As we are all aware, the Miami Dolphins have had a painfully large amount of quarterbacks since Dan Marino retired. It's the stuff sad legends are made of. However, there have been a few mixed in without all the trash that were solid, but unfortunately get overlooked because of all the pedestrian QBs that surrounded them.
These QBs played for only a few seasons before it was figured out that there talent could only lead the team so far, leading to the franchise looking for another QB who undoubtedly would get replaced shortly after that. A disgusting vicious cycle it was.
Fans seem to think that the search for a franchise QB is over with Tua Tagovailoa set to get be given an amount of money that can by a small country. Hopefully, Tagovailoa will raise his level of play and everything will work out. Typically, it never does, but maybe he has what it takes to break this frustrating and depressing tradition.
With that said, taking a look at Miami QBs from 1996 - I chose 1996 because it's when I started to understsnd the game and inner workings of things - three guys in particular stand out as QBs who no question didn't get the love they deserved while running the offense in South Florida:
3. Jay Fiedler
Want to know the last QB to win a playoff game for the Miami Dolphins? The answer is Jay Fiedler. I know there are a decent amount of fans who have nothing good to say about Fiedler, but I don't understand how anyone back in 2000, right after Marino retired, had super high expectations for him. He didn't have a powerful arm, didn't possess a large frame, and he wasn't wildly elusive, though he could run on occasion.
Fiedler was the first guy to fill the shoes of Marino and honestly, he didn't do too bad. In his first four seasons after being a part of that Jaguars team that beatdown the Dolphins 62-7, which I think is partly the reason why Miami wanted to bring him in, the Dolphins went 10-5, 11-5, 7-3, and 7-4 with Fiedler as the starter.
Yes, the INT numbers aren't good at all, but you can never say that Fiedler didn't do everything he could for the team. He was far from a big guy, but he laid his body on the line when he had to. Watch these highlights of Fiedler in the Dolphins vs. the Raiders. Fiedler wouldn't be denied.
2. Gus Frerotte
I get that we don't want to talk much about the 2005 season. When the head coach says one day how annoyed he is that he keeps getting asked if he's going to coach Alabama because he's not going to do that and the next day he walking off a plane in Alabama, I understand acting like that season never existed.
But objectively speaking, Gus Frerotte was brought in that season to be the quarterback of the Dolphins and he didn't do half bad. He went 9-6 as a starter with an 18 touchdown to 13 INT ratio. In 2005, that's fine.
Again, we're not talking about a supreme athletic machine. We're talking about a guy whose most famous moment is headbutting a wall after scoring a TD for Washinton and giving himself a concussion. But in 2005, Frerotte was given the reigns of the offense and he came in and did well. These highlights will not only possibly make you shed a tear for NFL Primetime, but it shows a wicked good throw from Frerotte to Chris Chambers. The guy could play well when asked to, no doubt.
Honoroable mentions
There are some other QBs that have found their way to Miami who played pretty well and might even be classified as better than some of the guys I have on this list - such as Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick made the best out of a garbage situation when he was asked to QB a team that the front office wanted to tank for Tua. He played well that season and was playing well when out of nowhere after a good game against the 49ers where he threw three TDs, he was benched for Tagovailoa. I'd love to see where that season would have gone if he remained the starter.
Matt Moore is another guy we all have a soft spot for. The gritty, tough as nails gunslinger from Coastal Carolina was brought into a game to save the Dolphins a bunch of times. I have no idea why he didn't have a Ryan Fitzpatrick-type of career where he was backing guys up for over a decade. How can you ever forget the playoff game against the Steelers when Bud Dupree sent Moore into another dimension? It took Moore a few minutes, but he got back up.
And finally, I just want it on the record that I think Tyler Thigpen would have at least been decent. He filled in for Kansas City one year and played very well. I always think that guy could have been something.
1. Chad Pennington
How can you not love and appreciate what Chad Pennington did for the Miami Dolphins back in 2008? He came over from the Jets with a ton of question marks, such as his surgically held together shoulder and concerns that he had nothing left in that arm due to all his surgeries.
That Dolphins team was coming off the 1-15 debacle of a season and there was nearly zero hope that they would be anything more than last in the division. Then due to Tony Sparano's willingness to have an offense led by Pennington and having an open mind that allowed him to roll with the Wildcat package, the Dolphins won the division in dramatic fashion in Week 17.
That game against the Brett Favre Jets in New York with the division on the line is sadly one of my top moments as fan of the Miami Dolphins. That game had everything including a terrific effort from Pennington. I'll never forget the TD pass to Anthony Fasano. I will always contend that was one of the best passes I've ever seen. The brains, touch needed, and Fasano understanding exactly how to adjust to the ball was phenomenal on that play.
Miami won the division and we all know what happened the following week. In classic Miami playoff style, they got their breaks beat off of them. The Ravens laughed at the idea of the Wildcat and that was the game. But for one season, the Miami Dolphins were ultra fun and competitive and it was largely due to the play and leadership of Pennington.