David Garrard's hold on the Miami Dolphins' starting quarterback job is in peril, but after having arthroscopic surgery on Saturday to clean up "loose things floating around" in his knee, the veteran passer sounded ready to get back to work.
"Everything went great this morning. Be back before u know it!! Phins Up!!!" Garrard tweeted.
Doctors told Garrard he'll be out two to four weeks, which means Matt Moore and Ryan Tannehill will spend the rest of the preseason battling to be Miami's No. 1 signal-caller. The timing of Garrard's operation was brutal, announced hours before he was set to lead the Dolphins into their preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In Garrard's absence, Moore struggled, but the rookie Tannehill looked comfortable running the offense on his way to passing for 167 yards and a touchdown. If Garrard hasn't lost his place in the pecking order, it's in the mail.
Whispers that Garrard has struggled to grasp the playbook don't help. A source close to the competition told Ben Volin of The Palm Beach Post that quarterback coach Zac Taylor had "to call in the play two or three times (in practice), or have a teammate explain the play to (Garrard), before recalling the play and everyone's responsibility."
That little nugget presents a ripe opportunity to overreact, but the reality in Miami is that Tannehill -- seen previously as a slow-cook project -- might be closer to starting for this team in Week 1 than previously believed.
