I'm sorry, I just think we made a mistake in bringing in Joey and DC. Yes, DC might regain a little mobility but all too often he drops the ball as soon as anyone taps him.
Maybe the problem wasn't simply Daunte's reduced mobility alone. That's a convenient position because it allows Saban and staff off the hook by placing the blame on the medical doctors who allegedly panned Brees and touted Culpepper. As I've said on other threads, here are some of the other factors at work:
(1) Minnesota's offensive line gave Daunte more time than ours did this season, even before you factor in the additional time his pre-injury wheels could buy him -- there's no way he would have replicated his best numbers behind the blocking we were giving at the beginning of the season, before the OL started to click and play at least average ball;
(2) Our receivers are not speedsters, and didn't give him the kind of separation he was used to in Minnesota, where there was more team speed and the majority of his games were played on turf (which tends to favor receivers and provide for more separation than grass if the QB has enough protection for plays to develop);
(3) Daunte was clearly playing as if it was 2004 and he was in Minnesota -- by that I mean he was acting like he had forever to get rid of the ball and looking for the big play, when he really needed to take the quick routes that were there for him and be more patient for the deep strike. Part of this is just a natural adjustment to DC's internal QB clock that will take time (and good quarterback coaching), but a huge part of it is playcalling -- Mularkey is known for long-developing plays, and we could all watch and count as Daunte went through "check down" progressions while the pocket collapsed around him.
Let's say we fix all of these things -- we improve the OL in the offseason, which must be a priority no matter who is QB; we add a speedster at WR and design plays to create more separation for Daunte, including creative sets and formations (like what Linehan did with Chambers in '05) to get WRs open in space; we allow Daunte a full offseason to acclimate to the offense and develop a quicker release (last year he was trying to rehab and learn the playbook and get comfortable with the offense all at once); we design quick strike plays aimed at getting the ball out of DC's hands as soon as possible, but allowing for "check up" (instead of "check down") progressions so he can go for the big play if it is there. Meanwhile, we continue to develop the running game (who knows, maybe Ricky can be almost as effective in spelling Ronnie as he was in '05 if we're lucky -- even if not, Sammy has shown that he can be a big play 3rd down and relief back). With better blocking and Ronnie's maturation process, we can improve the ground attack. This will develop a legitimate play action threat, which will buy Daunte just as much time as his legs ever did.
In other words, even if the Dolphins never get "the old Daunte", our coaches can't use this as an excuse or crutch. They need to scheme around Daunte's strengths and weaknesses, and the personnel we have, to get as much as possible out of him. Convert his scrambling instinct into a great pocket presence and quicker release.
I seem to remember a big, strong-armed passer with a quick release and great pocket presence who utterly lacked mobility but did a pretty good job around these parts for a very long time -- if DC's knee is never 100%, why not show him a lot of Marino game film and help him transition his game, instead of using his knee as a crutch for bad coaching? How about we establish the run to set up the play-action pass instead of trying to pawn off multiple end-arounds and halfback option passes on crucial 2 point conversions as "innovative playcalling?" That crap hasn't consistently worked for Mularkey since he had multiple "slash" players with the skillsets to pull it off in Pittsburgh. Even then the Steelers were not known for a high-scoring offense but instead for Cowher's hard-nosed insistence on imposing his will with the run (which then set-up Mularkey's schoolyard hijinks).
I guess I'm saying use our high-round picks on the best available players (which won't be a QB this year in any round, certainly not where we are drafting) -- if the best available player isn't a position that can help us, like an anchor at left tackle, a shutdown corner, or a powerful youthful presence in the middle of the aging defensive line, then trade down and get value. Then, once we've mined all the help we can get at our need positions, let Mueller go after a QB in the late rounds who may or may not develop down the road. There isn't one QB in the draft who any of us can say with confidence is a sure-fire better bet than a healthy Daunte (even if he must trade in some mobility for improved pocket presence and quicker release, No. 8's arm is undeniable and his successes at the pro-level well documented). In Ocho, we have a still-young guy who is a few years removed from a historic Pro-Bowl season in which he broke Marino's record for QB yards from scrimmage -- I'm not ready to consign him to the scrap-heap and put our hopes on a prospect yet, especially in a year that appears to be a pretty weak QB crop.
