The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

Last year, Saban rallied for Ricky Williams to return to the team. The result? One bad ass running game.

With the QB position, the only way you can swap QBs back and forth is if you have specific plays designed around the backup QB. Harrington wants to play.

My theory is that Saban will have a SHITLOAD of plays for Harrington so that he can alternate QBs. No team will know what is coming at them. Ever.

Thoughts?

That won't work.  The QB position is a lot more complicated than RB and it takes time during the game for a QB to find his rhythm.  A lot of college coaches go with the 2 QB system (see Steve Spurrier), and many times, it is not successful

I can't even remember the last time a pro team alternated quarterbacks, so... no way, not a chance.

The Dolphins of the early 80's did just that.  David Woodley was the starter, but he was inconsistent, so Don Strock would relieve him.  It happened so often that it became a two QB system known as Woodstrock. 

When they got shut down in the '82 Super Bowl, Shula broke it up.  Sent Woodley packing, made Strock strictly a backup QB, and drafted Dan the Man.

That was the dumbest thing I ever heard. Notjing personal.

Also, the last time this happened in the NFL, that I remember, was the Broncos in the early 90s. If I am not mistaken. I believe it was T. Maddox and Sean Jones(QB from Virginia)?  Anybody remember this?

the idea of switching quarterbacks..that is what I meant.

I surely am old enough to remember Woodstrock all too well..

There is a saying that is popular in the NFL..... "If you have two starting QBs, you don't have any."

This could work...but Joey Harrington is a bum, so it won't work.

I dont think he will switch them to often but I could see him pull culpepper early in games that the fins have a big lead. im not even talking mopup time I could see joey coming in the 3rd with a 20 point lead...Thoughts?

i don't know... seems to me if your gonna switch quarterbacks on plays, one's a running threat and one's a pocket passer.

Both these guys are pretty much pocket passers. What would the advantage be?

Elway played until '98 so you have to be mistaken.

From your lips to God's ears.

I think this is just Saban being savvy. Saban knows teams get desperate for quarterbacks.  He has a former #3 overall pick wanting to come here and rehabilitate his career.  Let's suppose Culpepper misses the first 2 or three games of the season.  Let us further suppose that Harrington has some really nice games while starting those games and while playing mop up duty (with the Dolphins on the winning or losing side).  Harrington's stock goes up, the Dolphins trade him awa after the season to some QB hungry team that picks too late to acquire a top QB.  

Let's say the Phins get Harrington for a sixth rounder, and trade him away for a fourth.  Or a third.  Saban's just doing what real estate professionals do.  Buy a beat up house cheap, fix it up a bit and make it look pretty, sell it at a huge profit.  If this doesn't work, well, the Phins lose out on a sixth rounder.  If it does work, they turn a sixth rounder into a third rounder.

Don't you people remember?

We've been there and done that.  Ray Lucas and Jay Fielder switched alot during Ray's early days, which is why everyone wanted to see him start.

That worked out really well.

::)

Wrong.  Daunte is a running threat.

Maybe he was BEFORE his knee was turned into beef lo mein.

He'll recover from that knee injury.  Willis McGahee is proof that those types of knee injuries aren't what they used to be. 

I think it was more of a roast port chow mein...  mmm - chinese food...

Two tottally Different people,two tottally different situations...

Willis Mcgahee is now 3 years out from the injury.....Willis didn't play that first Season....

I wouldn't say they switched a lot. The guy had a total of 3 passes and 8 running attempts in his first season. People wanted him to start because he had an excellent preseason his second year with the team and actually outplayed Fiedler during that time.

Culpepper is no longer a running quarterback, except for quarterback sneaks near the goal line.

Even before his knee injury, his rushing yards were way down.

Word.  The kind of QB that he'll have to be to succeed here will be different than he's been before.  That's part of the risk.   He's going to have to make up for his legs by cutting down on his INT and fumble numbers and playing smarter.

Actually, you have that a little out of text. It is true the Dolphins used 2 Qb's in the 1982 SB season, nicknamed "Woodstrock".  At the start of the '83 season, Don Shula said he had to start David Woodley because he just helped lead us to the Super Bowl. His play was inconsistent and the Dolphins stood at 3-2 after 5 games. Shula started Marino in the 6th game & he went 7-2 as a starter. The Dolphins stood at 10-4 after 14 games. Marino hurt his knee @ Houston and Don Strock started the last 2 games of the season, winning both. The Dolphins went 12-4 on the season winning the division in effect using 3 different Qb's!!! Woodley, Strock, & Marino were for that 1 season all on the same team together.
Woodley was later sent to Pittsburgh where he & Marino faced off in 1984 @ Pittsburgh, with the Dolphins winning that game & Marino probably thinking..... I took your job!!! The way you have it stated is that Woodley never was a part of the '83 team, & they drafted Marino straight in as starter, with Strock as his backup & that's not correct. The above scenario is relatively correct. I don't remember exactly when Woodley was dumped, but, you have to figure he was there at least half of the '83 season because he did start 5 full games & that's almost half the season.

Year   Player   Cmp/Att   comp %   -   Yds   yd/c   -   TDs   TD %   -   Ints   Int %   -   Rating
1980   David Woodley   176/327   53.8%   -   1850   10.5   -   14   4.28%   -   17   5.20%   -   63.1
1980   Bob Griese......   61/100   61.0%   -   790   13.0   -   6   6.00%   -   4   4.00%   -   89.2
1980   Don Strock......   30/62   48.4%   -   313   10.4   -   1   1.61%   -   5   8.06%   -   35.2

1981   David Woodley   191/366   52.2%   -   2470   12.9   -   12   3.28%   -   13   3.55%   -   69.8
1981   Don Strock......   79/130   60.8%   -   901   11.4   -   6   4.62%   -   7   5.38%   -   74.6

1982   David Woodley   98/179   54.7%   -   1080   11.0   -   5   2.79%   -   8   4.47%   -   63.5
1982   Don Strock......   30   -   55   54.5%   -   306   10.2   -   2   3.64%   -   5   9.09%   -   45.0

1983   Dan Marino......   173/296   58.4%   -   2210   12.8   -   20   6.76%   -   6   2.03%   -   96.0
1983   Don Strock......   34/52   65.4%   -   403   11.9   -   4   7.69%   -   1   1.92%   -   106.5
1983   David Woodley   43/89   48.3%   -   528   12.3   -   3   3.37%   -   4   4.49%   -   59.6

You're right.  I mistakenly left out the fact that Woodley was a starter for the first five games of 1983.  I should say '83 was his "phasing out".