In the weeks leading up to free agency and the draft, I thought I would highlight two or three quarterbacks per week that could potentially fill the Dolphins’ void at the game’s most crucial position this offseason. While finding a franchise quarterback has to be priority number one for Jeff Ireland and company, these guys are attainable for a reason.
Sure, there’s potential there in many of these cases, but none of these quarterbacks that are scheduled to hit the open market, expected to last halfway through the first round of the draft, or that have underwhelmed enough for their current team to mull over trade talks, come without plenty of risks and cons.
Look no further than Michael Vick, though, to find a player that many teams passed on, including the Dolphins, but now is fresh off an MVP caliber season with the Eagles. And sense we are on the topic of Vick, we might as well kickoff this series with a guy, in Vince Young, who currently has the same sort of character concerns Vick had, but also possesses the elite athletic ability that could entice a team like the Dolphins to roll the dice.
Status: Impending free agent
Age: 27
Career Stats: 57.9 comp. %, 8,098 yards, 42 TD’s 42 INT’s, 1,380 rushing yards, 5.2 ypc, 12 TD’s
Pros: Vince Young would instantly give a stagnant Dolphins offense big play capability. His scrambling ability is second only to the one and only Michael Vick. He isn’t going to put up the dazzling rushing stats Vick does, but he’s going to keep plays alive and keep defenses on their toes, as they are forced to respect both his arm and his legs.
That extra element Young brings to the table could be just the spark the Dolphins’ offense so desperately needs. Young also possesses some effortless arm strength on deep balls and is fresh off of his best statistical passing season to date. Young only saw eight starts in 2010, but finished the year with a 98.6 quarterback rating and a 10 to 3 touchdown to interception ratio. On top of that, Young has earned the reputation as a winner with a 30-17 career record as a starter.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Young wouldn’t be a considerable risk for the Dolphins, as opposed to some of the other options out there. They wouldn’t have to concede anything in a trade or invest their first round pick for Young’s services. On the surface, Vince Young appears to be a low risk, high reward option for the Dolphins.
Cons: Unfortunately, all that potential listed above has been negated by what’s between Young’s ears. Whether it was how poorly he handled being booed by the home town fans in 2008, the little scuffle he had in a strip club last offseason, or his most recent dispute with Jeff Fisher in 2010, Young has always struggled to carry himself like a professional in Tennessee.
So while the Dolphins wouldn’t be giving up a whole lot by signing him as a free agent, there would always be the risk of Young losing his head and tearing apart a locker room. Not the type of stability you expect out of the guy who’s supposed to be a leader. Young has also been inconsistent with his accuracy and decision making, which has prevented him from ever emerging from the middle of the pack of NFL quarterbacks. Worse yet, Young has developed a substantial history of injuries. He’s never played a full sixteen game season and hasn’t surpassed ten starts since 2007.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KVcOzpAYbMw
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