A few questions to Ryan Tannehill.

Everyone knows it, it's another big your for the dude. He wanted rid of Sherman, he got his way so he better perform. He's got the WRs in front of him, just hope the line works.

 

I have no doubt Tannehill is doing everything he can to be a success in the NFL. I just continue to wonder if he will ever be anything more than an average NFL starting QB.

He has terrible pocket awareness and he throws a very inconsistent deep ball. He really didn't show in college or since he has been in the NFL that he is the type of QB who makes the players around him better. Especially late in games when he hasn't shown he can lead the team down the field to secure victories.

Perhaps it will all come together for him in his third year as an NFL starter. To me this is a do or die year for Tannehill. He needs to show he is capable of leading this team to the playoffs. Another 8-8 season or worse season, will only show that he doesn't have what it takes to be the long term answer for this team at the most important position in the NFL.

No more excuses for Tannehill this year. He either steps up and performs at a consistently high level and leads this team to the playoffs or the GM needs to look for a possible successor for Tannehill in the 2015 draft. I hope he shows us all this year that he is the right guy for the job for years to come.

 

Is Ryan saying that in the past the team didn't spend enough time so that all the players understood their assignments?

 

If he's recognized around the league as at least an average NFL starter, he's then already the 3rd best QB in Dolphins history. And some people think thats not a good enough place to build from.

 

Saying he is the third best QB in the history of the Dolphins really doesn't mean much. The Dolphins had Griese and Marino, who both are Hall of Fame QB's and not much at the QB position since then..

In fact I would say that Pennington was the third best QB who ever played for the Dolphins. Unfortunately most of his productive seasons were as a member of the Jets.

When I look at Tannehill, I see a QB who has the tools to be a quality QB in the NFL, but many others have had the tools and never reached beyond being average at best. In fact I think if Matt Moore had been the Dolphins QB the past two years. The Dolphins record would have been at least as good as it was with Tannehill as the starter.

I don't know if Tannehill is the QB this team needs to build their future around or not. A 15-17 record as a starter leaves this question wide open at this time. Tannehill just needs to go out and lead this team to the playoffs in 2014 and he will have answered the question concerning if he is the right guy for the job? Another mediocre season with no playoff appearance, will only make it appear that Tannehill will never be anything but a mediocre NFL QB and that will not enough for fans who demand playoff appearances from this team.

 

I can understand the Tannehill detractors but as per every thread on RT the situations he has been put in need figured in too. No receivers then no line. I think we can all accept that he isn't Aaron Rodgers who can account for these failings but I then again, who is? Rodgers is imo the best in the league. Nobody thinks that of Tannehill, but I think he's still got the potential to be top 10. Looking at the last two SB winners, that'd be all you need if you build the rest of your team wisely.

 

PFF had Tannehill ranked 7 after the season. Are they perfect? No, but they're pretty decent compared to most sites. I fail to see how that's mediocre, unless you're just referring to the W/L record. Takes more than one guy...I wouldn't put last season squarely on RT's shoulders, even though there were areas he needs to improve, it was a solid 2nd year, all things considered.

 

Today, Griese would have been ran out of town after his second season. Took him 4 years to become decent. For his 13 year career, Griese only threw 20 more TDs than INTs and he was a 10 year vet in 1977 when he had his best statistical year, throwing 22 TDs, and 13 INTs. For his career he had a 56% completion percentage and had a 77.1% passer rating.

Tannehill is the best QB we have drafted in 30 years. He has come a long way the past 3 seasons between college and the pros and he still is rising.

Pretty much disagree with every single sentence of this :

He was the most improved QB of his class last season. He doubled his TDs and swung his TD/INT ratio .50+ swing to the positive. He also made positive gains in Yards, completion %, and passer rating. He pocket awareness has vastly improved as well and many of the deeper route issues were timing. You've seen more production from players like Clay and Hartline than you ever did prior to him being here. He has 5 come from behind victories in the past 2 seasons as well. He also put us in position to win several others each of the past 2 seasons only to either have the kickers miss FGs, the defense to crumble, or for the OLine to cost us the game.

This was the statement I liked in the OP:

 

I don't care how a QB is rated by some stats organization. I only care about wins or losses and right now Tannehill is 15-17 as a starting QB in the NFL. I'm certainly willing to wait and see how he performs this year before I call him a success or a failure as an NFL QB. He has no more excuses and therefore there is no reason he can't lead this team to the playoffs if he is the QB many think he is.

If they Dolphins make it to the playoffs, I'll be happy to anoint him the future for the Dolphins at the QB position. Anything less though, I would hope that the GM next year, Hickey or whoever it might be, drafts a QB to take over for Tannehill. It is all now up to Tannehill to take his game to the next level and show he deserves to be seen as the long term answer for the Dolphins.

 

15-17 with Tannehill as the starting QB the past two years. That is all I care about. The Dolphins would have had at least 15 wins with Matt Moore as the starting QB over the past two years.

As I have stated numerous times. I am happy to give Tannehill three years as the starter to get this team to the playoffs. If he does, great. We can all be giddy with the fact the Dolphins have finally found their answer at the QB position. If he doesn't, I just don't want to heard any more excuses for why he failed to do so.

Personally I like him as a person and I think he wants to become a quality stater in the NFL. I just question if he has the overall ability to get to that level. I guess we will all have a clearer understanding of his true abilities when this season is over.

 

That's exactly the mentality that SD had when they dumped Brees and drafted Rivers.

 

That 15-17 record is bull**** and you know it. Jay Fiedler was 36-20 or some ****. Ryan Tannehill outclasses that goof in every way.

 

SD didn't "dump" Brees. They drafted Rivers after 3 bad years from Brees. Brees visited (and still does) USC's Tom House (aka the QB doctor) and Brees had two strong seasons before suffering an injury prior to becoming a FA, that most people thought would end his career.

 

So, if Tannehill throws for 4500 yards, 35 TDs, 15 INT, a 90 rating and the team stays 8-8 and misses the playoffs because of the D and the running game, you want him gone.

If he throws for 2500 yards, 15 TD, 15 INT, a 75 rating and the team goes 11-5 on the backs of the D and running game, all is good?

You must yearn for the days of Fiedler....

 

Good point. I guess I could sum up my feel for where the team is best by saying I don't, for one second, believe QB is a concern, particularly in the draft, until several other areas are shored up to a reliable degree.

 

JW is Fiedler! It all makes sense!

 

Guys, tying a win/loss record to a single player in a team sport is NOT a good way to analyze a player.

 

Reading stuff like this, I always check my browser to make sure I'm not on the other site. Of course Tannehill had places to improve, but I wholly disagree with most of this post. Pocket presence is one thing, when there is a pocket to be in, but to look at what Tannehill went through last year, and attribute it to lack of pocket presence, is ludicrous.

 

We're recycling a bunch of old stuff here, without even the benefit of some new news to apply the old arguments to.

When I read about the precision expected by Bill Lazor in the offense, these are the things I think:

1. A bad line is the surest way to wreck a precision based passing attack
2. Probably means good things for Brian Hartline and perhaps Jarvis Landry
3. Probably doesn't mean good things for Mike Wallace
4. I'm not so sure that people who wanted to see Tannehill morph into a scrambling playmaker will get their wish

 

Nah, I just yearn for the days when the Dolphins actually had winning seasons. If Tannehill has the stats you mentioned, this team will be going to the playoffs, even if the defense is only average.

I have never stated Tannehill can't become a quality QB in the NFL. I just don't think he has shown in his first two years that he is the type of QB who makes the players around him better. Perhaps he will show that this year, but until he does, I just continue to question if he has everything it takes to be anything but a mediocre QB in the NFL.

Obviously some people on this forum are already prepared to accept Tannehill as the long term answer at the QB position. I'm not there yet, but I am certainly willing to see how he plays this coming season before I make my own decision if he is the answer or not. Sorry if my not buying completely into Tannehill after the first two years doesn't sit well with some people on this forum.

 

I am just looking for 1 or two more runs a game.

Nick Foles had 17 more runs than Tannehill and he is slower than my dead great grandmother, and she was cremated.

 

Nick Foles is surprisingly good at dealing with pressure.

 

Admittedly "dumped" was a poor choice of words because he left via FA. But SD gave up on Brees after only two seasons (which were rocky) when they drafted Rivers, only to have Brees develop into a franchise QB in year 3. Had SD stayed the course with Brees and built around him, who knows where that franchise might be.

Which is why I think JW wanting to draft another QB after this season to replace Ryan if the Phins don't reach the playoffs is throwing the baby out with the bath water (assuming Tannehill continues to progress)

 

It was 3 seasons, one with him sitting. You don't throw away seasons waiting, and when you have a franchise QB waiting there, you take him. When Brees played better, they kept playing him and left Rivers on the bench.

People forget how bad his injury was. People forget Brees' own doctor, James Andrews, was grilled by Saban for two hours. Dr. Andrews also operated on Culpepper. They sent both their MRIs out to 4 independent groups, including world renowned Dr. Russ Warren (Giants). They all said Cpep was less risky. Dr. Andrews himself, said he didn't think Brees would be ready by exhibition, and would only be able to throw short passes at the beginning of next season.

With that out there, and Rivers sitting there healthy, what are you going to do? That's how bad his injuries were. Nobody made the wrong decision at the time it was made. Hindsight turned out to be different, but presented with those facts the risks were too high.

Rivers isn't as prolific as Brees because San Diego doesn't throw as much. But he's every bit as good career numbers wise, it is uncanny how close their QBR, YPA, Int% and TD% are. You can almost swap them out. Brees throws 36 per game, Rivers 31. That's it. Everything else is really really close.

 

Surprising enough, Fiedler's first two years here matches up well with RT's QBR.

 

That defense too.

Remember when we were Super Bowl favorites pre-season, with Fiedler at the helm? Oi!!!

 

Your missing the point. I'm not questioning whether moving on from Brees in 2006 was the right decision, by then the die had already been cast. I'm questioning whether they panicked on Brees' development in 2004 by drafting Rivers.

 

Although Jay was never asked to shoulder much of the offense. I remember if he threw for 250 yards in a game it was a big outting for him.

 

Those four teams (2000-2003) had a winning season every year in spite of having a bottom 5 QB and bottom 5 HC. Just imagine how good they would have been with even an average man at both posts. 2014 Tannehill on the 2002 Dolphins.....Its a dream.

 

Not missing the point. Having two potential HOF QBs is never a bad thing. Drafting Rivers was perfect for when Brees destroyed his shoulder. The fact Brees recovered is a different matter.

Imagine missing on Rivers, then Brees destroys that shoulder, and you're left with a FA QB who's doctor says he might be limited to short passes all next season.

 

Ya...imagine they miss on Rivers and Miami gets him...

I was praying SO HARD for the Dolphins to draft him...trade up/down wtf ever...just land him!

Of course not...

 

I've always had a gut feeling that Philbin has some sort of "equation" wherein he keeps Ryan in the pocket ala Aaron Rodgers. I hope it pays off this season or Philbin looks like an idiotic contrarian considering Tannehill's prowess when bootlegging.

 

Don't forget Culpepper too.

 

Yes, it was Eli and Big Ben at the top, and Rivers and JP Loser at the 2nd tier. Then Rivers goes off impressing everyone and he leaps frog to the top. Really, really wanted him.

 

You can only play one quarterback.

Imagine having Brees and using that high draft pick on another position.

Also not trading Brees was really stupid of them.

 

Not me. I absolutely HATE Rivers. I've hated the guy since he came on the scene at NC St. Just an ugly throwing motion thats hard to look at, and his personality makes me want to vomit. No thanks.

Liked Brees a lot at Purdue, and would have liked to see the Fins draft him back when, but the guy I really wanted that year was Reggie Wayne.