By the end of the 2010 season, many Dolphins fans had grown tired of starting quarterback Chad Henne, once affectionately dubbed "The Robot" by one Dolphins blog.
The Dolphins, too, shared in their frustration with Henne, benching him for backup Chad Pennington in a November game against the Tennessee Titans. Had Pennington not injured himself in the game's first series, Henne may not have returned to the starting lineup after that game.
Fan ire for Henne has grown to the point that many fans are now calling for the Dolphins to select a future franchise quarterback at the the upcoming NFL draft. And according to Tony Pauline of SI.com and DraftInsider.net, the Dolphins may be interested in Auburn's Cam Newton, the reigning Heisman trophy winner who led the Tigers to a BCS championship in 2010.
In a blog post this week, Pauline wrote, "We hear the Miami Dolphins have been inquiring heavily into Newton at this stage of the game."
Newton has not said whether he will participate in this month's NFL Scouting Combine, but instead is holding a media-only workout today in San Diego (NFL scouts are not allowed to attend the workout by rule).
But Pauline also wrote in yesterday's blog post that six different teams he asked last week at the Shrine Bowl, a college all-star game, ranked Newton as the number one prospect in the draft. If enough teams share this assessment, then the Dolphins may have to trade up to a higher draft spot in order to select Newton.
The Dolphins currently have the 15th pick in the draft. They have not traded for a higher draft slot since trading up to the 19th pick in 2004 to select OT Vernon Carey.
Sports
David Hill is a Miami native who used to be able to name every starting quarterback the Dolphins have used since Dan Marino retired. He has since lost count.
