Ryan Tannehill Can & Should Start For The Dolphins

David Garrard may be the former pro-bowler and Matt Moore, the hot hand; but Dolphins rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill is the future, and that future is now.

I’ve long been a proponent for grooming young quarterbacks, but lately, the idea of throwing rookies into the fire has grown on me.

With the way the league has evolved over the last few years, more and more young quarterbacks are achieving early success. From Matt Ryan to Andy Dalton, the list of examples is pretty strong.

Granted, pundits everywhere throw out successful examples of players being groomed but I’ve come to realize, Ryan Tannehill is going to be successful if he’s meant to succeed.

If he possesses the “IT” factor, he’ll find his way to succeed.

I believe, if Aaron Rodgers or Carson Palmer were thrown into the fire, they would have succeeded in finding their way because of their overall make-up and “IT” factor.

Chad Henne was groomed and failed because his make-up was flawed and didn’t have “IT”. Blaine Gabbert looked lost last year, because it’s clear he doesn’t have “IT” either.

I’m not saying Tannehill has “IT”, it’s too early to tell, but it makes no difference if he starts this year or next in order to find out. I don’t think sitting a year benefits him because he doesn’t need to learn the offense or get physically stronger to play the pro game.

All he needs is experience and there’s none better than the one he’ll get in live action with the bullets flying.

Pundits have expressed concern about his lack of college starts, but Cam Newton and Mark Sanchez were both picked higher with less starts and produced record seasons and playoff wins in their respective rookie seasons.

I don’t look at his number of starts at the quarterback position as a hinderance because he has 4 years of overall starting experience in the Dolphins new offensive system.

Tannehill has all the tools to play the position with the knowledge to run the system effectively, he can and should start from day one, fast forwarding his acclimation to the speed of the pro game.

With the exception of an elite receiving target, the Miami Dolphins are built to support a young quarterback, their strong defense and formidable ground game are things they’d depend on even if starting one of the veterans.

If Tannehill’s going to succeed, it’s not going to be because he was or wasn’t brought along slowly. That success solely hinges on whether he has “IT” or not.

I believe he does and for the sake of Dolphins fans everywhere, I hope I’m right.