New Dolphin - Pat White, QB

(shudder) (twitch) (eek!) ok, so we've drafted Pat White out of West Virginia. It happened, I'm ok with it (not really, but I'm going to have to get used to it).

I suppose it happens every year, a draft pick that makes you go "hmmm..." or more accurately, one that makes you start crying into your hands in front of your friends and family. Imagine what you would do if you were all alone....

Well, for the Tin-man, THIS was that pick. And not because of the reasons you may think. It's not because it take away from Henne's development, or because it implies the Wildcat will be focused on more than hard-nose football that we thought we were working towards. I fully understand the concept of a three-dimensional offense and allowing playmakers to make plays and getting the yards and TDs however you can get them. I understand that. Here's what I don't understand.

Pat White hysteria.

I have watched this guy for his entire career, and not once did I think 'NFL'. He has had some big games and some not so good games versus my USF Bulls in the last 4 years. We beat them twice, and they beat us twice. I have also seen him in Bowl games, as well as the odd random Big East match-up. And my impression has always been the same - "Damn, this kid is tiny and feeble, we /the defense should knock the bejeezus out of him!" He is small, skinny, not particularly 'speedy', has an average arm at best (accurate, but not strong/zippy), and has never looked for contact. He runs out of bounds more than Ted Ginn's entire family. And a lot if not most of his TDs were on blown defensive plays.

'But, Tinshaker, he holds all these records and dominated the Big East!'

True, he does hold a few records, but two of them will be surpassed easily by Matt Grothe this season (Passing TDs and overall yards) and Grothe is a better runner, in my opinion, and looks for contact. And White only passed for 300+ yards ONCE in four years, in his final Bowl game. He only threw for 200+ yards 5 times in the regular season in four years. Is he really an NFL QB?

Or was he a product of the system he played under at WVU. Defenses would have nightmares trying to contain the two headed monster of White and Steve Slaton. When Slaton left, White had to focus more on the passing game, but if you look at his stats over his career, they always dipped considerably against Big East opponents, and were often inflated against lesser opponents.

Anyway, this is not a competition, but an introduction to a player that most people know through the highlight reels. But I've seen alot more than highlight reels over the years.

One thing you get from watching Pat White over the years is that he's not necessarily a 'leader' and he never takes the ball from center (to me this another indicator that he won't be in the running as a proper QB), but he does have a quiet, modest, get-the-job-done demeanor that the Trifecta probably values above all else.

West Virginia fans love this guy like he's the second coming, and the Miami Dolphins just found themselves with a few thousand new hillbilly fans.



And here is why: