Has the finger-pointing stopped in Miami or are we just on a break?
How do you view a QB who has thrown for 15,000+ yards, 87 TD’s and a completion percentage of 63% in his first 4 years in the NFL?
Some may call it a failure, while others may say he is right where they thought he would be. Ryan Tannehill has never missed a start, but he has never made a start in the playoffs either. That, to Miami Dolphins fans is the only stat that matters. But how much of that falls on the shoulders of the QB?
This is a QB who just inked a deal to make almost $18M+ in the next few seasons but what exactly are the Dolphins paying for? Last season he built chemistry with 2nd year WR Jarvis Landry as he caught 110 passes for 1100+ yards and 4 TDs but after him the production was suspect. Tannehill must find a way to get the ball into the hands of TE Jordan Cameron more, more so now with the departure of RB Lamar Miller. There are no excuses as I have seen throughout the season that he doesn’t have any true weapons but look at Tom Brady and what he does every year with no name receivers or what Cam Newton was able to do with players like Greg Olsen and Ted Ginn.
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Miller wasn’t awful as the featured back in the Fins offense, he just didn’t touch the ball enough throughout the seasons to take pressure off Tannehill. There are reports that the Dolphins are interested in signing Houston Texans former back Arian Foster and while his durability may be an issue he will be an upgrade over anything they have on the roster now. If he is signed then the Dolphins must look into another receiver to help Landry on the outside. If you want your QB to play at an elite level at least try to surround him with some sort of talent.
Looking back at the 2012 draft he has more passing yardage that Brock Osweiler, Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin but each one of those players has been to the playoffs and two of them have a Super Bowl ring so where does that leave Tannehill?
On the outside looking in, while that may inspire some we have yet to see what drives Tannehill. One thing is for certain is that he is the leader of this team. The Dolphins will go only as far as his arm will take them but he has to trust in himself and his teammates in order to get the job done. Does he have that in him is the question? 2017 will be more like an audition year for Tannehill to decide if he should remain the QB of the future for the Fins or if they should pursue other options.
Tannehill is good but the Dolphins need him to be slightly better.