Huh. This is, well, totally not believable. Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano wants to make it clear that newly acquired quarterback Chad Pennington will not be given the starting gig. You know, because, Josh McCown and John Beck looked so competent in training camp that the team couldn't move to sign Pennington fast enough.
In any event, that's the spin coming out of Dolphins World Headquarters:
While many think Pennington's eight seasons of experience should make him an instant starter, the way the Dolphins' coaches and front office preach competition it's more likely he'll have just as arduous a road to earning the starting spot as Henne, Josh McCown or John Beck.Um, sure. Look, I appreciate trying to keep up the appearance of fairness, competition and all that, but if Pennington's sitting on the bench come Week 1, the Dolphins' quarterback situation is far worse than any of us realized.
"Chad is going to be competing. He knows that," said Sparano, who last week complained about not having enough snaps to get a good look at the team's three quarterbacks.
Sparano added that Pennington "has the most experience in the room and I hope that he's going to be a mentor in that room for some of the younger guys," something Brett Favre, the guy who forced Pennington out in New York, didn't willingly embrace.
Sparano also indicated that the Dolphins could carry four quarterbacks, which seems like overkill until you realize that it could be a necessary evil given the perils of playing behind that offensive line.Whatever, here's to hoping they win the season opener for strictly schadenfreude-tastic reasons.
