Birthdays, Goats, Knees: QB Thursday in the AFC East.

Birthdays, Goats, Knees: QB Thursday in the AFC East.

It was an odd (and odds) day for the quarterbacks of the AFC East. All the NFL news of Thursday had to do with the division’s signal callers. Some of it coincidental. Some of it damaging and potentially division-altering.

Birthday Coincidence

In an odd coincidence of the calendar, two of the division’s quarterbacks shared a birthday. Tom Brady turned 40 on Thursday, Tyrod Taylor turned 28. What are the odds that two of the division’s four quarterbacks share the same birthday? Odd.

Bills Birthday Odds

What are the odds that the Bills quarterback shares a birthday with the team’s greatest coach? Thursday was also Marv Levy’s 92nd birthday.

40 is an Odd Number

In the grand scheme of the NFL, it’s odd to see any player turn 40 and celebrate in training camp. Brady will be just the 20th QB in NFL history to play in his 40’s. He was serenaded with Happy Birthday by Patriots fans at training camp. The team brought in five real goats to mark the day. Five for the number of Super Bowls the Brady has won. Goats for Greatest of All Time.

Oddly Ironic in Miami

What happened in Miami is not really odd, but oddly ironic for the Dolphins. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill injured his knee while running out of bounds at training camp. It’s the same knee he injured towards the end of the 2016 season. Early reports are that there is no structural damage to the knee. But there is no word on how long Tannehill will be out of the lineup. Other reports Thursday night say there is a chance Tannehill will need some kind of repair that could keep him out for a while. Matt Moore is the Miami backup. Speculation has the Dolphins looking at Colin Kaepernick. Other reports indicate that Jay Cutler would be willing to come out of the Fox Sports TV booth to play for Adam Gase, Dolphins head coach and Cutler’s former offensive coordinator in Chicago. Odd.

Better Odds for Bills

As is the case with almost any NFL team, the loss of the starting quarterback is a huge blow to the season’s hopes. There is no impressive rookie like Dak Prescott ready to step in the Dolphins lineup. That means the Bills could be the ones to benefit, by having a clearer path to second place in the AFC East and a potential wild card spot. Miami is a favorite to be the team to challenge the Patriots, but only if Tannehill is healthy.

Oddly Awful in New York

As for the Jets, the only thing odd about their quarterback situation is…that Josh McCown remains the starter.