I was asked the other day by one of my best friends what do you think of Ryan Tannehill going to the AFC Championship game with the Tennessee Titans? I told him that I was very happy for the success Tannehill was having and I’m madder at the Miami Dolphins front office for not putting the right players in place to help in succeed like he is with the Titans.

People can say all they want about Tannehill, but with the constant changes the Dolphins made at head coach, front office, players, etc. Tannehill never complained once or ask to be released or traded like some players might. He came to work every day and worked his tail to try to improve as a player and leader. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough no matter how hard he tried. Tannehill isn’t a game changing franchise quarterback like Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady, but he’s a solid player who manages the game. In the playoffs, he’s been asked to manage the game and make plays when he has too because the Titans are a running teams and Tannehill fits this team perfectly since replacing incumbent Marcus Mariota.

The Titans are a great fit for Tannehill because they have a better offensive line and a battering ram running back in Derick Henry, who carries the ball 20-30 times a game and wears the defense down. Tannehill makes plays when he has to with his arms and legs but isn’t asked to carry the whole team as evidenced by him throwing for only 150 yards total in 2 playoff wins. This is the perfect situation for Tannehill where he doesn’t have to carry the team and be somebody he isn’t at quarterback. The Dolphins tried to make him a quarterback who could carry the team, but that isn’t Tannehill so after the 7 years the team traded him and went in another direction. This was good for both Tannehill and the team. The Dolphins needed to rebuild their roster and Tannehill needed a fresh start elsewhere.

Tannehill’s best season with the Dolphins was in 2016 when the team was running the ball with Jay Ajayi and Tannehill making plays when he had too. However, Tannehill’s season was cut short in a late season game with a knee injury. It was a turning point for him because he was starting to settle in and then the injury cost him not just the playoffs, but the ultimately the 2017 season. The team was different last year as Ajayi was gone and there was no running game and the Dolphins had no offensive line. The Dolphins never surrounded him with the talent on the offensive line and he was sacked more than any quarterback in the league. The line had a lot of injuries as well, but the team never brought in talent to build quality depth. The Dolphins also never had a running game, like in 2016, or a commitment to the run they always put the game in Tannehill’s hands. As we are finding out that isn’t him no matter how hard he tried.

After the Titans win over the Baltimore Ravens last weekend, former Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace tweeted Tannehill wasn’t the problem it was the toxic environment. Look the locker room wasn’t was best situation especially after the bully gate scandal, but Mike Wallace shut up you were a big problem when you were with the Dolphins. You never ran good routes, never practiced hard, and you never worked on your game after practice with Tannehill to get better on the field. Not only your last game with the team, you stood in front of your locker and had a teammate answer questions for you and you smiled. You weren’t a saint with the Dolphins, and you were part of the problem.

If the Dolphins front office brought in better players and the coaching staff took pressure off of Tannehill by committing more to the running game perhaps things could have been different. Tannehill is in a better situation and the curse continues of players succeeding elsewhere, but Tannehill, unlike some other players who left on bad terms for whatever reason, was the ultimate professional and did everything he could, and it just wasn’t good enough. As a fan I find myself rooting for him and I hope he continues this playoff success with the Titans.

 

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