TLDR - Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images The Phinsider Article Link "Yes, you read that correctly. Through a series of reports published this offseason, we have received insight into just how dysfunctional the Miami Dolphins were under Joe Philbin, specifically relating to Ryan Tannehill. So, coupling that with the personnel issues the team refuses to address, we are forced to ask ourselves: Why hasn’t Ryan Tannehill thrown in the towel on the Dolphins? For the first four years of Ryan Tannehill’s career, there have been excuses. His rookie season, he was a rookie. It is easy to shrug off misfires and poor decisions in a player’s first NFL season. His second year, he had one of the league’s worst receiving corps. His third and fourth years were both plagued by horrendous play on the offensive line. Yes, these are excuses. However, it does not mean they are not valid. We have all seen plays during which the Dolphins’ guards are beat immediately off of the line, leaving Tannehill under a mass of pass rushers in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately for the team’s efforts on offense, those instances are far too common. Until this offseason began, many of us felt that Tannehill’s struggles could be largely attributed to those protection issues. While it definitely hurts his efforts to be successful, we have learned that it is far from the root of his issues. Earlier this year, shortly after the hiring of head coach Adam Gase, information began leaking out of Davie about Joe Philbin’s attitude towards Ryan Tannehill. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald published several of these reports, which included some surprising information about the way Tannehill was regarded by the coaching staff. Joe Philbin attempted to use Ryan Tannehill as the scapegoat for embattled offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, whose "Go/Go Go" play calling style was far from the advanced strategy needed to succeed in the NFL. However, Stephen Ross did not accept this as a valid excuse and forced Philbin to fire Mike Sherman. That offseason, Joe Philbin lobbied for Dennis Hickey to select Derek Carr in the first round, but both Hickey and Ross refused to do so. The following season, Joe Philbin reportedly considered benching Ryan Tannehill ahead of the team’s Week 4 game against the Raiders in London. This was followed by a moment that many of us remember, during which Tannehill proclaimed himself the starter and went over Philbin’s head in a very public fashion. Tannehill remained the starter, but was never given the full array of tools that quarterbacks in the NFL should have available to them. Ryan Tannehill then had to fight through personnel issues on the offensive line. For the last two seasons, the team has suffered numerous injuries at the position. In 2015, Branden Albert, Ja’Wuan James, and Mike Pouncey all missed games during various stretches. The team was forced to use several players out of position. Many would argue that the Dolphins’ offensive line isn’t that bad based on having Albert, Pouncey, and James. However, how often did all three start for the Dolphins? The answer: not often enough. Jamil Douglas was playing center. Jason Fox was the starting right tackle. Branden Albert was still recovering from multiple torn ligaments in his knee. So, the Dolphins had the perfect chance to realize that they needed to address the offensive line. The team could have gone into free agency and signed interior lineman to help block for Tannehill. Instead, they ignored the position once again. Now it is entirely possible that they address the need in the draft by selecting guards, but there aren’t any first round prospects at the position. So, what is the Dolphins’ plan for 2016 on the interior O-Line? I have absolutely no idea. I feel the need to say this: I don’t care what you think about Ryan Tannehill. I don’t care if you do or do not think he is a franchise quarterback. I’m sure there are some of you who think he is the answer and some who think he shouldn’t even hold a clipboard. In all honesty, it isn’t even relevant what I think of Ryan Tannehill. My argument here is not that he will be a good quarterback. My argument is not that he will be a bad quarterback. I simply wonder what makes Ryan Tannehill so committed to the Miami Dolphins. This offseason, we have seen the immensely inflated value of the quarterback position. If Brock Osweiler was able to command as much money as he did on the open market after just seven starts, can you imagine what Tannehill would be able to make? The deal he signed with the Miami Dolphins before the 2015 season was very team friendly. It actually forces him into a make or break season in 2016, as they will be able to move on if he does not play up to Adam Gase’s standards. However, Ryan Tannehill returned to a team that continued to make no efforts to help him succeed. Why was Joe Philbin retained after the 2014 season if they had a very poor finish, and he refused to work with a quarterback that ownership said he had to? Why have they not been able to add help on the offensive line, at a position that is very affordable compared to those the team has pursued in the past during free agency? I do not know the answer. Miami was known to be in the race for free agent Alex Boone, but was unable to seal the deal. They also declined to pursue several other guards, opting to sign aging veteran Jermon Bushrod instead, who isn’t actually a guard. Why hasn’t Ryan Tannehill thrown in the towel? Well, I don’t believe he plays this game for the sake of his ownership. He, like many other athletes, plays for his teammates. He plays for Jarvis Landry, who fights on every single reception for extra yards. He plays for Mike Pouncey, who has played through several injuries for Tannehill’s sake. He plays for Cameron Wake, who he knows wants nothing more than to finally reach the playoffs before the end of his career. Despite what Miko Grimes stated earlier this year, the team does not hate Ryan Tannehill. I am not going to cite the countless optional workouts and fishing trips they attend with him. However, I am going to cite the one thing that athletes respect over all else in the National Football League. Toughness. Ryan Tannehill has endured more physical abuse than any quarterback in the league over the last three seasons. He has not missed a start. Towards the end of this season when Tannehill was reportedly so battered that he found blood in his urine during the week leading up to a game, he still suited up on Sunday. Adam Gase could be seen as a light at the end of the tunnel for Tannehill. They finally have given him a coach that is known to be a QB whisperer and who was even able to help improve the performance of Jay Cutler. Could Adam Gase be somewhat of a reward for what Tannehill has endured over the first four years of his career? Possibly. Does it compensate for the lack of efforts made by the team to secure suitable offensive lineman to help Tannehill? Not even close. Whether or not you think Ryan Tannehill is or is not a good quarterback, you have to respect his resolve. The man continues to fight as hard as he can every single Sunday for an organization that seemingly is unwilling to take the action required to build an offense around him. Love him or hate him, it is impossible to deny that Ryan Tannehill is the type of person that you would want on your side every Sunday. And he is one tough SOB."
Oh I've been saying that awhile now. We're not stuck with him, he's stuck with us. Imagine Ryan in an andy Reid offense, or a chip kelly offense. We've put him, consistently, in a terrible position to succeed.
"This offseason, we have seen the immensely inflated value of the quarterback position. If Brock Osweiler was able to command as much money as he did on the open market after just seven starts, can you imagine what Tannehill would be able to make? The deal he signed with the Miami Dolphins before the 2015 season was very team friendly." That is to say, if Tannehill wanted out, it's very likely he could have done so and commanded a good amount of money.
I get it. But he signed that extension with two years left. You obviously give a discount with that. His other option was to play out his two years and then get franchised. He didn't give a huge discount he's going to make $19m a year and the highest paid, aka Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, are getting $22m a year. Compared to those two Tanny is kind of expensive.
It's hard to say what he did or didn't give, if the Dolphins were happy to pay that (rather than RT17 wringing it out of them) then it's hard to say he shouldn't gratefully accept it. Either way, that money looked high at the time and then shortly after started to look more and more reasonable and will continue to do so. Totals aside, the structure of the deal was friendly, and the big thing to remember when comparing salaries is how quickly they increase from year to year. It's almost apples to oranges from year to year.
Did FinD and I write that article? All kidding aside, he hit pretty much everything we've been saying for the past 4 years.
He is happy to be playing in the NFL. This is really a stupid article. What NFL QB would not want the chance to start for an NFL team?
At this point it's surprising he hasn't quit on us. He'd be very justified. Consistently getting sacked 40+ a season. He gets all the blame for our ****ty coaching and ****ty defense. I'm not saying he doesn't have faults, but he could have asked for a trade or simply not try anymore until he gets onto another team. If Ryan and his agent publicly stated they weren't happy and would like a trade, some teams would start calling. Ryan would become the king of Los Angeles imo. (Though their line aint much either) It's surprising how professional he's stayed throughout everything. He's never thrown his line under the bus, barely even his coaches publicly.
Doing the things I placed in bold would be career suicide. No player is justified in quitting on his team. No teamates want a quitter either. He's done what a smart person would do who has a chance to play this game and get paid.
When you draft a QB high you should be confident in your choice and give him the tools to succeed. As this article shows this was not done. Be it the utter lack of confidence in him, the "babying" or the cluster **** know as our OL......
Not really... just don't sign the extension. Play, get paid here... go to another team and get paid even more and don't piss blood across the street.
Carson Palmer quit on the Bengals and the raiders at one point in his career. Jay cutler has never been much of a go getter. Eli manning refused to even get drafted by the chargers. And thats just qbs, guys like Haynesworth got paid once and never played hard again.
You think the Dolphins would let him go without franchising him? He's a top 15 QB you don't let them go. Kirk Cousins didn't have a choice. If the team wants you, you're not going anywhere. Ask anyone that has been franchised. Let's not believe for a second Tannehill is some how gracing Miami with his presence. He's paid $3 million less per year than one of the best QBs of all time in Aaron Rodgers. I don't compare guarantees when it comes to QBs not on the hot seat because they're going to get every dollar. He did this after having a decent but not stellar year. Hoping he becomes as good as Russell Wilson or Tony Romo or Big Ben is a huge leap. I do hope so, but the hopes are slim. Is his ceiling 2012 Matt Ryan? Perhaps, with a stacked team I can see that. That's not a terrible thing but the team is gonna need to be stacked to threaten the super bowl every year. There will be ups and downs.
Un****ingbelievable! we couldn't give Geoff Schwartz the vet minimum??? I can't believe how terribly run this franchise is...its truly embarrassing. And for a guy like Tannenbaum who would know more than anyone how important the offensive line is considering he had the best group in the entire league when the Jets made those deep playoff runs, a group he put together when he had two 1st round picks his first year as GM and used both on offensive lineman and soon after signed Alan Faneca to the richest deal any OL had ever signed at the time....shame on him. I never really had a ton of faith in him, but I was willing to take a wait and see approach....but this offseason has been flat out terrible. Mike could be digging his own grave. He better knock this draft out the damn park. I hope to hell he doesn't consider the OL fixed...I'd sign Vasquez and take a guard in the 2nd, like Joshua Garnett.
The question was if he would 'quit' the team... not if the team wanted to keep him. A little reading might have helped instead of leaping full bore into your dismissing RT. Rodgers deal is before RTs... compare Rodger's next deal to this one and then spout off about top QB salaries. Why can't a 'top 15' QB rise 4 or 5 places to get to Romo (no championships) status. Give him the same weapons and OL... then he will IMO. There are only 32 starters in the world... how could so much be his fault if he is in the top 15 already?
Reading? I read just fine. I know what the conversation is about. I'm telling you how you are WRONG. If the team wants him, he can't "quit" the team. He has no choice. You said he could just NOT sign the extension and move on. I'm telling you, he can't. And that has to do with the team that won't let him because of the franchise tag. Please read that, and tell me if you still don't get it. Rodgers is one example. He has the highest QB rating of all time (yes I understand rating inflation the past decade). Who has the 2nd highest? Russell Wilson. Who also, makes about $3m more per year and has vastly outperformed Ryan. By a country mile. Romo is not 10 or 11. Romo has been a top 6 QB since forever, and that's before all his weapons and OL. Brady, Manning, Rodgers, Brees, Ben and Romo. Rank him however you want, those were the best guys the past 10 years. Ryan would have to jump about 8-9 spots to get there. But you just proved my point. You are telling us, Tanny still needs to move up, to surpass QBs that he's being paid more than. There is no guarantee he's going to move up. He can stall. He can regress. Or he can move up. I have a hard time seeing Tanny ever become as good as Romo has been. We have now addressed the top 3 passer rating QBs of all time. In just this one post.
Why would a team want to keep a player that has 'quit'. Why would they franchise him? Who is WRONG? Who doesn't get it? The entire thread was why he hasn't quit being as the team basically has around him. You are AGAIN turning it around to talk down RT. An original post about how tough the guy is being turned into a 'RT is not as good as Rodgers or Big Ben thread'... BY YOU. I NEVER said RT needs to move up... I always say it is the factors around him. I would take him (at this point) over Romo right now. Romo has piled up alot of stats... that is about it tho. Are those garbage time stats? What is their playoff record during the Romo years? How much longer will he play? Will he make it thru this year? All legit questions.
I'm curious, the debate here, somehow, is that Tannehill isn't committed to the team, and the argument supporting that position is that he got paid good money and opted for that money because there was no way he could get paid anywhere else? And the support for that is the franchise tag would never have let him go. He'd have been on what, a perpetual franchise tag? That's all pure supposition. Sure, there's no physical evidence to prove Tannehill is committed to the team (other than choosing to extend), but there's nothing to suggest that all he cares about is money either. Except, perhaps, that had he wanted to, he could have waited to be tagged, played his rear end off, and let them tag him. It could well have proven quite profitable. The franchise tag for QB's this year is $19.953 million. The following year it would increase. The year after that it would increase again. And again. He's be getting increasing single-year contracts that would see him receive either 120% on the previous year or the average of the top five each year. The team likely couldn't or wouldn't keep him, he could play to prove himself each year and, of course, with salaries inflating all the time, each year that passes means a bigger pay off when the team lets him go - or he gets to see how the team adjusts that year and considers staying. It's possible he doesn't believe in himself and so he took whatever he could while it was offered, but even then, he'd have had to have some seriously low self-esteem because he has to know he's better than other QB's currently getting paid. What's the problem with thinking he's committed?
So Tannehill, supposedly, isn't worth $20 million...yet even those not sold on him know that the Dolphins wouldn't let him walk, so they would probably tag him...which would pay him almost exactly what he's currently getting paid. Weird.
You just said he wouldn't quit but would just move on. Now you're just moving the goalposts. Don't be that guy.
He's not moving the goalposts. He's asking, if Tannehill was just out there taking a paycheck, and wasn't invested in the team, why would the team franchise him? They'd potentially pursue a trade, if anything. If your QB makes it known that he wants out, I don't think most teams are going to franchise him, and it doesn't mean the QB is "quitting."
personally I don't think he believes in himself and is just happy to be playing in the NFL. kinda like "I can't believe this is happening to me." kinda thing
The guy played in a meaningless game with blood in his urine. That's not what someone just "happy to be playing in the NFL" does, that's someone who gives a damn, and shows it week in and week out considering the beating he takes.
[video=twitter;718125629309325312]https://twitter.com/JeffDarlington/status/718125629309325312[/video]
Yep, Tannehill is doing all that because "he doesn't care, he's just happy to be playing in the NFL." Thanks for the link, Galant.
No, that's not the debate. The original author is wondering why Tannehill hasn't quit on the Dolphins. Those who question that notion, think the reasons are obvious. He's getting paid handsomely, probably overpaid. He's not Tom Brady here getting $12-14m a year when he can get $23m. Nobody ever said "there was no way he could get paid anywhere else." And he definitely didn't give a discount. So the notion he's sacrificing something to stay committed to the Dolphins is laughable. Then the argument was, well he could have just not signed the extension, which was team friendly (it's only team friendly in that they can cut his *** after this year relatively pain free) and sign somewhere else. Which is silly. Because they can just franchise tag him and he'd never go anywhere. Ask anyone who held out because of the franchise tag. There is no problem with thinking he's committed. There is a problem thinking he had much of a choice. Like he is some how graciously playing for Miami despite all the bad situations Miami has put him in. That's silly. Nobody wants a franchise tag because this year he could blow his leg out putting together an Ikea table and never play again. So the team is offering you, two years before your contract is up, $11.5 million in bonus, guaranteeing your next two years salary, after you just had a middle of the road year statistically. I know resnor above is somehow arguing that we are now arguing he isn't worth $20 million. Some believe he isn't. But placing the franchise tag on someone doesn't mean they're worth that. Mike Wallace got $12 million. Several teams were willing to pay him that much. Is Olivier Vernon worth as much as he got? Well a team just paid him that much. So resnor your argument is invalid. What a player gets, and what he's worth, are two completely different values and teams get it wrong all of the time.
If you say so. Teams don't generally franchise players who they don't want. My argument above was that certain posters on here think he's not worth $20 million, I think you'd fall in that category, but you believe a team would place the franchise tag on him...which would make him worth around $20 million to the team. Tagging someone because you don't want to lose them, even if you don't want to pay them what they're asking, is much different than Vernon finding some team foolish enough to unload that cash on him. The better comparison, if using Vernon, is that the Dolphins DIDN'T tag him. Meaning, they don't think his value is that of a top five player at his position.