It’s easy to suggest that former Dolphins draft bust Pat White was simply ahead of his time.
But as he prepares to take advantage of the success of other smaller, mobile quarterbacks by working out at West Virginia’s pro day in hopes of an NFL return, White knows it’s not as simple as having bad timing.
“I wouldn’t say I was a little ahead of my time. I just wasn’t prepared for my time,” White told Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples.
While White has every bit of the running ability of Robert Griffin III or Russell Wilson or Colin Kaepernick, the reality is that’s not what kept him from succeeding in the NFL the first time through. He also admitted he might not have put in the requisite work when he was stuck behind Chad Pennington and Chad Henne in Miami.
“I was in there watching the same amount of tape as the other quarterbacks, but I wasn’t as knowledgeable as those guys,” White said. “When they left, I should have stayed another hour.”
Toward that end, he’s now working with quarterback tutor George Whitfield to try to become a better thrower of the football, which is the only thing that will get him back in the league. He’ll work out for NFL scouts, hoping to attract some attention and a second chance in a more favorable climate.
“More coaches are being more and more open to [the zone read],” White said. “Maybe I was a couple of years early. But I have an opportunity now, so I need to make the most of it.”
The success of others is buying that chance for him, but whether he does anything with that chance will depend on his ability to refine his game.