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Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill must step up

By Martin Bater

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Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Every week is like its own season in the NFL, and you could say that the Miami Dolphins start their new one this Sunday at 1 p.m against the Tennessee Titans under the helm of interim head coach and human fireball of emotion Dan Campbell. Most importantly, you could say that it is time for Dolphins´ quarterback Ryan Tannehill to step up.

With primary scapegoats like former head coach Joe Philbin and defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle out of the way, the onus is now on Tannehill to prove that he can be more than ¨Mr. Checkdown¨ and carry the Dolphins back to respectability.

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Miami is currently 31st in the NFL in points per game (16.3) and total offense while it sits 26th in net passing yards and its quarterback is 30th among all quarterbacks in total QBR.

It´s no surprise then that the Dolphins are 1-3, riding a three game losing streak and with a new coach at the helm. It remains to be seen whether Campbell can light a fire under a 27-year-old QB that seems to be regressing instead of progressing.

LOSE THE FEAR

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Tannehill´s public persona isn´t the problem here, he is saying all the right things before playing the Titans. Things that go in one ear and out the other at this point of his fourth year in the NFL.

“Now more than ever it is a one game at a time season,” Ryan Tannehill said to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Wednesday. “Our mindset right now is to attack the day one day at a time.”

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That is some inspiring speech right there, isn’t it? It lights a fire under the fanbase. No, it doesn´t. Tannehill´s words are like his screen passes on Sunday afternoons: Short, unpredictable and conducive to boredom and unproductivity.

Tannehill also said that ¨it comes down to executing the plays (the Dolphins) have¨.

Of course, yes, but it also should come down to taking risks and not being so scared of making mistakes.

Tannehill had a streak of 160 straight pass attempts without throwing an interception earlier this season before unraveling against the Buffalo Bills. That sounds impressive, Rodgers-like even, until you realize that it´s hard to throw an interception when you throw screen passes for a 1-yard gain on third down and long like he did in his last game against the New York Jets in London.

Miami’s only starter this season is 33rd in the NFL among just 35 quarterbacks with 6.32 yards per attempt this year.

The only other two are Matthew Stafford and Ryan Mallett, whose teams have a combined record of 1-9 and have benched both of them at some point already this season.

Tannehill hasn’t been sat down yet, but I would imagine his leash isn’t as long as it once was even with a brand new $96 million dollar contract under his belt.

It also comes down to Tannehill using his leg more and using his skills as a former wide receiver at Texas A&M more often to keep opposing defenses honest and his body in one piece behind a shaky offensive line that has been subpar even with left tackle Branden Albert, who hasn’t been healthy all year and missed the past two games but should be back against the Titans.

He did not forget how to do this:

Or this:

When Tannehill rolls out, his awareness increases seemingly along with his effectiveness and precision, so why not give him a chance to do it more often without fearing for his life in the process?

Look, the Dolphins should be dead in the playoff chase. But they aren’t.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills share the last Wild Card spot for the moment with shaky 3-2 records and, most importantly, three would-be direct rivals like the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs are even worse off than them at 1-4.

San Diego should also fall to 2-4 after their visit to Green Bay on Sunday.

However, what other teams do won’t matter one bit if the Dolphins don’t do their job and win their games.

The responsibility to get up off the mat starts with their franchise quarterback, will he deliver when needed the most?

Next: Where does Lamar Miller rank among best RBs?

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