For the Miami Dolphins, they haven't had much success at quarterback since Dan Marino retired following their 1999 season. The closest they have had was Jay Fiedler for a four year span from 2000 to 2003, in an era before the Cheatriots became a brute force. Even with drafting Ryan Tannehill in 2012, they didn't get to the playoffs with him until last year despite him missing the last few games of the season and postseason.
Issues have come again for Tannehill as he may need season ending surgery on his left knee, which buckled during a practice in training camp. Interests have been in finding someone to be backing up or starting. The Dolphins still have Matt Moore, but there has also been interest in Colin Kaepernick and Jay Cutler. The former still hasn't been signed by anybody and the latter was set on joining Fox for broadcasting.
Starting with Cutler, he's far from the worst quarterback in the league, but he is one that is never consistent. He is a guy that has a few games where he throws 250 yards and a few touchdowns. Then there is a different version of him that either gets picked off two to four times in a game or his accuracy is below 50 percent. He would have definitely struggled at times against these AFC East defenses like he did in the NFC North. He also would have had guys similar to what he had in Chicago except at tight end, so he could benefited a little bit to play devil's advocate.
Getting into Kaepernick, he is still a lightning rod of controversy following his antics last year taking a knee during the National Anthem. Most teams decided not to sign him and questions are if the Baltimore Ravens would get him or if the Dolphins would even want him. Some players like Malcolm Jenkins and Richard Sherman have spoken in support of Kaepernick, but I don't think they get the clear picture of the situation. NBA owner Mark Cuban believes he would fit in with the basketball crowd with his protests. I don't think he's far from the truth of saying that despite being a loudmouth, but protesting someone getting killed, even if they were a criminal, is a lot different than kneeling during a National Anthem. It's not the same, and fans would get pissed, regardless of sport.
The last thing regarding politics is Kaepernick being a Fidel Castro supporter. That is something you don't want to hear, especially in the Miami area. All these years, people have escaped from Cuba. There would be a lot of people and immigrants that will not be pleased if he goes to the Dolphins. He better have a home somewhere else, because he will face a lot of hate for what he did last year and what he said.
Teams aren't sure what kind of guy Kaepernick could be. Could he tone down, or will he continue his political stuff? That's what most wonder about. The last thing they want to see is something going on behind the scenes or in the locker room that disrupts a team or season. That's what is going on with Baltimore with the owner having his concerns about it. I also do think it has to do with the results of the last few years. His stats are not mediocre, but they are not translating into wins. He benefited a little bit with the offense that Chip Kelly had, but the 49ers went 2 and 14. Could a team change their gameplan to fit Kaepernick? I'm not sure if Miami changes it. Adam Gase helped the team go 10 and 6. The run game was big. Their defense played a little better, but could improve a lot more.
I don't think Miami has much choice. It's not like any of their choices are the best options. Either way, they are going to have to live with that decision for the next six months. Along with the defense, the quarterback they pick is going to make or break their season. They have a long way to go if they want to stop the Cheatriots and the rest of the AFC.
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