The Miami Dolphins' shameless, endless and now seemingly fruitless pursuit of a starting quarterback has apparently ended, as Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union reports that the Dolphins have agreed to terms with free agent quarterback David Garrard.

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David Garrard is a Miami Dolphin.

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The Miami Herald confirmed the signing, although Herald scribe Armando Salguero points out that Garrard's visit to Miami was not accompanied by nearly the fanfare of the Dolphins' pursuit of free agents Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn, who spurned the Dolphins for the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, and Alex Smith of San Francisco, who is reportedly much more interested in returning to the Bay Area.

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The Dolphins did not announce any of these moves. In truth, the Dolphins declined to confirm the fact Garrard visited Monday because he is a street free agent and the club does not announce visit from street free agents -- players that hit the open market because they were cut by other teams.

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Garrard is a 10-year veteran who played his entire career with the Jacksonville Jaguars before being released last year, but the journeyman missed the entire 2011 season with a back injury, and to say that there's a drop-off from Manning to Garrard is a bit like calling the Grand Canyon a ditch.

After repeatedly swinging and missing badly in free agency this season, the Dolphins front office has come under fire in some circles. Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark added fuel to that fire Friday evening, agreeing with a disgruntled fan's assessment of the Dolphins:

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No one! To believe I almost went there but it was easy decision not to. GM RT @captmrose: No kidding!NOONE wants to go to the Dolphins!

It's my honest opinion. Not a good guy making decisions RT @DiegoVill: @bentley645 @captmrose But that's a low blow to the #Dolphins man.

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If the Dolphins fail to make any more moves at the quarterback position, a Matt Moore/David Garrard platoon isn't going to do anything to erase this perception. Another disappointing season in South Beach could mean the hot seat or worse for the general manager (Jeff Ireland) who once asked wide receiver Dez Bryant a rather strange question in a pre-draft interview.