The Miami Dolphins' QB Situation: Matt Moore's Cautionary Tale

Starting quarterback is the number one issue for the Miami Dolphins, and has been for over a decade. It's on every fan's mind, and just about everyone has a thought about who they think should start this season.

A fraction of people believe that Matt Moore, not veteran David Garrard or first-round pick Ryan Tannehill, deserves to be the Week 1 starting quarterback.

Frankly, they have a good point.

Moore took a team that started its season with an abysmal 0-7 start and made it into a formidable opponent. Though their games were mostly meaningless, the Dolphins showed that they belonged on the field with anyone.

So why wouldn't you give this guy the job ahead of a rookie who may not be ready and an aging veteran coming off a year in which he didn't play?

You can ask the Panthers.

In 2009, the Carolina Panthers began their season with a disappointing 4-7 record with Jake Delhomme as their quarterback. When injury forced Delhomme to the sidelines, in came Matt Moore. He led the team to a couple impressive wins and the Panthers finished the season winning four of their final five games.

Sound vaguely familiar?

Moore was given the Week 1 starting job in the following season and the results were not good. The Panthers would finish 2-14 in 2010, with poor quarterback play being the main cause of the team averaging a pathetic 12.2 points per game.

Granted, Moore only started five of those games. But with a five TD to 10 INT ratio and a 55.6 QB rating, it's easy to see that he wasn't helping the cause.

Jimmy Clausen, who plays Ryan Tannehill in this analogy, was thrown into the fire in his rookie year and his career may never recover from his performance that season.

This should serve as a cautionary tale to those who think Matt Moore should be given the starting job in Miami as the incumbent.

Moore’s work this past season after Chad Henne went down was nothing short of incredible, guiding the team to six wins on the year after they dropped their first seven. Miami dominated in wins and all of their losses were played competitively.

But that type of situation is much different than being the No. 1 quarterback to start a season. Moore took a team with demolished expectations and helped them to play as good as they were.

With his mistake-free and cerebral play, the Dolphins were able to succeed by allowing the other parts of the team to be at their best. Reggie Bush figured out his role, Brandon Marshall became the target he was brought in to be and the defense played absolutely lights-out at times.

By managing games and not making the mistakes that would lose the game, Moore allowed the talented players on the team to play their game, leading to a admirable 6-3 record down the stretch.

That’s the best you could ever expect out of a backup quarterback.

The starting quarterback, however, is about much more than that. This player simply can’t just be a non-negative factor on a team. This player must bring out more in the players around him. It’s about creating plays, not just finding the wide open receiver or throwing the ball away when it's necessary. 

While he is a solid leader in the huddle and a capable NFL quarterback, Matt Moore just does not have these characteristics. At least not as much as Garrard, who started for a Jacksonville team for four solid seasons and made a playoff appearance.

He may not have been an All-Pro-caliber player, but he was an effective quarterback on an average team. At age 34 and coming off a year in which he didn't play, he should have enough in the tank to guide this team to some wins while the QB of the future, Tannehill, learns the NFL ropes.

Garrard's talent and experience gives the Dolphins the best chance to win games this year. Moreover, his particular skill set is much better suited for Joe Philbin's west coast offense, whereas Moore is more of a traditional drop-back quarterback.

Miami should do all it can to keep Matt Moore around, because there isn't a better backup in the league. Case in point is this past season. He can be trusted with the team when things go wrong with the starter. But that should be the extent of Matt Moore’s role and nothing else.