How Long Is This Going to Go On?

Folks, the situation in Miami is getting out of control. The Dolphins have a stout defense, a stud running back, plenty of weapons in the passing game, and are lead by a talented head coach in Nick Saban. Yet all of that is being completely and utterly wasted thanks to the horrendous play of starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

A quick glance at the numbers tells you that things aren't going well. Culpepper's quarterback rating is a poor 73.1, he has 1 touchdown against three picks, and he's taken a whopping 19 sacks. The crazy thing is that he's been even worse than his numbers suggest. At present, they don't have stats for "balls thrown into the bleachers" and "one-hopping receivers." He is at his worst in the red zone and on third down. He makes awful decisions. And on and on.

The question is how long Miami is going to wait to do something about this. While backup Joey Harrington isn't exactly a world-class quarterback, he is at least a close approximation to guys like Gus Ferrotte and A.J. Feely - two sad sacks that had a modicum of success in this Miami offense. Harrington is the type of guy that will make a couple of horrible mistakes each game, but generally get the ball into the hands of the playmakers. So what is Miami waiting for?

The 'Fins are currently locked in a 3-3 tie with Houston, who is arguably the worst team in the league. Last week they barely beat the Titans (who, along with the Raiders, is one of the other teams in that "worst in the league" conversation) at home. They've scored a grand total of 22 points in the last 10 quarters of football - eight of which came at home and all of them played against the Bills, Titans, and Texans. Sorry to say, but that is an indictment.

I suppose some of the blame falls on Mike Mularkey for trying to make his dump-and-dink offense work with a quarterback that has no hope of running it, but most of the blame lies with Culpepper. He is no longer mobile, he's not accurate, and he makes poor decisions. His mere presence on the field is negating the value of Ronnie Brown, because all the sacks are taking the 'Fins out of running situations. Something needs to change and it needs to change fast.