Dec 16, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace (17) is tackled by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne (24) during the game at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

In an off-season that has been filled with big cuts by numerous teams, plenty of Pro Bowl talent is being expected to find itself sitting in prime position for signing contracts with new teams. So much so, that we could see another true “dream team” being built as teams are continuing to make new deals or cuts that will free up cap space.

Of course, in today’s NFL, offense is what sells the tickets, and there will be no shortage of talent expected to be available, especially on the Offensive Line where no fewer than 3 different Pro Bowl LTs are poised to make themselves available for a new team hungry to solve their issues on the “blindside”. To begin our list, our first big name is:

Jake Long, LT, Miami Dolphins – He is one of the 3 Pro Bowl LTs that are currently expected to land themselves in free agency, with Jermon Bushrod (Saints) and Branden Albert (Chiefs) being the other two. Now, he may not be the best out of those 3, but he’s easily the biggest name, as before his recent injury history and resulting decline of his overall play, he was an elite LT that had certainly seemed to deserve the #1 overall selection status made long ago (pun not intended). And, he’s still able to play at a high level for any team wanting to take a chance on this guy, so it’s not like he’s in his late 30′s and on his last legs. Rather, he’s but 27 years old, and again he’s still a very effective LT, it really depends on where he lands. Of course, he will still be looking for a top 5 contract in terms of LT type money, the question will be if he gets to see that money. Nevertheless, there are teams who absolutely need a LT, and his list of suitors will be a lengthy one. Possible suitors: St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears.

Mike Wallace, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers – In a receiver class that may include both Wes Welker (Patriots) and Dwayne Bowe (Chiefs), he’s well on his way to becoming a free agent, a free agent that will be an extremely hot commodity in this pass happy league. What he has going for him, is his well known reputation for being a prime example on what a legitimate deep threat looks like. He’s got speed, a lot of speed, and he does not drop a lot of his passes. To summarize, you let him beat you deep, then it’s likely 6 on the board. Unlike the OT market, the other two players I mentioned (Welker & Bowe) may both be locked up by their respective teams, so he could be set to become the headliner of this WR free agency class. The type of contract he will be seeking is a contract that will pay him like a top receivier in the league, and he’s young enough at 26 as well as extremely explosive where he would provide the signing team a player who’s entering their prime. This could be a player who will be the center of a major bidding war. Potential suitors: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, St. Louis Rams.

Steve Jackson, RB, St. Louis Rams – It would be a real shame to watch his legacy come to an end in St. Louis, as he’s been the face of their franchise for quite sometime now. And, the St. Louis Rams are aiming at bringing this bruising RB back for another few years to be the main security blanket for Sam Bradford, in an offense that could use all the talent it can put together. But, if that doesn’t happen, then he will be joining the likes of Reggie Bush (Dophins) and Michael Turner (Falcons) in a not so deep class of RBs, that teams from all over will come to pursue. He is on the gradual decline of his career, where he is 29 years old, which is ancient for a RB. But, one thing that helps his cause, is his playing style. Teams that feature a dynamic and more finess type of passing game, will take a hard look into adding a RB who can pound defenses into committing against the run game, which would then open things up like play action opportunities. Rest assure, if he does part ways with the Rams, he will sign with someone, albeit to a smaller contract given how the league shys away from long term contracts with RBs. Potential suitors: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals.

Tony Gonzalez, TE, Atlanta Falcons – He publically stated that the 2012 season would be his last season in the NFL, where he hoped to end his story much in the way Ray Lewis had with the Ravens by winning the Super Bowl. Well, it didn’t happen quite like that, where the Falcons were bounced by the San Francisco 49ers at home in the NFC Championship Game, and surprisingly enough, Tony Gonzalez has yet to file his retirement papers. It is well known the Atlanta Falcons’ top priority this off-season, is bringing him back for one last season, but if it doesn’t pan out then there could be teams looking to use his services short term to help boost their passing game. Seeing how the next available options could be Jared Cook (Titans) and Jermichael Finley (Packers) he will draw interest simply because of his name, as well as the perception he could sign a very small 1-2 year contract with a championship caliber that’s considerably smaller than what either Cook or Finley could fetch on the open market. His age will be a major focal point in any major negotiation (he’s 38), but seeing how he still went over 1,200 receiving yards last season, he could still help a contending team in need of a major threat in the middle. Potential suitors: Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots.

Matt Moore, QB, Miami Dolphins – To round out our top 5, we dive into the extremely shallow QB class, where there are more teams that are looking into a new starting QB, than there are available in Free Agency. Of course, the biggest names right now are Joe Flacco, who has zero chance of being moved out of Baltimore, and Alex Smith, where he’s still under contract with the 49ers, and thus only available in a trade. So, in a class that is defined by a very long list of back-ups, starting from Drew Stanton (Colts) and Jason Campbell (Bears) then going on down, Matt Moore is perhaps the only QB available in the market that could warrent any serious consideration as a starter on another team, that won’t cost any draft picks to obtain. He’s never been really impressive at any point of his career, but he’s also been named the starting QB for the season only once in his career (2011) where he didn’t perform too badly in an offense that was severely limited in it’s capabilities. He’s shown enough where he can be brought in to a team absolutely desperate for a new QB, and be allowed to compete for a job. Or, he could be brought in as a capable back-up much like what the other QBs could wind up doing. Potential suitors: Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars.

Who do you believe are the top names available in free agency? Who do you want your team to sign on the offensive side of the ball? List them all in the comments section below. And, feel free to add any of the latest cuts onto this page, as only more cuts are bound to happen as time passes from now until March 12.

Aug. 4, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (right) signs autographs after a scrimmage at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Since making the playoffs in 2008, the Miami Dolphins have had three consecutive losing seasons with 2011 being the worst one yet. The ‘Fins finished the year 6-10, but they were better than their record suggested. Although their offense was subpar, they had one of the best defenses in the league and were more than stout against the run, holding opponents to merely 3.7 yards per carry. According to an expected win and loss formula on Pro Football Reference based on the Pythagorean formula, the Dolphins should have went 8-8 and were victims of poor luck.

Looking at their schedule, the Dolphins had a +15 point differential and lost four games by four points or less while winning three games by 20 points or more. They were 18th in the league in passing yards per attempt allowed and also 18th in passing yards per attempt on offense. As far as the running game goes, they were right in the middle (15th) in yards per carry and third in yards per carry against. Turnovers were a big problem, as the Dolphins had a -6 turnover differential due to a huge differential in fumbles. The Dolphins lost 12 fumbles on offense while recovering just three on defense (+3 INT differential).

The Dolphins looked dead at the beginning of the season but like the Arizona Cardinals, they had a much better second-half with the defense being a key catalyst.

2011 Record 6-10

Key Additions

QB Ryan Tannehill, 1st round draft from Texas A&M

QB David Garrard

WR Chad Ochocinco

LB Gary Guyton

RB Lamar Miller 4th round from Miami

RT Jonathan Martin 2nd round from Stanford

LB Josh Kaddu fifth round from Oregon

WR Legedu Naanee

CB Richard Marshall

Key Losses

WR Brandon Marshall traded to Chicago Bears

QB Chad Henne

DE Kendall Langford

CB Will Allen

S Yeremiah Bell

Offense

Besides HBO Hard Knocks, the most interesting storyline surrounding the Miami Dolphins is the quarterback competition between David Garrard and Matt Moore. Last season, Moore was above-average with a healthy TD:INT ratio, a decent completion percentage, and a solid quarterback rating of 87.1. While he isn’t an ideal starter, you could do much worse than Moore. He was one of the better quarterbacks in the year last year, because he is accurate and doesn’t get phased while under pressure. Moore took his chances deep on 26.1% of his passes for a 47.5% completion percentage on those throws (the highest in the AFC).

First-round choice Ryan Tannehill is the quarterback of the future in Miami, but he’s not going to be starting this year. Rookie quarterbacks almost always struggle, no matter how good they end up being two years later (Josh Freeman and Matthew Stafford are two examples who come to mind).

So while Tannehill isn’t challenging last year’s starter, former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard is. He missed all of last season with an injury, and he’s 34. On the bright side, quite a few people have said that he looks great in new head coach Joe Philbin’s west coast offense. He was a pretty good QB for the Jags and is one of the strongest QBs in the league. Like Moore, he’s an above-average, unspectacular passer. Garrard has a big arm, but he’s not going to make plays and is rarely ever “great”. However, Garrard is consistently above-average, and it looks like he has the offense down.

At the end of the day, it comes down to health for Garrard. With the way people are talking about his training camp performances, you would think that he’s going to get the job. The Dolphins aren’t going to name a starter until the offense is fully installed, which will probably be sometime after the preseason or late into the preseason. Moore is younger and much healthier, but he isn’t better than Garrard. He proved that he can be a good spot-starter for a talented rookie like Tannehill. Whoever loses the starting quarterback gig will likely be traded to a team that needs a quarterback, and that bodes better for Moore than Garrard due to age and health concerns. Garrard has little trade value and has more value to the Dolphins than anyone else, and he’ll likely get the job. Moore has looked shaky in training camp, but we’ll get a better idea of these two during the preseason. At this point, Garrard is the favorite despite what Moore did last year. As for Tannehill, Philbin is impressed with him.

Reggie Bush’s goal is to lead the league in rushing in the 2012 season. While that isn’t likely, he has emerged as one of the most dangerous backs in the league (finally). He is easily their best offensive weapon after the Brandon Marshall trade, and he averaged a hefty 5.1 yards per carry en route to 1,097 rushing yards. One of the best pass-catching RBs in the NFL, Bush also hauled in 43 passes and had seven touchdowns overall (six on the ground). Backup Daniel Thomas looked awful last season and averaged just 3.5 yards per carry, while Steve Slaton is a back the coaches really like.

Thomas had a rough rookie year, but he’s still the No. 2 back over both Slaton and rookie Lamar Miller. In fact, Thomas could be in line for more carries (165 last year), but that 3.5 YPC last year looked ugly. Slaton is still on the road back, and he was considered a very expendable player on the roster. However, he is in line for playing time next season, as the coaching staff likes him. Miami Hurricanes product Lamar Miller looks like the second best back on the team besides Bush, as he runs a terrific 4.4 forty and is probably the fastest back on the team. He should be getting a major role as a rookie, and he is definitely one to watch for in the future.

Wide receiver is a position of concern on the Dolphins roster due to the departure of superstar wideout Brandon Marshall. He was easily their best pass-catcher last season, as he caught 82 passes for 1,227 yards and six touchdowns. Marshall averaged 8.6 yards per target. Only Brian Hartline and Anthony Fasano averaged at least eight yards per target, but neither of them caught 40 passes. In fact, no other Dolphins receiver caught 50 passes last year.

The receiver who came the closest to 50 was Davone Bess, and he was extremely disappointing last season. It never seemed like Bess and Matt Moore clicked, but Bess has been said to be the best receiver at training camp so far. Talent-wise, he is easily the best receiver so this isn’t surprising; encouraging is the right word.

Chad Ochocinco has looked solid in training camp, and he should be the second most targeted wide receiver on the team with Brian Hartline and Legedu Naanee being third and fourth respectively. Ochocinco is trying to prove that he has something left, and he should be about average. Hartline missed minicamp with an appendectomy and has struggled with a hamstring injury this offseason. He’s a question mark after catching just 53% of the passes thrown his way but was stlil the team’s second best receiver last year (not exactly a testament to the players behind Marshall). The alignment should definitely be Bess in the slot and Hartline and Ochocinco playing out wide for the ‘Fins.

Tight end Anthony Fasano is still one of the most underrated TEs in the NFL, because great run blocking by a TE is always overlooked in a league where the great pass-catching TEs are always talked about. Fasano is a great tight end to have, but the problem is that he doesn’t fit the Dolphins offense. This is the final year of his contract, and he just doesn’t fit with Philbin’s fast WCO. He isn’t the best pass-catcher out there, but he is a terrific blocker. Fasano was solid as a receiver last year with five receiving touchdowns, a 59.3% catch rate, and an 8.4 yards per target average.

Athletic backup tight end Michael Egnew has more upside in Philbin’s offense, and the Missouri tight end should be able to usurp Fasano. He isn’t better than the top run blocker, but the ‘Fins want a pass-catcher more than a good blocker. H-Back Charles Clay has been heavily involved with the offense, and expect that to continue as the year wears on. He looks like he could be dangerous lining up at TE, WR, or FB, and the Dolphins really like what he can do. As an H-Back he won’t get many opportunities, but Clay looks like he can make a big play when he gets his chance.

Left tackle Jake Long is one of the best players in the league, but he didn’t enjoy a strong season in 2011. He wasn’t bad, but Long was a bit disappointing in a down year by his other-worldly standards due to some big injuries. He’s said he’s feeling a whole lot better, so get ready for another great season from Long.

At right tackle, second-round pick Jonathan Martin is trying to make the transition from protecting the blindside in college with Stanford. He’s a top talent, but the transition hasn’t been easy. Playing at RT is more run blocking oriented, and Martin looks more like a high upside project player. In fact, Lydon Murtha could be the Dolphins starter at the position if things don’t speed up for Martin.

Artis Hicks beat out John Jerry for the starting right guard spot, as Jerry’s playing weight is too high. The fact that Jerry hasn’t beat out the former Cleveland Browns veteran is discouraging, and things are looking worse for Jerry every single day. At left guard, Eric Steinbach is the primary backup and can also slot into RG if neither Jerry nor Hicks prove to be effective (that wouldn’t be surprising). Richie Incognito is firmly in the starting spot on the left side, with the young and talented Mike Pouncey comfortably slotted in as the center and second best OL on the team.

Defense

Even though the Miami Dolphins lost one of the better 3-4 DEs in the NFL in Kendall Langford, the defensive front is still a big position of strength for Miami. Paul Soliai and Randy Starks make up a stout interior, with Jared Odrick and superstar Cameron Wake lined up on the outside. Wake is an absolute monster, and he had an outstanding 24 QB hits and nine sacks last year. What makes things even more scary is that one of the game’s premier pass rushers is actually better as a WDE in the 4-3 than a pass rushing OLB.

Odrick finally got to play after missing his rookie season, and the former Penn State star did not disappoint with six sacks and eight QB hits in 11 games. He and Wake will be terrorizing pass rushers, along with Randy Starks in the middle. Starks is expected to get a big long-term deal after being used as trade bait the previous offseason. After an incredible year in 2011 that confirmed Starks’s place among the best 3-4 DEs/4-3 DTs in the league, the Dolphins are glad that they never dealt him.

Middle linebacker Karlos Dansby is one of the best in the league, and he was at his best last season for the Dolphins. A terrific run-stopper, Dansby had another 100+ tackle season at the heart of the ‘Fins defense. Even more scary? He’s a whole lot better as an MLB than a 3-4 ILB; watch for a huge year. Along with a top defensive line, Dansby and Kevin Burnett helped shut down the run. Burnett moves to outside linebacker as a WILL and could be in line for another 100 tackle season. Backup MLB Gary Guyton is a solid cover linebacker, and he can play as a backup MLB or backup WILL. Guyton is one of the better backup linebackers in the league.

SAM linebacker Koa Misi never fit as an OLB for the Dolphins 3-4, because he isn’t a good pass rusher. He is, however, a good player in coverage. He is coming off of a disappointing run stopping year, but he’s a good fit on the strong-side. SAM linebackers need to be good in coverage, because they are lined up with the opposing tight end more often than not, and Misi fits that bill.

Incoming cornerback Richard Marshall is going to be starting as a nickel corner for the Miami Dolphins. Nickel corners are becoming a premium position, and Marshall is a corner who is comfortable playing outside or inside. We’ll see if he has the skills for the inside. He gets burned quite a bit, but he’s fast and doesn’t give up many catches; that last trait is especially important for an NCB. Marshall won’t be challenging starter Sean Smith for the LCB spot next to star Vontae Davis, but Smith is coming off of a horrible and very disappointing season in 2011 after playing at a high level in 2010. This is a big year for Smith, and a bounce back would give the Dolphins one of the better cornerback groups in the league.

The Dolphins no longer have veteran 100-tackle strong safety Yeremiah Bell, but they do have Chris Clemons as the new starting SS. The problem is that he barely played last year. Tyrell Johnson, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, was supposed to be a big challenger against Clemons. He has been a flop so far, so the inexperienced Clemons is the safety. At FS, Reshad Jones was solid last year in 12 games with over 60 tackles and a couple of picks. He has been picking off passes at a high rate this offseason, and there is no question that he is the starter.

Coaching

This is Joe Philbin’s first NFL coaching gig, and he has come a long way since serving under Kirk Ferentz’s staff at Iowa from 1999-2002. In 2006, Philbin served as the Green Bay Packers offensive line coach after first being hired to the team in 2003. In 2007, Philbin was named the Packers offensive coordinator and consistently helped field one of the best offenses in the NFL. His fast-paced west coast offense is one of the more specific schemes out there, and it works with the right personnel.

So far, it is difficult to gauge how things will be in Philbin’s first year. The Dolphins fan base is one of the strongest in the NFL, so there are usually high expectations associated with the job. The expectations are realistic and relatively low, given the team’s 6-10 finish last year and the state of the receiving corps. A .500 finish is likely the goal for the Dolphins, and it is an achievable one, but it hinges on a bounce back season from Bess and the emergence of another receiver on the roster.

Breakout Player

It is almost impossible to pick a possible breakout player on the Dolphins, aside from H-Back Charles Clay. There aren’t any other options to choose from, unless if you’re bullish on wide receiver Roberto Wallace. Clay struggled at some points during training camp, but I don’t think training camp gave a proper scope of his skills. Clay has solid hands and can be a big playmaker. He can create mismatches as the H-Back in Philbin’s WCO, and he only needs a few chances in a game to make on big play. He isn’t going to be a focal point of this offense, but he’s definitely going to get more than the 405 snaps he had last year. Look for Philbin to give Clay more opportunities in games, as they believe he is legit playmaker and have given him plenty of offseason reps to prove it.

2012 Prediction 7-9

Overview

I was flipping between 7-9 and 8-8 in my head, because the offensive line and running backs will be better this year. The defense will also be terrific, especially since more players are slotting into more natural positions. The big problem is the passing game, because the winner of the QB battle will have a subpar group of receivers at their disposal. Davone Bess should be good, but Hartline is mediocre and Ochocinco and Naanee are question marks. Chris Clemons is the only true weak link on this defense, because I am one of those people who believes in cornerback Sean Smith’s overall talent and ability to bounce back in 2012. The passing game will hold this team back and cause them to be a game back from a .500 finish.

August 10, 2012; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) throws a pass during the second half of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Sun Life Stadium. Tampa Bay won the game 20-7. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE

The Miami Dolphins went into their preseason opener with an open quarterback competition. The man who initially was slated as the team’s starter, David Garrard, will be out for a few weeks after undergoing surgery today. That left a big opportunity for Matt Moore and rookie signal-caller Ryan Tannehill to stake their claim as the best suited to lead the Dolphins offense.

Moore started the game for Miami but left a lot to be desired. He completed 7-of-12 passes for 79 yards but he failed to find the endzone and tossed one interception.

Tannehill, on the other hand, was very impressive. The eighth-overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft showed that he is definitely in the mix to become the Dolphins starting quarterback sooner rather than later this coming season. Tannehill went 14-for-21 and racked up 167 yards through the air. He added one touchdown.

It was a good start to the preseason for Tannehill and should give him a slight edge in the quarterback competition.

There are still three games remaining for the Dolphins so Moore could have a comeback and reclaim his position as the favorite in the quarterback race but if Tannehill continues to perform as he did tonight you would have to think he gets the reigns to run the offense that he ran back in his days with Mike Sherman at Texas A&M.

Jim Brown-US PRESSWIRE

Heading into every season, there are numerous positions at which starters have not yet been determined for every team in the NFL. None of them, however, is so highly scrutinized and carries such weight as the quarterback position. 2012 will see a number of two-way (and in certain cases three-way) competitions to see who will earn the right to lead the offense. Let’s take a look at some of the more interesting match-ups in the league.

Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

5. Kevin Kolb vs. John Skelton – Arizona Cardinals

This match-up may have become more clear cut, as Kevin Kolb did everything he could to give Skelton the starting job during his first performance against New Orleans in the pre-season. Kolb, despite a $60 million contract that far outweighs that of his competition, struggled mightily in that game, going 1-of-4 for 4 yards and an interception, and suffering an injury to his shoulder in the process. Skelton, on the other hand, looked impressive in limited action, going 4-6 for 32 yards, and generally commanding the offense with much more poise and effectiveness, helping the team march down the field on a 90 yard drive against the first team defense. It’s unfortunate that Skelton isn’t the player with the higher contract, as you can be assured he would already be named the Week 1 starter and Kolb would be at best the back-up. Making matters far worse for Kolb is his injury history; he missed 7 games to injury last season, in addition to his pre-season incident this year.

4. David Garrard vs. Matt Moore vs. Ryan Tannehill – Miami Dolphins

You have to be worried when, of three potential starting quarterbacks, the name atop the depth chart is a man who couldn’t even pass a physical last year. David Garrard is currently taking reps with the first team offense, and the feeling moving forward is that the job is his to lose. Now Garrard did play reasonably well in his last season in Jacksonville (2,734 yards, 23 TD’s, 15 INT’s), but it’s not as though he had mastered the position in the years leading to his injury. Peyton Manning was considered arguably the best quarterback in the league until he got injured; now his brother is ranked in the top 5. If Garrard was no more than a top-15 QB leading into injury (and even that’s debatable), how far should his injury history drop him? At least you can give the franchise credit for not throwing project player Ryan Tannehill to the wolves too early, but you’d have to wonder what the franchise dislikes so much about Matt Moore? He’s never been a franchise QB, but he performed well enough last season that it would seem he could develop into an efficient, game-manager type of QB, which may be the best Miami could hope for this season.

Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE

3. Matt Flynn vs. Tarvaris Jackson vs. Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks

Flynn made a name for himself last year in limited action for the Packers. During the last game of the regular season, he torched the Lions secondary, throwing for 480 yards and 6 TD’s against 1 INT. This led to a bidding war in the off-season for his services, of which Pete Carroll and the Seahawks came away with the prized package by way of a 3 year, $19.5 million contract. All was in line for Flynn to try his hand at the position that has eluded success for the Seahawks since Hassellbeck left town (or was thrown out, rather). Then Carroll, with his slightly manic kinetic energy, decided that Tarvaris Jackson earned the right to compete and a two-way battle was born. Cut to a week later, and suddenly Carroll’s infatuated with a rookie third-round selection in Russell Wilson out of Wisconsin. The fact is that all three of these quarterbacks are question marks heading into the season, and Carroll needs to beware of his penchant towards a lack of commitment to players. If he decides to play the quarterback-carousel game, it could be a messy season at the position for Seattle.

2.  Jake Locker vs. Matt Hasselbeck – Tennessee Titans

This is one of those quarterback controversies that a team likes to have: when either player seems capable of giving your team a winning edge. Matt Hasselbeck played much better than most outside of the organization thought he would last season, putting up 3,571 yards and guiding a struggling offense towards success while losing Kenny Britt to injury and Chris Johnson to ineffectiveness. Locker, however, had many of his own moments last season; enough to propel his rookie QB rating to an impressive 99.4. This fact has many Titans fans lobbying to let Locker take over the reigns and get a start to his promising career. Both QB’s have had impressive training camps, and Munchak and his staff have clearly expressed that this is an open competition, of which the better player will earn the job.

William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

1. Mark Sanchez vs. Tim Tebow – New York Jets

If you’ve ever turned on SportsCenter in the last year, then you are certainly familiar with the quarterback situation for the New York Jets. A young, athletic backup by the name of Tim Tebow was traded for this off-season, in what one can only assume was an effort to bring a voice of maturity to an ever-dysfunctional locker room. The real effect of the move, however, will prove to be among the most divisive since Chad Pennington was given a contract extension. Mark Sanchez has faced a lot of criticism and scrutiny during his first three years, and rightly so. His stats last season were not terrible by any means, but the New York Jets are not your average team. They are intense, loud, and brash; a reflection of their head coach. Rex Ryan seems incapable of being the voice of reason and control, opting instead to let the proverbial inmates run the proverbial asylum. This might bode well for getting the most out of his defense, where such intensity often results in stellar play, but offense is a different beast. Offenses these days are predicated on a controlled, precise attack. The Tom Brady’s and Drew Brees’ of the world all share one common attribute: the ability to command the offense in a deliberate manner that controls the tempo of the game. For all of Sanchez’s physical attributes, he does not command the offense, or the rest of the team, with this sense of urgency or a similar level of control. However, he is a better quarterback than Tim Tebow; it’s just that the majority of the population either seems to not understand that, or they simply don’t care. Sanchez’s football acuity is leaps and bounds ahead of Tebow, but regardless of well he plays, the slightest misstep will have Tebow’s rabid and unheard-of fan base clamoring for a switch. Expect this to last all season long.

Follow me on Twitter @TitanSizedJason

June 19, 2012; Davie, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) throws a pass during mini camp practice at the Dolphins training facility. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The Miami Dolphins and first-round pick Ryan Tannehill have agreed to make a deal. As is the case with all rookie deals, it is a four-year contract that includes a club option for a fifth-year. Unfortunately for Tannehill, he was unable to get the offset language fully removed from the deal.

While Tannehill was involved in his brief holdout from Dolphins training camp, he was staying in shape at the IMG Performance Institute in Bradenton, Florida.

It is being reported that Tannehill is out of the mix for the Dolphins starting quarterback job. Veterans David Garrard and Matt Moore will fight for the starting job, while Tannehill will continue to adjust to the speed of the NFL game. Tannehill should be familiar with the offense since he worked with Mike Sherman at Texas A&M but he has had trouble moving at NFL speed.

Now that Tannehill has his deal, he can get paid to hold the clipboard.

June 19, 2012; Davie, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) throws a pass during mini camp practice at the Dolphins training facility. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The Miami Dolphins selected Ryan Tannehill in the first-round of the 2012 NFL Draft, but early indications from Dolphins minicamp are that the team’s top pick does not seem to be in position to jump under center and lead the Miami offense just yet.

According to Dolphins beat writer Brian Biggane of the Palm Beach Post, Tannehill is currently a distant third in the quarterback competition behind incumbent starter Matt Moore and free agent acquisition David Garrard. Biggane says that Tannehill’s ”untimely mistakes, particularly when throwing into traffic” are to blame for his falling on the team’s depth chart.

It is expected that the Dolphins week one starter will either be Moore or Garrard, as Biggane expects Tannehill to “continue his apprenticeship as the No. 3 guy.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter even indicated that Garrard could have the inside track at becoming the week one starter.

The fact that Tannehill is third on the team’s depth chart is a likely indication that he is not picking up on the speed of the NFL game as quickly as the Dolphins would have hoped. Tannehill ran offensive coordinator Mike Sherman’s offense during his time at Texas A&M, but he has struggled during minicamp.

Despite what many are reporting, I’d have to give Moore the edge in the Dolphins quarterback race due to his play at the end of last season. He has shown that he can lead the offense and I fully expect him to start off the season giving it another shot.

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Apr 14, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley (7) throws a pass in the 2012 spring game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

This is You Heard It Here First – where thinking outside the box and predicting the future is a social pastime.

Around the NFL there are a number of quarterbacks in precarious situations but also many quarterbacks in good situations who shouldn’t be. Every year we see a fairly high turnover of starting quarterbacks in the league despite but due in part to the complexity of the position and I believe that 2013 will be no different. One player almost certain to be a starting quarterback next year is USC’s Matt Barkley and you can safely assume that he is an option for every team on this list. To make things a little simpler, let’s go through each of the team’s one by one so you can see why I believe 25% of teams will not have the same starting QB in 2013.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals quarterback situation has been in flux ever since Kurt Warner retired and it is no closer now with the team’s decision to retain Kevin Kolb who looked truly woeful in 2011. With the team placing even more emphasis on the passing game in the form of first round pick Michael Floyd, Kolb must step up in 2012. In my opinion I don’t think he’ll manage it. Come 2013 I believe either John Skelton will be the starter or some other player currently not with the team.

Houston Texans

A couple of months ago I wrote an article on how I thought the Houston Texans might part ways with Matt Schaub and from the research I have done since this is still a distinct possibility. With the salary cap issues the Texans will have next year it is unlikely they could afford to put a franchise tag on Schaub and it would take some VERY creative accounting to pay hm what he deserves. When you take into account the contract just given to running back Arian Foster and the fact that usually Kubiak and the Texans prefer not to pay quarterbacks big money for the time being I am going to say Schaub ends up elsewhere.

So where does this leave Houston in 2013? T.J. Yates performed admirably in Schaub’s absence last year and with another year of coaching he could be a legitimate option for this team should they choose not to draft or sign a big name quarterback. I would also expect the team to retain rookie Case Keenum of the University of Houston. My other expectation is that the Texans would pick up a veteran free agent to compete with Yates.

Miami Dolphins

No surprises here – the Dolphins quarterback situation is one obviously in flux right now. There are reports that rookie Ryan Tannehill could start for this team to start the 2012 season but I have serious doubts about this particularly as I didn’t think Tannehill should be a top 10 NFL draft pick in the first place. For my mind the best option for Miami in 2012 is former Carolina Panthers QB Matt Moore who was actually pretty good for Miami last season after taking over for incumbent Chad Henne. I give Moore every chance to win the QB battle this preseason and he’s talented enough that he may keep the job for most if not all of the season.

With all that said, I also fully believe that Ryan Tannehill will be the starter in 2013. Truth about the Miami Dolphins is that this team still needs work and they’re unlikely to perform this season which will see a ground-swell of support build to give Tannehill his opportunity. I expect Moore will either be traded or cut following this season – you did great for us kid but we’ve had enough of ya so bye. Tough break for Moore who deserves a lot better but that’s the nature of the NFL sometimes. He’ll make a very good FA pickup for someone in the 2013 offseason.

New York Jets

I really don’t want to write about this next situation basically because I have absolutely no faith in either of the main quarterbacks on the Jets roster. Let’s be honest – Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow have both got talent but neither is really an NFL-quality quarterback. Sanchez got his contract extension this offseason as a rather empty show of support from Jets management but I can see absolutely no way that Tebow stays out of the starting job for longer than one season. Mark Sanchez has been awful at the NFL level and while he has shown flashes of brilliance there’s just not enough there. Watch him get traded this offseason.

As for Tebow, he’s no great shakes as a quarterback either but at least he knows how to make plays happen. When you watched Denver last year it was obvious that Tebow contributed to a bunch of victories. What most people appear blind to is that his supporting cast helped him a lot more than Tebow’s fans are willing to accept. Willis McGahee may not be as good as he once was but he had a fantastic season supporting his young quarterback and I truly believe that it is McGahee and not Tebow who deserves the most credit for the success of the Broncos in 2011. So color me sceptical but while I see Tebow as the Jets starter next season I don’t see anything to this except empty hype.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders are a mess. Hard to say anything else about this team at the moment. The death of Al Davis left a hole in this organisation and I was truly shocked, appalled and disgusted by the actions of former Raiders head coach Hue Jackson when he took advantage of the situation to leverage a massive and irresponsible trade for former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer that gutted the franchise and ultimately resulted in Jackson’s departure. I won’t go into that aspect too much further except to say that Jackson should never have acted the way he did in helping both Palmer who he was associated with at USC and the Bengals who he had worked with previously.

Palmer may have had an offseason to prepare but when you look at the tape of his performance in 2012 it was just plain bad. Poor decision making was his biggest weakness as he failed to read defenses which resulted in a good deal of the interceptions he was charged with. He was still developing his chemistry with the Oakland receivers I know but the decision making was so poor that this can’t be blamed on the receivers or Palmer’s lack of time. When you factor in that Palmer is owed a huge contract that is due to pay him $13 million in 2013 I see no way that Palmer is on the roster after this season.

Seattle Seahawks

Some of you will be surprised to see Seattle on this list but this is a reflection of the fact I think the Matt Flynn experiment might not work. Is he talented? Yes. Is he worthy of a starting spot in the NFL? As of right now – absolutely. Is he an NFL caliber starting quarterback? On that note I have my doubts and on a Seattle Seahawks team that lacks a truly talented receiving corps – unlike what Flynn had in Green Bay – he may struggle.

There are so many ways the Seahawks could go but I am going to suggest a slightly unconventional route – I’d throw Russell Wilson in there and give him a shot. When it comes down to it this team could go out and get themselves another quarterback. They could even go for Matt Barkley who will join the NFL from Pete Carroll’s old stomping grounds of USC. I’ve been doing a lot of studying up on Russell Wilson these past couple of months and I am surprised to find myself warming to this kid. He may be small and he may be better suited to playing elsewhere on the park but his decision making, accuracy and field awareness and all pretty good. Call me crazy but I like this kid to earn his shot.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Oh dear – this one is going to anger some of you. This is reality people and in the real world a team needs a good or at least capable quarterback to succeed in the NFL. Josh Freeman is neither of these things. He had one good rookie season in which he came out and surprised us all with his ability but his true colors shone last year as he failed miserably as both a quarterback and as a leader on a young team. Freeman might be a starting caliber quarterback one day – I doubt it – but right now he needs to step back and let someone else take the reins. I expect the Bucs to either draft another quarterback or go out and get themselves a solid veteran because Josh Freeman needs more time to grow and mature.

Tennessee Titans

This is easily the most predictable change on this list because I am 100% certain that Matt Hasselbeck will start the 2012 season as the Titans starting quarterback. This is one of those situations where you have a high quality veteran who’s getting old and may not have much left being replaced by the young buck drafted to replace him. There may have been knocks on Jake Locker going into the 2011 NFL Draft but he fully deserved to go as high as he did and I believe he has a very bright future – which includes starting the 2013 NFL season as the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans.

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25% of NFL teams switching quarterbacks come 2013? I believe it could happen. When it does I won’t be surprised and now neither will you because You Heard It Here First.

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In the win, Moore posted a spectacular QB rating of 147.5. He threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns as the team soared past the Kansas City Chiefs.

It is a nice moment for Moore, but he still has to know he will likely be replaced next year by either Stanford’s Andrew Luck or Matt Barkley of USC. If Moore has any luck moving forward, he can prove this isn’t a flash in the pan performance and continue to roll as he auditions for a job next season.

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After all the speculation that the Miami Dolphins would complete a trade with the Denver Broncos for Kyle Orton, the Dolphins have decided to go in a different direction and sign Matt Moore to a two-year deal.

The news that Moore will land in Miami will likely pull the plug on the potential Orton to Miami deal that was reportedly “on life support” entering the day. It wasn’t that the Dolphins and Broncos were unable to agree on terms for a deal, but the hold up between the two sides seemed to be Orton’s unwillingness to restructure his deal.

Moore will compete with Chad Henne for the Dolphins starting gig, while Orton now seems the favorite to enter the 2011 season as the Denver Broncos starter.

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Carolina isn't loaded with talent, but they're better than 1-9.

Football is most certainly a team sport, but it takes a lot for the rest of the team to overcome the lack of a quarterback and head coach. Unfortunately for the Carolina Panthers, that’s exactly where they find themselves.

Keeping a head coach in a contract year was always considered a terrible idea, and we’re seeing why in Carolina. John Fox has completely phoned it in. There is no reason not to start the rookie quarterback when your team is 1-9. It’s not even like Fox went out and got a proven veteran — he got Brian St. Pierre, a 31-year old making his first start.

Come to think of it, saying he “phoned it in” might be underestimating what he’s doing. From the outside, it looks like Fox is intentionally trying to make this team as bad as possible.

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