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Miami Dolphins First Round Quarterbacks

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by The_Dark_Knight, May 16, 2020.

  1. The_Dark_Knight

    The_Dark_Knight Defender of the Truth

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    In the 54 year history of the Dolphins, Miami has drafted a quarterback in the first round of the draft only 4 times in its history:

    Bob Greise, 4th overall in 1967
    Dan Marino, 27th overall in 1983
    Ryan Tannehill, 8th overall in 2012
    Tua Tagovailoa, 5th overall in 2020

    Bob Griese
    The 1967 season was Miami's second year in the league and Griese was the back-up to John Stofa. All of that changed rather quickly. Stofa broke his ankle in the first quarter or the first game and Griese was catapulted into the starter role. In his debut, Griese went 12/19 for 193 yards, 2 TDs and 2 Ints, leading the Dolphins to a 35-21 win. The Dolphins would only win 3 more games that season and his next 3 seasons under Head Coach George Wilson would be equally disastrous until the Dolphins hired Don Shula from Baltimore in 1970. That's when the Dolphins took off, going 10-4 in Shula's inaugural season.

    Dan Marino
    Marino's 1983 season was a start and pause, start and pause the a rocket launch. The Dolphins had just come off of a Super Bowl appearance with David Woodley as quarterback, so the drafting of Marino puzzled many in the sports world, but this was THE player that Shula wanted. Marino's debut was the Monday night game against the Raiders. Woodley had been playing poorly and Shula replaced Woodley with Marino in the 3rd quarter. Marino went 11/17 for 90 yards and 2 TD's in the 27-14 loss to the Raiders, but Marino's stock was quickly on the rise. Woodley started the following week against the Saints but once again, Shula replaced Woodley and his disastrous outing with Marino, going 12/22 for 150 yards with 1TD and 1 Int in Miami's 17-7 loss to the Saints. Marino got the start the following week against Buffalo going 19/29 for 322 yards, 3TDs and 2 Ints in a close loss to Buffalo, 38-35. Marino's ability to effectively move the offense and score cemented his starting role and Miami would lose only one more regular season game against New England, finishing 12-4. As a starter his rookie season, Marino was 9-2.

    Ryan Tannehill
    The 2012 season was the first for new head coach Joe Philbin. Miami drafted Tannehill to be the heir apparent to then starter Matt Moore, but Tannehill was given the start at the beginning of the season, the first Miami rookie quarterback to start the first game of the season. Against the Texans, Tannehill initially seemed impressive but ultimately spiraled downhill with Tannehill going 20/36 for 219 yards, 3 Ints. Tannehill would bounce back for a rookie quarterback, finishing the season 282/484 for 3294 yards, 12TDs and 13 Ints, leading the Dolphins to a 7-9 record under the rookie quarterback and rookie head coach.

    Tua Tagovailoa
    So what is the history of Tagovaioa to come? Difficult to say. Historically of the 3 previous first round draft picks, it seems the safe bet is to slowly work Tagovailoa into the game as was done with Marino. Griese and Tannehill were both thrusted into the starting job and their inaugural seasons were lackluster. Granted, Griese under Shula and Tannehill under Vrabel thrived and excelled after being forced to endure horrid initial seasons but does thrusting Tagovailoa into the lime light so early the smart long term play?

    Personally, I feel Tagovailoa actually has a great mentor in Fitzpatrick. I've often said before that to be a great coach you have to be a great player. That's rarely been the case. Fitz has been in the league for a number of years....lots of experience and he knows his days are numbered. He's been treated well in Miami and I just can't help but to think he'll be a great mentor to Tagovailoa for the inevitable transition.
     
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  2. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Personally I feel the same way about Fitz and what he accomplished last year with the most depleted roster ive ever seen, so I think he gets the chance to play regardless of the medicals on Tua..

    Being cleared doesn’t mean you can’t get stronger and faster over some time..

    Tuas projection?, superstar status imo..but I’m not in a hurry to see him until Fitz and the team is out of playoff contention..

    Fitz knows this offense very well considering the relationship he’s had with Gailey over the years.

    Fitz isn’t stupid, we know this, he knew when taking this job that he would be a mentor as well with a young Qb..

    Just so happens I think the guys arrow on the field is pointed upwards..I think he’s in the process of taming his weakness to throw into coverage, and has figured out how to cut defenses with his legs as a threat.

    I’m excited on two different levels, to see how far Fitz can take the team with huge upgrades of talent across the board.

    2nd, to know that we are in a position where we can equip our young Qb with knowledge and time to strengthen the injury, so the uber talented Tua can be at his absolute best both physically and mentally.
     
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  3. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    You missed one: Dolphins drafted Rick Norton with pick #2 in round 1 of the 1966 AFL draft.
    https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/N/NortRi00.htm
     
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  4. Dol-Fan Dupree

    Dol-Fan Dupree Tank? Who is Tank? I am Guy Incognito.

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    WOW! 41% completion percentage, 7 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions.

    His name needs to be mentioned more when talking about the biggest draft busts in Dolphin's history.
     
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  5. ExplosionsInDaSky

    ExplosionsInDaSky Well-Known Member

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    I thought David Garrard was supposed to be the starter during Tannehills rookie year? He got hurt didn't he? I know Matt Moore was in the mix too, I can't remember. I do know that Tannehill started and I remember that first game against the Texans.

    I think Tua takes a very similar road, although it wouldn't surprise me at all if he sits his entire rookie season. With that said, I don't expect Fitzpatrick to just suddenly be a consistently good quarterback either. Remember that he was benched for Rosen for what? Four or five games last season? The minute we start losing games (AND WE WILL), people will start calling for Tua Tagovailoa. It's going to happen at some point. I expect Josh Rosen to get another look as well, but I think we all know in our hearts that he wont be finishing his career as a Miami Dolphin.

    I do know that there were a lot of people that just wanted us to keep rolling with Fitzpatrick and not draft a quarterback, and it is just baffling to me how bad short term memory loss has become these days. Fitz is what he is and that isn't going to change. He can't get us to the playoffs, but he can win us a playoff game if that makes sense. He's a valuable player to have on the roster and I expect him to start the season, but the he'll be on a short leash as always and by week five when we are sitting at 1-4, we can all fully expect a change at the position. I just think it will be for Josh Rosen and not Tua. I'm no Nostrodamus but I don't think Tua plays this season at all unless both Fitzpatrick and Rosen get injured. Of course....Jake Rudock is probably still hanging around somewhere.
     
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  6. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    You're right about Garrard. He was supposed to start and ideally Tannehill would sit that first year. Then Garrard got injured.

    But the circumstances around Rosen starting those three games may not be as simple as Fitz was playing poorly. Now Fitz was not playing well at all, but what I heard was that the coaching staff did not want to go to Rosen b/c they didn't believe he was ready, but were forced into it by Ross. Seeing how we all saw Rosen unable to identify the Mike during the game he clearly was not ready.

    I fully expect that, short of injury, Fitz starts the season. He is not now a consistently good QB, but according to PFF he has been a top half QB the last two seasons. All QBs can be inconsistent at times. The elite guys less so. What you see with Fitz the last two seasons is that his inconsistencies are now infrequent enough that he's a top half QB. I'm sure Fitz will have some struggles but I don't think Flores is as likely to be forced into starting Tua too soon. And hopefully, Ross learned that he should listen to Flores when it comes to decisions about who to play. Outside of an injury forcing our hand, I don't expect that Tua is likely to start during the first half of the season. And, like you, I wouldn't be surprised to see him sit all year.
     
  7. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    For me, I could care less about Fitzpatrick's stats or even if we win/lose (obviously I want us to win...). He was brought in because he's the first guy on the field in the morning and one of the last to leave. Last season, he clocked hundreds of hours with receivers while he was "off the clock"....and it wasn't really to benefit him as much as it was to get young players up to speed. Guys like that are ultra rare in any sport and when you combine that with his top 15ish talent, I truly believe that he was the best possible choice to lead the team last season.

    Going into this season, it's still not about the numbers, per se, than the growth we see with the offense and our two young QB's. How players develop in 2020 will hopefully play a part in championships years down the road...long after Fitz is retired. But he's the ideal guy today to set that culture and that work ethic to build around. You couldn't ask for much more.

    My only hope....if this team is SB bound in the next 5 years, I hope Fitz is still around as a coach, consultant, or something so he gets a ring too. He's certainly earned it in the worst possible conditions.
     
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  8. The_Dark_Knight

    The_Dark_Knight Defender of the Truth

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    Yes, I did miss this one...and apparently for good reason too! What an obscure player. I can't find any individual game stats on him, only that he seem to have intermittently split quarterback duties with George Wilson, Jr.
     
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  9. The_Dark_Knight

    The_Dark_Knight Defender of the Truth

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    I disagree on your assertion that Fitzpatrick was "benched" for Rosen. Remember, Miami did trade a draft pick for the previous year's 10th overall draft pick. I personally think Flores was just wanting to see WHAT Rosen could do. If you remember correctly at virtually every presser, Flores spoke HIGHLY of Rosen but wasn't wanting to start him until he thought he was ready. We ALL knew last season was going to be a bust (not intentionally tanking as so many advocated, just a bust) with the gutting of our roster that it wasn't going to matter who was under center; Fitzpatrick, Rosen, Brady or even Marino himself...it was going to be a Greek tragedy, so Flores just wanted to see WHAT Rosen could do under those circumstances.
     
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  10. ExplosionsInDaSky

    ExplosionsInDaSky Well-Known Member

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    I definitely did not watch every game last year or watch every presser. I know that I (like you pointed out with Flores) just wanted to see what Rosen could do under those circumstances (I watched the Dallas game). If "benched" it too harsh of a description, I apologize and claim ignorance to my statement. At that point in time, the season was already a dumpster fire and I had basically given up on following anything the organization was doing. I was basically waiting for the misery to end. I'm not going to get into the whole debate about "if so and so was our QB, they would have handled things better" because that would be pure speculation on my part. Our offensive line was atrocious and quite possibly historically bad so I agree with you, it would not have mattered. I was pissed off about us trading Minkah, and then Drake to follow, and then all of a sudden Fitz was back as our guy and we started competing, we started scaring teams, and then we started winning towards the end. We've seen older quarterbacks resurrected from the depths of well traveled vet backups to short term quality starters in the past. Fitzpatrick has that in him, and I think he's the perfect "bridge" QB until Rosen or Tua is ready. I don't think that Rosen is really in our long term plans at this point, because developmentally he just seems so far behind. It could be attributed to how young he is, but until he can read a defense he's not going to be anything more than a talented arm with untapped potential and a low football IQ. Either way, i'm looking forward to the season, I hope we are pleasantly surprised by one of our quarterbacks and we can win some games.
     
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  11. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I watched every game and Fitzpatrick was literally running for his life those first few games. It was similar to the Fins in 2016 under Tannehill before we put that run together- instant pressure through multiple gaps and generally zero chance of making a first down....much less a TD. The front office/Ross wanted to see what Rosen could do and it was no surprise- he couldn't do much with guys instantly in his face. But to me Rosen looked better than a lot give him credit for and he almost won a few games for us. I say "almost" because he had some deep TD passed dropped by Grant and Williams. I personally think he could still have a future in the NFL. Rosen was pulled because the hits were really starting to add up.

    Around mid-season the offensive line started finding SOME chemistry. Fitz was still running for his life and when the pocket broke down, he'd just turn up-field and take as many yards as his old legs could generate. He was not fast or agile, mind you, but the competitor clearly showed and he was moving the chains. This caused defenses to pause just enough to dial back the pressure a little bit and let our young line figure a few things out. By week 15, our line was playing average NFL football...which in itself is a miracle. Fitz made a lot of that possible though by sacrificing his own body when there was no protection.

    As I said earlier, people can trash Fitzpatrick's arm or talent all they want- but he's one hell of a quarterback and a leader. He literally made last season what it was and I have all the respect in the world for the man. I also think Rosen will surprise some folks moving forward though and he could also develop into one heck of a QB...he has A TON of raw talent despite landing on two lousy teams to start his career. I honestly think the camp battle for QB1 could be fairly heated in 2021 or 2022 and that's an awesome problem to have.

    One last thing; people keep saying to trade Rosen- WHY?!? He's young, talented and costs $2M a year as a backup. There is literally ZERO reason to get rid of a young developing QB just because you have another young, developing QB. That's how it's supposed to work folks, we just never did it the smart way like Indy, Green Bay, NE, etc.
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2020
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  12. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    He had 11 starts:
    https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/N/NortRi00/gamelog/
     
  13. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    Obviously Rosen isnt their plan A.

    That said, if he lights it up miraculously this season, I'd much rather move the unknown in Tua via trade than Rosen.

    A bird in the hand is worth at least two in the Bush after all.
     
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  14. ExplosionsInDaSky

    ExplosionsInDaSky Well-Known Member

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    That's true...I mean San Diego had the same thing happen with Drew Brees. They drafted Rivers, Brees looked like a bust and then all of a sudden the light came on for him.
     
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  15. VManis

    VManis Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I'd also point out that Marino wasn't the player that Shula wanted in he 1983 draft. Mostly because no one expected him to be there when they picked. Reportedly they were targeting Mike Charles, a defensive lineman but when Marino dropped he became the BPA and by such a large margin they couldn't pass him up.
     
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  16. Tin Indian

    Tin Indian Rockin' The Bottom End Club Member

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    Fitzpatrick is not the long term starter, everyone knows it including him. But he will be the starter this season. I have been a proponent of starting Fitz and letting Tua ride the bench his rookie season. Bring him in at the end of games for some mop up duty and gain experience. I have heard many say give the o line time to improve before you start Tua and maybe they will need it, I assume the will start 2 rookies there, but that is no reason to sit Tua.

    I think sitting him like the Chiefs did with Mahomes is the best thing to do for him. Lets face it, we are not going to win the division this year and even with the expanded format it's doubtful we make the playoffs. So what's the rush? He can take over next season with a team that is seriously ready to compete.
     
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  17. The_Dark_Knight

    The_Dark_Knight Defender of the Truth

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    You are correct, the Dolphins NEVER expected Marino to be available but once he was, he ignored everyone around him and picked Marino
    https://www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/news/marino-recalls-first-meeting-with-don-shula
     
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