Ryan Tannehill may not be Dolphins' QB answer, says Adam Schefter

[MikeO]

Weeden is old. RT is young

[EKnight]

Excuses! He hasn't improved on ANY of the baggage he had in college. Why is it that when Tebow doesn't improve his throwing motion from college to the pro's, he sucks and will never change, but RT is a rookie and gets room to grow? Stop the double standard BS. He hasn't grown or gotten better with any of the flaws he's has since he got in the league, and now 31 teams have game film on him. He's going to get crushed next year (and likely the next two weeks, since the Bills and Pats have already beaten him once through), like most second year QBs do, and I'm sure you'll have an excuse for that as well. RT is in Cleveland doing what he's doing in South Florida, he has to fight for his job. In Miami people are just so happy to have drafted "someone" to replace #13, they'll take chicken shit and believe it's chicken salad! -EK

[MikeO]

Excuses! He hasn't improved on ANY of the baggage he had in college. Why is it that when Tebow doesn't improve his throwing motion from college to the pro's, he sucks and will never change, but RT is a rookie and gets room to grow? Stop the double standard BS. He hasn't grown or gotten better with any of the flaws he's has since he got in the league, and now 31 teams have game film on him. He's going to get crushed next year (and likely the next two weeks, since the Bills and Pats have already beaten him once through), like most second year QBs do, and I'm sure you'll have an excuse for that as well. RT is in Cleveland doing what he's doing in South Florida, he has to fight for his job. In Miami people are just so happy to have drafted "someone" to replace #13, they'll take chicken shit and believe it's chicken salad! -EK

strictly you're opinion and I believe the vast majority of informed football people totally disagree!

[EKnight]

Well I've already posted two articles from people who DO agree. And every talking head who refers to the "three great rookie QB's" now is referring to Luck, RG3, and Wilson. RT isn't even being mentioned by most of them anymore unless it's either flat out negative (as per what I posted) or undercutting any praise with a "but" (as in "but he's still near the bottom of the league in XXX"). It took a while but the national media is coming around to what I've said since the get go. -EK

[Pappy13]

nearly the same stats (QBR: 75.9/72.4; TD:INT ratio: 0.83/0.82; yards: 2,929/3281; %: 58.7/57.2) but Weeden is fighting for his job in Cleveland and RT is still touted as a "Rockstar." How's that work? -EK

I'd say that's a problem with Cleveland more than it is a problem with Weeden. Expectations were too high.

[MikeO]

For every 2 articles of someone knocking Tannehill I can post 2 or more of people praising Tannehill (Mayock, Dilfer, Brandt...etc)

Just because someone writes an article and gives their opinion doesn't make them right or what they say gospel.

[Spider-Dan]

Two QB's with nearly identical W-L records (remember RT took what- 3 snaps in the Jets game? That win was Moore's not his), nearly the same stats (QBR: 75.9/72.4; TD:INT ratio: 0.83/0.82; yards: 2,929/3281; %: 58.7/57.2) but Weeden is fighting for his job in Cleveland and RT is still touted as a "Rockstar."

You posted "QBR" there but I believe you mean passer rating.  In 2012 QBR, Weeden's rating is less than half (26.1) of Tannehill's (52.5).  Given that (as you pointed out) they both have the same number of wins, this indicates that RT is contributing significantly more to his team's wins than Weeden is to his.  This shouldn't be surprising, given that in three of Weeden's five wins:

- CLE was +3 in turnovers at home vs. CIN and won by 10 points
- CLE was +7 (!!!) in turnovers at home vs. PIT and won by 6 points (i.e. Weeden's offense scored less than one point for each turnover!)
- CLE scored one first-quarter rushing touchdown at home vs. SD, Weeden did nothing for the rest of the game, and they won

The other two wins were a 3 point win at OAK (whom RT beat by more than 2 TDs) and a 23-point win at home against the other worst team in the league, KC (which, according to your analysis of RT last week, doesn't count).

Where is Weeden's signature game winning drive against a top-2 defense in the league, as RT did against SEA?  That's right, it doesn't exist.

If you want to crow about Luck and RG3 being better than Tannehill... well, they damn well should be.  If you want to argue that Wilson is better, that's fine too... he's played far better than anyone expected.

But Weeden?  Try to keep your bashing of RT somewhere within the realm of reality, please.

[EKnight]

I didn't say Weeden was better. My exact words- quoted from my post: "who is nearly the same QB that Tannehill is." So try to keep the fodder you create to back up your argument "somewhere within the realm of reality, please." -EK

[Spider-Dan]

I didn't say Weeden was better.

One of the issues with RT is that among the rookie QBs who have started all or most of their teams' games this year, he is the only one who has not improved his teams W-L record from last year, despite having an easier schedule than last year and depsite the opportunity to win late in games 7 times and winning only one of those, while the other guys have all already gotten more wins than in their teams' previous years.

[...]

A franchise QB has to be able to lead his team to wins inclose games. RT has whiffed on that against the Jets, Cards, Colts, Bills, and Pats. That isn't good. Luck has 4 already. Wilson and RG3 have 3. Even Weeden has 2 second half comebacks, to RT's one.

In every comparison you made, you either said that a) Weeden's stats are better or b) their differences are not significant.

But you're right: you didn't technically say that ANY of those QBs were "better" than RT.  You just said they had more wins, and more comebacks, and superior improvements from the previous year.  But not that they were "better."  Bravo.

And if you want to play the semantics game, I didn't say you claimed Weeden was better.  I just said, "But Weeden?"  It sure is fun to pretend context doesn't exist!

[miamid45]

Excuses! He hasn't improved on ANY of the baggage he had in college. Why is it that when Tebow doesn't improve his throwing motion from college to the pro's, he sucks and will never change, but RT is a rookie and gets room to grow? Stop the double standard BS. He hasn't grown or gotten better with any of the flaws he's has since he got in the league, and now 31 teams have game film on him. He's going to get crushed next year (and likely the next two weeks, since the Bills and Pats have already beaten him once through), like most second year QBs do, and I'm sure you'll have an excuse for that as well. RT is in Cleveland doing what he's doing in South Florida, he has to fight for his job. In Miami people are just so happy to have drafted "someone" to replace #13, they'll take chicken shit and believe it's chicken salad! -EK

O.K....stop the damn comparisons between a QB (Tannehill) and a sideshow in Tebow.  Tebow is a CFL QB at best....not accurate and a gimmick running the wildcat.   When we surround him with some weapons, the kid will flourish, not replace #13, but add to a team that wins with a solid defence.

[TUCO]

we're bitching and moaning over a guy who didn't play QB up until his junior year in college, was overlooked because of that...yet because he's not lighting up like Luck or RGIII he's not the long term answer???  are you guys watching the same player? for a relatively NEW convert to the QB position the kid has a hell of an arm, veteran-like pocket awareness and poise, has proven to be decent when mobile, and can read the defense pre-snap a la Peyton Manning...all this with a 50/50 run and pass gameplan and absolutely NO offensive weapons (just a couple decent pass catchers in Hartline and Fasano)...not to mention a very pedestrian defense...Luck has Reggie Wayne and a rising star in T.Y. Hilton, RGIII has a pretty good duo of Santana Moss and Pierre Garcon (i know moss isnt having a good year but he's still a threat) and a running game, Russell Wilson has a great defense, a great running game and a good duo of WR's (Golden Tate and Sidney Rice)....not to take anything away from those guys because they ARE taking full advantage of what they have and are having great seasons but it just bothers me how even Dolphin fans are snubbing their nose at Tannehill KNOWING he has nothing to work with...i understand the popular media talking heads are gonna focus on the rookie QB's who are slinging the ball 30-40 times a game because it's a good show but i believe Tannehill will only get better with more experience, a more competent game plan, and weapons...so stop spitting into the wind fellow Phinatics, we have our QB of the future...just let up on him and see how this next year's draft/free agency plays out

[Stinger24]

I still do not understand why everyone continues to feed this troll. That is all EK is. You can put out all of the articles or reviews you want. Make as many valid points about the lack of weapons Tanny has to work with. EK will still just find the one Internet guy who agrees with him and call you all stupid.

[MikeO]

Barry Jackson today put out a bunch of numbers that show how Tannehill compares over other ROOKIE QB's in recent years and over the last 30 years. Here is some of the article...

But Tannehill, with a mediocre supporting cast, also has outperformed several recent rookies who played in this pass-happy era. Consider:

### Since 1980, 51 quarterbacks have started at least nine games as rookies. Excluding the four that played in other leagues before going to the NFL (Jim Kelly, Dieter Brock, Jeff Garcia and Warren Moon), Tannehill’s 75.9 quarterback rating ranks 12th. (Robert Griffin III is first and Ryan Leaf is last, by the way.)

Except for Charlie Batch (a serviceable Pittsburgh backup in his 15th year in the league), the 10 others who rank ahead of Tannehill either are in the Hall of Fame (Dan Marino), excellent (Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger), solid pros (Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer) or young players on track for good careers (Robert Griffin II, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, Sam Bradford).

The average quarterback rating has increased about 10 points in the past 30 years, but Tannehill’s rookie rating margin over Troy Aikman (55.7) and John Elway (54.9) is considerably better than 10 points. Peyton Manning’s, by the way, was 71.2, and Eli Manning's 55.4.

And among 14 quarterbacks drafted since 2009 who started at least nine games as rookies, Tannehill’s rating ranks a solid sixth --- ahead of Andrew Luck (75.5), Brandon Weeden (72.4), Christian Ponder (70.1), Blaine Gabbert (65.4), Mark Sanchez (63), Matt Stafford (61), Josh Freeman (59.8 ) and Jimmy Clausen (58.4).

### Of those 51 who started at least nine games as rookies, Tannehill’s 58.7 completion percentage ranks 11th --- or ninth, excluding Kelly and Brock. Griffin and Roethlisberger are first at 66.4. Aikman was 52.9, Elway 47.5 and Eli Manning 48.2.

### Of those 51, Tannehill is 14th in passing yards per game (209), with Matt Leinart (212) the only bust ahead of him. This stat obviously is skewed by how the game has changed, but Tannehill’s rookie yardage average is comparable to Ryan (215), Dalton (212) and better than Seattle’s Wilson (192) and Eli Manning as a rookie (149).

### This, too, is encouraging: Among those who started at least 13 games, only Roethlisberger, Ryan and Griffin have thrown fewer interceptions as rookies than Tannehill’s 12. Sanchez and Stafford threw 20, Aikman and Freeman 18, Newton 17.

“I thought Tannehill would be very good to solid,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper said this month. “Great would be a stretch. But he has all the components you need to be a good starting quarterback – the size, arm, athletic ability, mindset and competitiveness. He needs to be more precise, but that will come. He’s made some great throws.”

As fellow draft analyst Mike Mayock told Joe Rose on WQAM recently: “The kid can play” but is handicapped because “there’s no vertical threat on a consistent basis. It’s almost like watching an offense in a red zone for 100 yards.”

Hall of Famer and former Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese mentioned last week how he became so much better when Miami acquired Paul Warfield.  He believes the same could happen to Tannehill if Jeff Ireland can find an elite receiver. “My three things are a quarterback needs to be accurate, needs to be a playmaker and make good decisions,” Griese said. “He does all three.”

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/

[EKnight]

The more outlandish, ridiculous stats that you post trying to validate that he's a "Rockstar," the more desperate you look in doing so. Three years from now when Miami is looking AGAIN for a QB, I'm sure you'll have a bunch of outlandish, ridiculous excuses. The most important stat- the only one that matters- is winning games. Out of the five big name rookies, RT is has one of the top defenses, a solid run game, and is the only one to not yet get more wins than the previous year. And he's had plenty of chances, with four missed opportunities to win games late. Keep digging up stats on Rockstar Tannehill, though. It's entertaining to watch so many heads in the sand about him. -EK

[Spider-Dan]

Out of the five big name rookies, RT is has one of the top defenses, a solid run game, and is the only one to not yet get more wins than the previous year.

- WSH has the #1 rushing offense (MIA's "solid run game" is #16)
- SEA has the #3 defense and #3 rushing offense (MIA's "top defense" is #17)
- IND's receivers are far superior to Miami's
- CLE has a worse record than MIA

The majority of your argument seems to be based upon "Matt Moore was better than Colt McCoy, Curtis Painter, and Rex Grossman, therefore Tannehill sucks."