Miami Dolphins News: Who Will Be The Starting Quarterback?

The Miami Dolphins had an extremely disappointing season last year, finishing with a 6-10 record and a last place finish in the AFC East.

The poor year resulted in the firing of head coach Tony Sparano and a decision to re-evaluate their situation at the quarterback position.

Led by Matt Moore, the Dolphins struggled all year and clearly did not have an effective passing game.

On paper the Dolphins seemed to pose a major threat to defensive secondaries with receivers like Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess, but never measured up to expectations.

In his 13 games last season, Moore threw for 2,497 yards and 16 touchdowns, but also threw nine interceptions and fumbled the ball 12 times. While one can blame the offensive line for the fumbles and some of the turnovers, the majority of these cases usually rest on the shoulders of the quarterback.

The Dolphins attempted to address the quarterback position in the offseason to moderate success. They failed to sign Matt Flynn, who impressed as the backup in Green Bay, but packed up former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard.

The biggest move, though, was taking Ryan Tannehill with the eighth overall pick in the NFL Draft. Tannenhill, who played for Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman at Texas A&M, has good mechanics, but struggled at times handling heavy defensive pressure. That pressure will only increase in the NFL, especially in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills welcoming defensive rush specialist Mario Williams to their team.

The rookie's lack of experience should doom him in the three quarterback race to be next year's starter. The most likely scenario will be a battle between Moore and Garrard for the starting position.

Garrard missed the entire 2011-12 season due to a back injury, but could be the main contender if he can regain his 2010 form. In 2010, Garrard threw for 23 touchdowns and had a 90.8 quarterback rating.

It's still very early in the quarterback battle considering training camp hasn't started yet, but Garrard's potential and experience make him the frontrunner to be the Dolphins' starter when they open up the season against the Houston Texans on Sept. 9.