Conventional wisdom had Flynn joining Philbin in South Beach, instead he ended up in Seattle.  (US PRESSWIRE)

After a whirlwind weekend earlier this month that included stops in Seattle and Miami, former Packers quarterback Matt Flynn surprised, well, everyone when signed with the Seahawks. The Dolphins were considered the prohibitive favorites because Flynn's offensive coordinator in Green Bay, Joe Philbin, had accepted the Miami head-coaching gig earlier this year. Turns out, that wasn't enough.

On Tuesday at the annual league meetings, Philbin was asked if the Dolphins pursued Flynn aggressively enough given the team's dire need for a franchise quarterback.

“I think we made an aggressive push," Philbin said according to the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero. "We got him in here relatively quickly. Again, we had a great meeting. Matt and I had some conversations, a number of conversations prior to his arrival to Miami. We had some subsequent ones after. He’d probably be able to give you better answer as to why he chose to go elsewhere. All I know is when we were together the visit was excellent. I thought he got along very well with our offensive staff. He and I obviously have a relationship together. Excited for him and wish him all the best and I think he’ll do a fine job.”

A day after Flynn signed with the Seahawks he did explain his decision.

"I think a lot about Joe, he's a great coach and I think he's going to have a lot of success down there, and I think he's going to have a lot of success in the NFL," Flynn said on March 19. "But when it came down to it, I just felt more comfortable up in Seattle. I felt like it was a better opportunity for me.

"They have the second youngest team in the NFL and a lot of hungry guys, and I felt like they were doing things the right way. It kinda meshed when I went up there. I feel comfortable about it and I really thinks it's a team that, in the very near future, can be special and I'm excited to be a part of it."

It probably didn't help that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was reportedly "infatuated" with Peyton Manning and the organization spent a non-trivial part of free agency in fruitless pursuit of him. Flynn alluded to it ("It might've made it a little bit slower because [free agency] started Tuesday and I didn't make any trips until really Friday") and Miami ended up with David Garrard.

But the Dolphins have the No. 8 pick in the April draft and it's reasonable to think they'll target Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill, assuming he's still on the board. For now, Philbin had only laudatory things to say about the QBs currently on the roster.

“I envision Matt Moore, and David Garrard, and Pat Devlin at this point and time getting a lot of repetitions in the voluntary minicamp and as things move forward based on what things happen we’ll divide the reps up from there," he said Tuesday. "It’s an open competition. I told both guys that and we’re very clear about that. I told David my only obligation for Matt Moore is he’s a member of the 2012 Dolphins. He’s under contract. He played well last year and he deserves an opportunity to compete for a starting position. Just like David does because David is now a member as well.”

It's not exactly what disappointed Dolphins fans want to hear, but if the organization lands Tannehill next month, that frustration will be replaced by hope, something that's been in short supply in South Florida in recent seasons.

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