Miami Dolphins: Why They Need To Pull The Plug On The Pat White Experiment

Danny Dolphin

Sep 2, 2010

It always becomes a numbers game. Only 53 players can be on an NFL roster. Most teams only keep three quarterbacks, and if that’s the case in Miami, Pat White will be the odd man out.

White as an NFL quarterback was always an experiment. As a second-round pick out of West Virginia, the sub six-foot passer was supposed to create another wrinkle in the Dolphins’ Wildcat formation. That moment never came to pass.

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He’s just not an NFL quarterback right now.

Sure he has some nice tools. His mobility is his biggest strength. He transformed his body in the offseason and put on close to twenty pounds.

However, he is still lacking in several critical areas. First, he’s tiny at barely 5’11″ while playing a position mostly made up of players around the 6’3″, 6’4″ mark. Second, he lacks arm strength and accuracy. To finish it off, he often doesn’t get rid of the ball on time.

So, essentially, he’s a guy with quick feet playing quarterback.

Even Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown is a better passer at this point. Last year White was 0-for-5 on the year while Brown was 2-for-6 with a touchdown.

He actually looked decent in the preseason game against Atlanta last week, completing all four of his passes, but his window to impress is nearly sealed shut.

I’m not saying he can’t ever become a valuable player in the NFL, but it won’t be in Miami. He has a lot of work to do to become a legitimate passer in this league. If not at quarterback, he has the athleticism to switch to receiver, and I’m sure plenty of teams would give him a shot next summer.

It’s tough to cut a second-round pick after just one year, but at this point, they need to move on. Even if they did keep him, would he even see the field this year? If that answer is no, then the decision is simple.

White is the biggest blemish on the superb overall resume of “The Big Tuna” Bill Parcells.