Matt Moore Signs Deal With Miami Dolphins
By Brian Miller
According to ESPN and NFL Network the Oregonian newspaper that stated Matt Moore and the Miami Dolphins reached a deal is correct. Matt Moore has agreed to a deal with Miami, likely contingent on passing a physical. Moore can not meet the Dolphins or sign the deal until after 6 tonight. He can not join the team until next Thursday under league rules. So for now, Chad Henne keeps the upper hand.
The deal for Moore puts a 99% death on the Kyle Orton trade with Denver. There is always a chance at everything, but the Orton deal would be a very surprising move at this point. It was the hottest topic for the last three days. Moore was actually signed by Jeff Ireland and company in 2007 while he and Tony Sparano were in Dallas. Once again, familiarity rears it’s head.
So is this a good move for the Dolphins?
Most fans wanted the Miami Dolphins to land a top notch signal caller and Kyle Orton presented the Dolphins with the best statistical option. Orton put up solid numbers with Denver last year and made Brandon Lloyd look like Jerry Rice. The year before that, he connected with Brandon Marshall. For me or anyone to say that Matt Moores’ 13 games of starter experience rivals Ortons’ would be crazy. But Moore does have some intangibles that can’t be summarily cast aside.
Last season he started 5 games and his stats were not good. He was sacked 13 times and completed just over 50 % of his passes. He also threw more INT’s than TD’s. But he also played on a very horrible offense that ran HC John Fox out of town. In fact, it was owner Jerry Richardson who forced the cuts on the team in order to get younger. So there is a bit of an issue with anyone on the Carolina team last year.
This is not to say that Moore is going to ever be anything than a back-up QB in Miami or anywhere else. I’m also not saying that he is better than Kyle Orton. He isn’t. But, Miami was in a stand off with Denver. They wanted a 2nd round pick for Orton…at the very least a 3rd. Orton wanted 6 mill a year and a long term commitment. Something that the Dolphins didn’t view as worth the price.
The reality is that Miami held their own, specifically Jeff Ireland who put the value in his mind of what Orton was worth. It wasn’t 6 mill a year. In the end, if this is in fact the end, Jeff Ireland looked at Orton as competition for Henne but not the answer to his starting QB problems. Not as a sure fire long term answer. At that point, you have to stop rolling the dice. Ireland did just that.
His next option was finding someone who would push Henne and make a viable option as a back-up. He did that with Moore. The truth is we as fans want the name, we want the guy who will be the next Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but you don’t find those through trades and free agency. At least not usually, it’s rare. The Dolphins added competition today, young competition who still has a ceiling to improve to. It may not be the best option or the flashy option, but it’s still not a bad option.
Of course, the one thing we all have to remember is next year, regardless of whether the QB is Orton, Henne, or Moore, the Miami Dolphins need to spend a first round pick on a QB and secure their franchises future. It’s long overdue. Otherwise, we will simply be arguing over second tier over paid free agents again in 2012.