NFL rosters are being finalized as teams had to cut down to 53 players this weekend. That means many peoples’ dreams were crushed, feelings hurt, and patience tested over the past few days. Names like T.J. Houshmandzadeh in Seattle and Matt Leinart in Arizona were amongst the most surprising cuts. Another player to add to that list is former West Virginia quarterback Pat White.
White came out of college as one of the more highly debated players. A four-year starter with outstanding numbers, White went 4-0 in bowl games and specialized in running the spread attack. The Dolphins thought he would be an ideal weapon to add to their vaunted “Wildcat” offense. NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock feverishly agreed.
After hardly playing his rookie season, the former second round selection and 44th overall pick in 2009 looked awful throwing the ball in camp according to most reports. He had fallen to fourth on the depth chart in Miami and the suggestion was that he would have to find a new position. White actually joked that he might try playing baseball professionally instead of a new position in the NFL. If he wants to continue a professional football career, a change is likely. So what does this all mean?
The debate is over: White was a flop in Miami and is not an NFL quarterback regardless of how good he was at West Virginia. For the second time in three years (John Beck in 2007, Chad Henne in 2008, White in 2009) the Dolphins made a big mistake with a second round quarterback selection. Lastly, it also shows us that regardless of how good of a personnel evaluator Bill Parcells may be, even he gets it wrong sometimes. Badly. Spread guys in college generally don’t translate in the pros.
