Bill Kostroun / AP

The Dolphins are taking a big risk with Daunte Culpepper as their new starting quarterback, writes NBCSports.com columnist Bob Cook.

Chambers established himself his rookie year, 2001, as a credible deep threat, averaging 18.4 yards per catch. While he set career highs in yards (1,118) and catches (82) in 2005, Chambers had his second-lowest average-per-catch, 13.6. Of course, that decline has as much to do with having Gus Frerotte and Sage Rosenfels throwing to him as anything else. Culpepper has the arm to hit Chambers deep, as long as Miami’s shaky offensive line can give him enough time, and his injured knee gets strong enough that he again becomes one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the NFL. On the other side of Chambers is Marty Booker, a veteran possession receiver who somehow became the statistical deep threat last season, averaging 17.6 yards per catch.

With Miami also having a potentially strong ground game with Ronnie Brown and maybe Ricky Williams, it seems as if Culpepper should be set up for some success.

But then again, Art Garfunkel starred in a movie with Jack Nicholson, and look how far that got him.

Culpepper is a step up from Frerotte, but Miami is hardly in savior territory, and the Dolphins know it. One of the first things they’re going to do is reworked Culpepper’s contract, which pays him a base salary of $2 million but includes a $6 million bonus to be paid on March 25. The mystery is, why didn’t Culpepper do himself better and sign with the other team interested in him like Moss’ Raiders?

Culpepper and Moss’ creative relationship was mutually beneficial, but personally it didn’t always work so well. For example, a highly publicized sideline-shouting incident. “He’s my good friend, but you almost get to thinking that maybe enough is enough. And maybe the Vikings organization has had enough,” Culpepper was reported as saying after the Vikings traded Moss.

But in the best creative relationships, there always is a little tension. The Beatles’ songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney ended in bitterness, but the evidence is quite clear (especially in McCartney’s case) that they did their best work together. Which Van Halen is better, David Lee Roth’s or Sammy Hagar’s? (If you answer Hagar, you’re either a liar, an imbecile, or Sammy Hagar.)

Moss’ numbers were OK — 60 catches, 1,005 yards, eight touchdowns with Kerry Collins last season. But he and Culpepper had a rhythm on the field. And though the Raiders were 4-12, they have an offense that could be as strong as Miami’s. Lamont Jordan established himself as a 1,000-yard, 70-catch threat out of the backfield, and Jerry Porter might even put up speed-burner numbers again if a quarterback with some degree of accuracy -- i.e., not Collins -- were throwing to him.

One thing that happens with those famous duos who break apart is that even the more successful solo act doesn’t quite have the same juice as before. That’s why Paul Simon welcomes back Art Garfunkel for the occasional tour. Culpepper may well find some revival in Miami. But he would have been a lot better off rejoining his old partner Moss in Oakland.

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