Figuring out career curve of young QBs isn't as easy as it used to be

The article from SI above may be the single most intelligent thing I've read on what it's like to come into the league as a young QB these days. This is a serious cautionary tale for Dolphins fans. When we inevitably draft a QB, we NEED to temper our expectations and have some patience with the kid, whoever he is.

Harbaugh will begin exploring his coaching options now with Stanford's season complete and the process is not expected to take long. The University of Michigan, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos are among the teams that want him, but the Dolphins are quietly evaluating him as well, according to sources.

Harbaugh fits that description and, unlike some other big-name candidates, would not need to bring his own personnel people with him. Harbaugh has some ties to Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland and likely would be more willing to work with him than he would be some of the less-established entities in the front office in Denver and San Francisco.

Link via NFL.com

 If this is true, it tells me that Ross wants Harbaugh. If the vibes he gets from him are good, then he'll cut Sparano loose. Seems unfair to Tony, since he's still under contract (it's kind of like dating a girl while you're in a relationship to see if your new girl is better than the old). Either way, this can't bode well for him.

Just got back from the game. It was great to see a game in Miami. My first time seeing a home game live (I've seen 4 in other cities!). It's too bad it had to be a heartbreaker like this. I'm wiped, but I have some thoughts first:

1) I've been reluctant to get on Henning before tonight. But the Wildcat really killed us tonight. There's no denying it. It got to the point where the fans in our section would boo every time we saw Henne coming off of the field. Let's face it - the man was on fire for most of the night and we took the game out of his hands at the worst possible times. The play calling in other areas was spotty as well, but this was the standout to me. I wasn't on the bandwagon 

2) It's tough to win any game when you go down 14-0. Playing catch-up for most of the game always makes me uncomfortable, and tonight is a perfect example as to why.

3) The defense regressed tonight. That 67-yard bomb where Jason Allen got toasted was eerily similar to the Swiss cheese secondary we saw last year. And Sanchez had all day and night to throw back there.

4) My biggest positive takeaway: The Henne-Marshall connection looked like everything we hoped it would be coming in to this year. Henne was a baller in general tonight, and was a major reason for why were were in the game to begin with. Any doubts I had about him have been again erased. I see big game coming for him against New England on Monday.

5) Monday night is as close to a must-win game as it's possible to have this early in the season. We simply cannot move to 2-2, third place in the East, with losses to both of our key rivals. That said, I'm pretty confident about next week. I really don't think the Pats are a very good team this year and I think that'll show more and more down the stretch.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/09/19/five-quick-slants-from-early-games/

His  number 1 takeaway from the early game was the dominance of our D (totally justified, in my opinion).

1. Miami's defense has been reborn.  The decision to jettison Joey Porter andJason Taylor looks great.  Cameron Wake has been flying off the edge, cornerback Vontae Davis looks like a Pro Bowler at cornerback, and Karlos Dansby has been a huge difference maker at linebacker.

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan may have been the biggest offseason acquisition.  Miami won in Minnesota despite two back-breaking fumbles by Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown.  It shouldn't have been as close as the 14-10 score suggested.

Later in the article, we come up again when he discusses the Vikings (and whether they should be pushing the panic button yet).

Incidentally, Vikings fans should step off the ledge. Adrian Peterson looked strong, and Favre wasn't that far off despite his three picks.  They lost to two quality teams. 

It feels good to be getting some credit. Let's prove him right again next week!

Jeff_Darlington  I just received a text from a source about Richie Incognito: "A deal has been reached!" the text reads.

Jeff_Darlington The Dolphins have agreed to terms with Incognito, according to two sources, and they are currently finalizing the contract.

Jeff_Darlington The deal, according to a source, is a one-year contract worth "a bit over $1 million." Incognito must prove himself b4 getting longer deal.

Via Twitter.

I personally like the move. A 1 year, $1m dollar contract represents little-to-no risk to me, and apparently the guy has some untapped talent. Thoughts?

ESPN.com link here

It looks like Groh won't be our defensive coordinator. For those who are hoping for Butler and the blitz schemes that come along with him, this has to be good news. Personally, I like the idea of adding some youth to the staff. And there's no better place to take it from than Pittsburgh. This could also be more consistent with the aggressive defensive scheme Sparano is looking to install, according to Armando this morning.

UPDATE: So much for that idea. Via Adam Schefter's Twitter:

1. And so, without Al Groh or Keith Butler, Miami's search for a new defensive coordinator goes on.
2. ESPN's Heather Dinich reporting Al Groh will be defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech; also, Dolphins not expected to hire Keith Butler.
3. 
   

via photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net

"In keeping up with the festive atmosphere and enthusiasm associated with a prime time football game at Land Shark Stadium, Miami will wear orange jerseys for only the third time in team history. The Dolphins have worn the jerseys in two other prime time contests, defeating the Washington Redskins 24-23 (11/23/03) in a Sunday night contest and notching a 29-28 victory against the New England Patriots (12/20/04) on Monday Night Football." - Via Facebook

Let's make it 3-0!