The 2010’s are a generation of entirely new, young, and talented quarterbacks; quarterbacks that have serious potential to become one of the NFL’s greats. From the quality late-game leadership of Andrew Luck, the accuracy of Russell Wilson and Nick Foles, and the mobility of Cam Newton, it’s easy to see why these quarterbacks are getting the buzz they’re getting.
However, there’s one talented young quarterback that’s gone under the radar.
Ryan Tannehill.
The 25-year-old quarterback is entering his third year in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, having become the first Dolphins quarterback taken in the first round since the legend himself, Mr. Dan Marino, back in 1983. After a pretty successful career at Texas A&M, in which he threw 41 TD’s for 5,450 yards and a completion percentage of 69.2, Miami took a shot on drafting him with an early pick.
It didn’t loom like their plans worked immediately. In his first start against the Texans, Tannehill played exceptionally poor, throwing for no touchdowns and three interceptions and a passer rating of 39.0, in a 30-10 loss. Though he rebounded the next game in a 35-13 win over the Raiders (throwing for 200 yards, a touchdown, and a 91.0 passer rating), he finished the season only managing to throw for 12 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and amassing a 76.1 passer rating, as well as throwing three interceptions in another game (against the Titans in a brutal 37-3 loss), despite throwing for 3,294 yards on the season.
Despite having an on and off 2012 season, Miami named Tannehill the starter heading into the 2013 season. All off sudden, things changed.
In the very first game against the Browns, Tannehill completed 63.2% of his passes for 272 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and a passer rating of 82.3 in a 23-10 Dolphins victory. The very next game, he had no turnovers, completed 67.6% of his passes for 319 yards, a touchdown and an impressive rating of 107.4, while leading Miami to a close 24-20 victory over the Colts. After week three, the Dolphins were 3-0.
After that week two game, Tannehill’s numbers went all over the place for a while. But by far his greatest game was the matchup against the Patriots at Sun Life Stadium. In this game, Tannehill completed 25/37 passes (67.6%) for 312 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a passer rating of 120.6, all in an upset 24-20 victory over New England.
After that, Tannehill only threw one touchdown and three interceptions in two games for a combined passer rating of 43.9 and a combined completion percentage of 43.5. However, Tannehill showed significant improvement over 2012, completing 60.4% of his passes while throwing for 3,913 yards, 24 touchdowns (doubling his 2012 TD rate), 17 interceptions, and finishing with a passer rating of 81.7.
All in all, while 2013 wasn’t by any means an “elite” season for him, Ryan Tannehill drastically improved in his sophomore year in the Sunshine State. His turnover rate increased, but so did his touchdown rate, and he looked a little more accurate in 2013 in addition.
Tannehill has proven that he has a great arm, and step-by-step is getting more consistent. Obviously, however, he isn’t close to being perfect (which is fine since he’s only played for two years). His TD-INT ratio is everywhere, from 0-3 in some games to 3-1 in others. He just needs to make smarter throws and have better pocket presence to ensure that he can be the Dolphins franchise quarterback.
Even though Tannehill has flaws, not all of them can be placed on him. In 2013, the Dolphins offensive line was the worst in the NFL that season. Allowing 35 sacks in 2012 (14th most that year) wasn’t exactly the sign of a strong o-line, but in 2013 they gave up 58 sacks, tying the 2012 Arizona Cardinals for most sacks given up in the 2010’s.
While Tannehill has been responsible for some of those sacks (you can only go so far by not releasing the ball quick enough), it doesn’t help that the line put him in that situation for the most part. One could say 2013 was a statement year for him by making progress despite bad protection.
So do I think Ryan Tannehill has the makings of a great quarterback? Absolutely. The improvements he’s made have been many, including leading the Dolphins to four 4th quarter comebacks and three game winning drives in 2013, as opposed to 2012 where he only led Miami to one 4th quarter comeback and game winning drive.
It’s safe to say that I’m rooting for Tannehill come 2014, but it’s for the best that he remains under the radar by most media. I fear that hyping the young quarterback would bring a lot of pressure to force himself into becoming a star. His current status right now is fine by me.
Tannehill has also been one of the few bright spots for a team plagued by the Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin fiasco, as well as a dysfunctional locker room. I think the 25-year-old has a bright future, and an improved offensive line would go a long way for Miami.
All eyes will be on Ryan Tannehill in 2014. Or at least my eyes will be.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LastwordKinsley. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Interested in writing for LWOS? We are looking for enthusiastic, talented writers to join our Football writing team. Visit our “Write for Us” page for very easy details in how you can get started today!
Football fans…check out our two partnered NFL podcasts – Thursday Night Tailgate Radio and Overtime Ireland. Both shows bring you interesting commentary, critical analysis and fantastic guests including former and current NFL players, coaches and personalities.
Stats via espn.com and pro-football-reference.com)
Main Photo: