If the Miami Dolphins play their cards right, a solution to their long-running quarterback problem might just fall into their laps.
Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor was declared eligible Thursday for Monday's NFL supplemental draft. Pryor gave up his final season with the Buckeyes following an NCAA investigation into the football team's memorabilia-for-cash scandal.
This is not quite the scale of Chad Pennington falling from the sky before Miami's 2008 AFC East championship season, but if the Dolphins select Pryor in the supplemental draft, they could finally acquire the franchise quarterback they have been seeking since Dan Marino retired over a decade ago.
That's not to say he will be the second coming of Marino, but don't you think a team still clinging to the Wildcat would love to have a quarterback who can run and throw?
Miami was too trigger-shy to draft Matt Ryan in 2008 or Ryan Mallett in the 2011 NFL Draft. Now they can afford to be bold here and select Pryor on Monday. Indeed, if the teams selecting before them pass on Pryor, the Dolphins would be foolish not to at least give him a try.
The NFL ruled that Pryor must sit out the first five games with his new team after he signs a contract, ostensibly to make up for the fact that he "made decisions that undermine the integrity of the eligibility rules for the NFL draft," as the league put it in a statement to its teams.
Pryor and several teammates were suspended for the first five games of this season for receiving improper benefits from a Columbus tattoo-parlor owner. The quarterback subsequently left school, hoping he'd be eligible for the supplemental draft.
Regardless, that should not be an issue for whoever drafts Pryor. Since he would be entering training camp so late in the preseason anyway, it is unlikely that he would get enough practice reps and playbook study in to be ready to play until halfway through the season anyway.
But the Dolphins could let Pryor take the year to learn the offense and get up to speed, preparing him for a 2012 debut in the starting lineup. And who knows, maybe acquiring a quarterback who could actually take his job (as opposed to Matt Moore and Pat Devlin) might light a fire under Chad Henne.
Based on their efforts to acquire Kyle Orton from the Broncos last month, it is clear the Dolphins front office does not believe Henne is going to cut it in the long run. So why not take a chance on Pryor?
As with every other college quarterback, there is no guarantee Pryor will pan out in the NFL, but his skills are undeniable. In his junior season at Ohio State, he threw for 2,772 yards and 27 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He also ran for 754 yards and four scores while helping the Buckeyes to a 31-26 victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl.
Not that he doesn't have any red flags. The "Tattoo-gate" scandal left Ohio State with a huge black eye, but as we all know now, it could have been way worse.
"God bless and thanks for support!" Pryor wrote on his Twitter page. "Time to have a little fun!!"
The Dolphins should do whatever they can to ensure that fun occurs with Pryor in aqua and white.
