Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill to Be Mediocre Again?
By Luke Sims
Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has yet to prove himself more than average as a quarterback, which may force him to finally prove himself worthy of being Miami’s franchise QB in 2016.
The crowning of Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill as the franchise quarterback in the wake of Chad Henne‘s mediocrity felt forced. For a franchise still reeling in the aftermath of the Dan Marino years, it makes sense to push a new young QB as the franchise passer, but Tannehill’s coronation has yet to be backed up by his production on the field.
A year ago, Spin Zone’s Martin Bater declared that Tannehill “must step up.” This was markedly true before the 2015 season and during the Dolphins’ tumultuous start.
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The problem is that those types of statements and articles have surrounded Tannehill since 2013, his second season in the league. “Ryan Tannehill silences doubters” says a headline by Dan Salem, “Increased hope for Ryan Tannehill?” asks an article headline by Russell S. Baxter, and “Ryan Tannehill primed for a breakout season” writes Ehsan Kassim.
These stories continue now as this one is being written, even in the wake of 4200 yard season with 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His yardage went up to a career high but his touchdowns and interceptions were essentially constant (he’s had 24, 27, and 24 touchdowns in the last three seasons and 12 interceptions to 17 interceptions each of the last four years). The problem isn’t that these statistics are bad. The problem is that they aren’t impressive.
Maybe, just maybe, headlines should read “Can Ryan Tannehill silence doubters?” and “Is there any hope for Ryan Tannehill?” and “Ryan Tannehill primed to be mediocre once again.”
There is an optimism and hailing of success surrounding even the mildest of improvements for Tannehill. After four years in the NFL he finally averaged over seven yards per attempt and this is received as news that he’s ready to make the leap. Perhaps, it’s closer to the fact that he’s simply never going to be much better than 6.7 to 7.2 yards per attempt.
These are questions that need to be asked of Tannehill. He’s an average quarterback on the bubble of being good. He’s clearly not terrible, but he isn’t good enough to win games for the Miami Dolphins. He isn’t the kind of player that can throw the team on his back and carry them into the end zone and, ultimately, to victory.
Writing this isn’t to kick the Dolphins and their fans while they are down. It is to bring a bit of reasonable discussion into the narrative surrounding Ryan Tannehill. Each and every season can’t be declared a possible breakout for Tannehill, eventually that just becomes lunacy in the face of the production he actually delivers on the field.
It isn’t just those writing from the sidelines that bring it up either. Former Dolphins receiver Greg Jennings also recently cited Tannehill’s growth as something he wants to see in 2016. In discussing his former quarterback over at NFL.com, Jennings writes:
"can he take charge? Can he lead? Can he make the plays that he knows that he needs to make to be an elite quarterback? Can he be instinctive and just play football and not so much in a sense be robotic in doing what he’s asked to do? Can he not only do what he’s asked to do, but can he supersede that?"
What Jennings is getting at is the “it factor” that some quarterbacks have and others simply don’t. In light of his past performance, it’s difficult to argue that Tannehill actually has that “it factor.” He simply hasn’t shown that it is there and, if it is, he hasn’t been able to draw it out yet.
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It’s time for Tannehill to put up and prove he can actually be among the best or it’s time for the Dolphins to get more serious about addressing the QB position. Tannehill has been crowned the franchise QB but simply hasn’t produced to this point. If the Dolphins can’t get him to display the “it factor” they may be in danger of other teams finding the right kind of player at football’s most important position and surpassing the Dolphins.