Dolphins vs Jets: Is Debut of Miami QB Matt Moore Bad News for Brandon Marshall?

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall is one of the best in the league, but even the greats cannot overcome poor play from the rest of his offense in the way a running back can.

He's struggling with bad pass protection, and at first, shaky quarterback play from Chad Henne. Now that Henne is out for the season with Matt Moore starting instead, Marshall has even more strikes against his chances for success.

So far this season, Marshall has 22 receptions for 313 yards and a touchdown, which has him on pace for fewer catches than his career-high 104 but for an equivalent amount of yards to his best year in the league, 2007, when he had 1,325.

But it's the lack of touchdowns that's so glaring; typically at the quarter-pole of the season, Marshall should have at least three scores, but he only has one. Because he is so glaringly the primary target of any Dolphins quarterback right now, it's easy for opposing defenses to know who to double-cover.

Add into this Miami's struggles to even get into the red zone this season, and it's pretty clear as to why Marshall's scoring total is being held down.

And it's not going to get any better for Marshall tonight against the New York Jets. It's a foregone conclusion that he will be relegated to Revis Island, and in the occasion he can get open, it's going to be hard for Moore to get him the deep ball.

Moore, to his credit, is in a familiar situation. With the Carolina Panthers, he never completed a full 16-game season; instead, he's served as a backup first to Jake Delhomme and then to Jimmy Clausen, relieving both of them when they've slumped (and vice-versa).

But this familiarity is the only upside to the Dolphins' current situation. The Panthers won just two games last season, with Moore responsible for only one of them, in Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals.

In six starts in 2010, Moore threw five touchdowns and a whopping 10 interceptions, and no Panthers receiver distinguished himself as a major threat as a result. With Moore running the Dolphins offense beginning tonight, Marshall should steel himself for a disappointing remainder of the season, much like Moore's receivers in Carolina unfortunately had to in 2010.

The only hope for Marshall and Moore is that the veteran receiver's presence makes Moore a better player, thus saving not just Miami's season but what remains of Marshall's career. But that connection is likely not forged solidly enough for the tandem to produce significant results against the Jets tonight.