Out of the box? What are the Fins thinking/QB backups... (TL;DR) | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Out of the box? What are the Fins thinking/QB backups... (TL;DR)

NBP81

NBP81

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  • Rosen released
  • Fitzpatrick doesnt have much left
  • Ruddock on practice squad
  • Perry drafted as slot WR(some QB experience)
  • Bowden aquired as WR(some QB experience)
The conventional way of managing the backup position is having a backup to run your offense in the event that your starter goes down, preferably a young guy with upside as those are usually cheap and... have tangible upside.

There are a couple of things you could expect from you backup QB though, here are some of them:
  • Close a game in which you are winning.
  • Steal a game in which you are losing.
  • Steal a couple of games or even finish the season in case the starter goes on IR.
Right now, it seems most NFL teams assign the same guy for all of those needs. Is there a different way? I think we can all agree that it's hard as **** to win in this league without a top 15 QB, and that on average, backups will be part of the top 25-60 QB's in the NFL. So what the NFL as a whole is trying to do right now when their starter goes down is trying to win games with the approximate same system with a much lesser QB.

What if instead, teams just completely switched gears when the starter goes down and went with a completly different offense with a QB with completly different skillsets? And what if those QBs actually could hold a role(WRs, RBs...Whatever) in the main offense when the starter is healthy?

Moore/Fitpatrick in this case would be conventional backups while Perry/Bowden would be your unconventional backups for discussion sake.

Close a game in which you are winning.

Depending on the actual lead, most teams will look to skew the run/pass ratio towards running as you're looking to limit mistakes from a guy just off the bench who's likely not as good as the QB who got you up on the scoreboard. In this case you're not asking the conventional guy to create anything. Just dont **** it up while handing the ball off and make the easy throws.

Steal a game in which you are losing

It gets interesting. When you are losing, it pretty much means your starter wasnt getting it done to begin with, most of the time, you're going to ask a worst player to do a better job in the same system. Now guys who like to gamble have an edge here, Fitzpatrick and Moore are the perfect example, they're always looking for a spark and it really doesnt matter as you are already losing, whats the worst that could happen right? On the other hand, most NFL backups dont have that mentality, they're trying to be Brady and they're horrible at it...

Steal a couple of games or even finish the season in case the starter goes on IR.

You mostly cant count on your traditional backups to get you all the way, yes Nick Foles, I know... It happens but I raise you Matt Moore in Pitts.... Most of the time, and its quite understandable, teams will ask worse QBs to do the same job as the starter, he fails miserably and thats that...

What if when the starter goes down you go completely off script running some kind of exoctic college offense you have players already on team to run? Whats the worst than could go wrong, comparively to a conventional backup? Im sure there are some flaws in this thinking, in fact Im positive there are... But there's a chunk of positives in going that way, especially when your starter is on his rookie contract. here are some of them off the top of my head:
  • Main backup QBs have an acual role in the normal offense.
  • Less money/assets invested in marginal QBs who wont get you anywhere anyway.
  • Opposing teams having to continuously spend practice time preparing for something thats unlikely to occur.
  • If it all goes to shits, better draft pick.
Now this is not a prediction, but I find it interesting that Rosen has been released and 2 playmakers who have QB experience were brought in while Ruddock sits on the practice squad. Im trying to get a read on what they're doing and this is what I came up with... I dont think its that far fetched TBH... Flame away... :lol:
 
Or if both starters go down, many will raid PS or bring a guy out of retirement.

In which case, it won't matter if its a collegiate wishbone QB or a WC QB taking snaps. Neither are week to week solutions or winners.

This thread has to be a troll move?! Gotta be. April fools missed and came back?!
 
Miami is one of 15 teams that have opted to go with 2 qbs on the 53 man roster instead of 3. I believe there's three factors at play in this thinking. One issue is if you need a third qb now you have a pool of third string qbs that might normally be imployeed and you can just sign one as needed. It's rare that you lose both your starter and backup qb in the same game. The second issue is this is an indirect way of quarantining a qb from the rest of the team. And third there's a new rule in the NFL that teams can have two players on their practice squad eligible to be active on Sunday. So of the 48 players that are active you can fill two of those spots with a practice squad players if you want.
 
DolfanDuBbZ~ said:
Or if both starters go down, many will raid PS or bring a guy out of retirement.

In which case, it won't matter if its a collegiate wishbone QB or a WC QB taking snaps. Neither are week to week solutions or winners.

This thread has to be a troll move?! Gotta be. April fools missed and came back?!
Click to expand...
This is not a troll job, its actually a strategical idea about backup QBs and how teams should/could go about it...
 
Let's just remember that this depth chart is A) fluid, and B) very situational. We will be using a lot of packages and the fact that we listed the offensive base as including a fullback and blocking TE, and the defensive back not even having a nickel back clearly suggests that these formations--even if they never changed--would be used less than half the time. The various packages will have other starters, and many of the backups are starters in those packages, e.g. Breida, Gesicki, Iggy, etc. Plus there are plenty of rotational spots like pass rusher (Van Ginkel), receiver (Grant, Ford). And as the year progresses, the injuries pile up, and the young players earn their stripes, guys like Brandon Jones may move up the depth chart.

Everyone expecting Robert Hunt to start was being unrealistic. Davis is our best OT, so naturally he would start at OT. Austin Jackson is our most athletically talented OT and our best rookie, so even though he is also not ready, he is getting the first chance to prove himself at the other OT. Having Ereck Flowers--a former LT in the NFL--playing next to him can do nothing but help Jackson's transition. Solomon Kindley is our most NFL-ready rookie OL, so putting him in a phone booth between veterans Karras and Davis should help him succeed. Make no mistake about it, our OL is young and patchwork ... but this is probably the best lineup we could muster with the players we have. I imagine that Michael Deiter is being groomed for all 3 interior spots with LG and OC being where they have him targeted. Robert Hunt is probably being groomed for RT and RG, with the hope that he can get some meaningful game time at RT before the season ends so they have some good film on him to help him improve.

I was also unsurprised to see Adam Shaheen listed as the 3rd TE. The guy flashed in the short time he has been here, and has the highest potential both as a blocker and a receiver of the other guys competing for spots behind Gesicki and Smythe. But make no mistake about it ... Durham Smythe is the guru of that young TE room, and his knowledge and wisdom are valued by the staff.
 
NBP81 said:
This is not a troll job, its actually a strategical idea about backup QBs and how teams should/could go about it...
Click to expand...

Don't see it. But hey, if QB1 goes down and then QB2 follows. We will have all offseason to discuss such a thing while we pick in the TOP 10.
 
DolfanDuBbZ~ said:
Don't see it. But hey, if QB1 goes down and then QB2 follows. We will have all offseason to discuss such a thing while we pick in the TOP 10.
Click to expand...
Im not even talking about QB2 also going down... Im talking about when QB1 goes down, you just completely switch gears to a different offense instead of having a bad QB trying to run your normal offense....
 
In theory, and under a normal preseason, I love the idea of a totally different look. The wildcat as an example of something that was so unusual at the time that it gave Miami a competitive advantage. Until teams figured it out.
 
Hopefully the return of the wildcat..
 
NBP81 said:
Im not even talking about QB2 also going down... Im talking about when QB1 goes down, you just completely switch gears to a different offense instead of having a bad QB trying to run your normal offense....
Click to expand...

Interesting topic to debate -- and I'm sure the move with players who have multiple capabilities
like Perry + Bowden will continue -- especially if Chan is able to design some cool stuff that fools
or confuses the D.

BUT -- where I think your premise might have a "kink" is... "completely switch gears!"

Sounds like a lot of time in practice/prep to be ready to execute a "different offense."
 
Tua is the guy but they should identify someone they like and try to develop him alongside Tua.

The Saints and Eagles are doing that with Hill and Sudfeld. I would be shocked if Hill is the heir apparent to Brees though.
 
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