If you look back to a post I had in March before the NFL Draft, I did suggest that picking Pat White would be in the best interests for the Miami Dolphins. I mentioned the "Wildcat" formation as the main reason why he would be a perfect fit in aqua and orange. Of course, I don't have any connections to Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland or Tony Sparano but they still thought along the same lines that I did and selected White.
Anybody that has seen him in the first few practices might be in a rush to panic because honestly, he hasn't looked overly impressive. However, you all need to calm down and there are reasons why:
-Despite the fact that he is being hailed as the messiah of the "WildPat" formation, people also have to keep in mind that a second round pick was spent on him. That also means second round money is being spent on him. Don't forget that the Dolphins have spent three second round picks in the last three years on quarterbacks. John Beck is reunited with Cam Cameron in Baltimore, and Chad Henne is the backup in Miami and is waiting to have the reigns handed to him.
White is the first "Wildcat" quarterback, but also the third-string regular quarterback. That means that a few plays here or there could put him into regular season action. He has to be ready for that, and the Dolphins coaching staff is putting him through situations in training camp that will make him uncomfortable so he can be ready to possibly step up if need be.
-He is coming from a spread offense in West Virginia where he is the NCAA record holder for rushing yards by a quarterback and also only the seventh player in NCAA history to pass and rush for more than 3,000 yards in his career.
At WVU he took all of his snaps from the shotgun, and he now transitions to having to take a majority of the snaps from under center. Some people might take it for granted that a quarterback has to do that but if you have been doing something, anything for four years, doing something you're not used to will take time to get used to. No quarterback has made an easy transition from a spread offense in college to the pros. If you don't believe me, look at Tennessee, where Vince Young is on the bench after being one of the best quarterbacks in NCAA history.
-He's a rookie! Not everyone will be able to experience the success with teams in their first year that Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco had last year. The coaches are tinkering with his throwing motions and getting him adjusted to running a pro-style offense like I mentioned earlier. He will be alright, just give him time to get used to everything. He sounds like a very respectful young man who wants to get better.
Maybe it's just me defending a prediction I made earlier this year, because there were definitely doubters to this pick when it initially happened. He will work out, give him time!
Until next time... Keep reading!
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