Moore Gives Fins Plenty Of QB Insurance
MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – When Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne went down with a season-ending injury; many fans immediately jumped on the "Suck for Luck" bandwagon to secure Andrew Luck in the 2012 NFL Draft.
But a funny thing happened along the way to the 2012 Draft. The Dolphins inserted Matt Moore into the starting quarterback job and he reeled off a 6-6 record in the final 12 games of the season.
Moore was especially effective in the months of November and December. Moore compiled a 6-3 record with the Fins to end the regular season in 2011.
The question facing the Dolphins now is will the team continue to ride Moore heading into the 2012 season, or will it mortgage the franchise for a chance at selecting Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. The answer is likely somewhere in the middle.
The Dolphins have to hire a new head coach. The head coach will then make his feelings known as to whether he wants a veteran or a rookie to build around for the coming seasons.
Moore will likely be the starter heading into the 2012 season simply because he's a proven veteran and can play the caretaker role for the Dolphins to bridge the gap as a rookie quarterback learns the ins and outs of being in the NFL.
The Fins also have to decide if RGIII is worth giving up multiple number one picks to acquire.
Given the bounty of picks given to Cincinnati for Carson Palmer, the price the St. Louis Rams will charge to get into the number two spot will likely be in the neighborhood of at least two number 1 picks, if not more.
Griffin has everything a team could ask for in a rookie. He stands 6'2" and weighs 220 pounds and can fly when he needs to break out of the pocket. But, in the past two years, he's also made large strides in becoming a true passer.
In 2011 alone, Griffin completed 72 percent of his passes for 4293 yards, 37 touchdowns, and just 6 interceptions, while also running for 699 yards. He also won the 2011 Heisman Trophy for his dynamic year at quarterback for the Baylor Bears.
Griffin improved his completion percentage every season he played at Baylor and never threw more than eight interceptions in a season. He's also likely to ace all interviews and is said to be a humble player and very coachable.
The new head coach will have to study Griffin hard, because every team in the NFL that needs a quarterback, outside of the Indianapolis Colts, will be coming after Griffin early and often if his knee passes all medical tests.
