Ryan Tannehill is the Least of Miami’s Problems

Sep 14, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) throws a pass during the second half of the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Dolphins 29-10. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

On September 23rd, Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin suggested that he may be benching Ryan Tannehill against the Oakland Raiders and for the weeks to come. That said, such a possibility was denied by offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, as well as Tannehill himself. When Lazor was asked about the possibility of Tannehill being benched, he simply answered “No.” During Tannehill’s opportunity to speak on the topic, he said that it did not feel good to be spoken about like that and that it was an unneeded distraction.

“It creates a bunch of stir and a bunch of distraction in the locker room…” -Ryan Tannehill

On paper, Tannehill’s season has been unflattering. Through three weeks, he has a 56.5% of completion, five yards per attempt, and just 208 passing yards per game. All of such numbers are well below acceptable, but one does not have to be Daniel Jeremiah to see that Tannehill’s on-field performance has exceeded what his numbers suggest. Of course, Tannehill has had his fair share of personal mishaps, especially in the red zone, but much of the offense’s struggles and Tannehill’s poor numbers are a result of factors aside from Tannehill.

As everyone knows, the Dolphins shocked the New England Patriots in week one. Correlation does not mean causation, but it is not uncanny that Miami’s only win thus far has came when Knowshon Moreno played the entire game (Moreno was injured early on in week two). Against New England, Moreno was the catalyst for the offense that allowed pressure to be taken off of Tannehill’s shoulders and onto Matt Patricia’s, New England’s defensive coordinator.

With the New England defense having to respect the run, Tannehill was enabled to function with less pressure. Unfortunately, no matter how calm and poised Tannehill was able to feel, some things were out of his control. On two occasions against New England, a delayed blitzer flew into the backfield nearly untouched.

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What were the tackles doing on these plays? In both instances, the tackle kicked inside to help out the guard immediately, as opposed to waiting a moment for the possible edge player to show his hand. Luckily, the first of the two free rushers did not get to Tannehill prior to the ball being thrown, but he sure was able to pummel the Miami quarterback. Of course, sacks are expected to happen, but to happen in this manner is unacceptable.

While the offensive line is still a revolving door for the most part, the most prominent issue lies in the hands of Miami’s receivers- literally. Every pass catcher on the Miami Dolphins offense has been an offender of bad drops. Whether it be Dion Sims dropping a flawless deep throw, Brandon Gibson dropping a well-placed crossing route, or Charles Clay letting a slant throw hit his chest and then the ground, the “dropsies” have plagued Miami.

Similar to the “dropsies,” there have been incidences of flat-out poor plays on the ball. In the final quarter of the Buffalo game, Tannehill threw a deep pass to Brian Hartline. It was not a perfect pass, but it was out of reach of any defender. Had Hartline made a more devoted effort on the ball, it would have been his. Instead, he let it hit the ground just outside of his hands (note: Hartline was still upright, he had done nothing more than bend down for the ball).

On another occasion, Tannehill hit Mike Wallace on a great deep throw on the right sideline of the end zone. Despite all the room and time that Wallace had to adjust, he still failed to get two feet in bounds. For most receivers, it was a routine touchdown catch. Although, Wallace had one of his “moments” and botched another routine play.

Below is a display of both poor offensive line play and poor ball skills by the receiver.

To be fair, Tannehill has had his deficiencies as well, most notably his struggles in the red zone. When Tannehill finds himself in the red zone, he seems to get tunnel vision. Prior to the snap, or right at the snap, Tannehill will prematurely lock on to a target and stick to them. Now, some plays are simply designed that way, but there were clear instances in which Tannehill blew off other reads for a predetermined target.

On top of his mental mishaps in the red zone, Tannehill tends to throw at tight windows, even though he can not always display the touch to fit such windows. To some extent, that is a result of his mental mishaps, but it is also a testament to him being overconfident at times. This was exposed most clearly against New England, despite the victory. Twice, Darrelle Revis (I know, I know, but still) had obviously tight coverage on Wallace, yet Tannehill tried to make the throw happen regardless. Tannehill got lucky once as the ball was tipped and caught by Wallace, but both passes could have easily been interceptions.

When looking at Miami’s offense as a whole, it should be rather clear that Tannehill is not the central problem. He has certainly been a portion of why the offense has been having trouble getting going, but it is the many other factors that ultimately paint most of the ugly picture. If Tannehill is ever sidelined for any non-medical or non-legal issue (which is unlikely), it would be a detrimental mistake on Philbin’s part and may give enough reason to instantly fire him. For the sake of the franchise, one can only hope that this situation works out in favor of Tannehill.