Dolphins Tannehill Not Team Expectations Keep Excitement Alive
By Brian Miller
Over on “Twitter”, you can follow me @Txmedic5 and follow our site at @PhinPhanatic, a good friend of mine, @MattyI (follow him too..great info) was asked a question about this season. “Is this the least excited you have been about a season?” His reply was yes or no and he expounded on that a bit later. As he points out, Ryan Tannehill is the reason this season should be exciting.
I have been excited about this season despite the poor lackluster play on the field thus far, even with all the gutting being done with the team. I just really could’t figure out why. Now I realize that what Matty said makes perfect sense. Ryan Tannehill.
When was the last time you got to watch a young QB develop in front of your eyes for the Miami Dolphins? Chad Henne? Pat White? John Beck? Aside from Henne, the others never really seemed like a viable option and Henne’s lack of energy and enthusiasm made him a quick target of fans disappointment. That’s not to say that at years end we will be wondering why on Earth they drafted a college kid 10th overall who had only 19 starts under his belt.
Ryan Tannehill represents what the other guys haven’t. A future. Hopefully a long and positive future. It’s not just Tannehill though. He comes with a brand new head coach in Joe Philbin and a new OC with Mike Sherman. The three of them bring hope to a beleaguered franchise along with a new system and way of thinking. How can that not make you exctited?
The truth is this team is not likely win a lot of games and you can sit and get frustrated and angry and throw barbs of hate towards Jeff Ireland, Bill Parcells, Tony Sparano, Stephen Ross, and every other coach, owner, and GM since Shula and Robbie but aside from raising your blood pressure what’s it going to get you? Nothing except maybe a few choice words from your significant other.
Instead, you can watch with a degree of anticipation each week as Tannehill takes his first steps to being the Dolphins future. He will have highs and likely a lot more lows but he is a rookie who has actually earned his spot at the top instead of inheriting due to his draft position. Regardless of his long term tenure with the Dolphins, this year for the first time since Dan Marino we get to see the maturation of the QB position and the QB. Do you realize that there is an entire generation of Miami Dolphins fans who have never seen this before? My father saw it with Bob Griese, I saw it with Dan Marino. Now my son gets to see it with Tannehill.
First round QB’s are supposed to develop. Some do it quickly some take a little longer but unlike guys like Henne and Beck, this is more than a simple drafting of a QB to compete. This is the drafting of a franchise QB. The Phins haven’t done that since 1983. It’s exciting. The results may make you wince on Sunday evenings, the play on the field may make you want to throw something at your TV, so watch Tannehill instead. Watch him grow. Hopefully he does. Either way, that’s worth watching.
Maybe, finally, the Dolphins will have something tangible to build around.
You know, I was fine with watching this years game at a bar instead of ordering Sunday Ticket. I think I might want to watch this years games with the ability to tape and rewind them. Thanks Matty, you just cost me 200 bucks!