Dolphins’ Tannehill Measures Up Against Other Rookies

Each week we will do a weekend recap of the NFL rookie QB’s play along with a running season to date total.  There won’t be a season to date this week.  Why?  Only because it’s the first week of the season and I don’t count pre-season.  So how did our young Ryan Tannehill measure up against his rookie brethren?  Quite well actually.

Ryan Tannehill:

20/36 for a 55.5 completion %.  219 yards with an average of just over 6 yards per completion.  0 – Td’s.  3 Int’s.  Passer rating of 39.

The tape of stats doesn’t look good for Tannehill but considering that he was sacked three times and pressured 14 times is a huge indication of an offensive line failure.  His three INT Performance can also be associated with both poor line play and poor receiving.  His first interception was all Legedu Naane who allowed the inside to the defender on a 5 yard slant route.  He never bothered to fight for the ball.  Jonathan Martin can be credited with one of the remaining two when he failed to engage DT JJ Watt allowing him to freely put his hands in the air.  Tannehill didn’t have the greatest of starts but he took his knocks, stood in the pocket, and made some nice reads and some very good throws.

Andrew Luck:

23/45 for a 51.1 completion %.  309 yards with an average of 6.1 yards per completion.  1 TD.  3 Int’s.  Passer rating of 52.9.

Luck’s NFL debut puts him 6th in the NFL rankings but don’t let the rating fool you.  He threw 45 passes and only completed three more than the Dolphins’ Tannehill.  His lone TD came late in the game when it didn’t matter.  Luck struggled with reads as was expected and his longest ball was a 26 yard strike.  He hit on 7 passes of over 20 yards which helped him throw over 300.  For now it’s comparing apples and oranges out of the gate.  The real drama will unfold as the season wears on and the QB’s get more acclimated to the NFL.

Robert Griffin, III

19/26 for a 73.1 completion %.  320 yards with an average of 12.3 yards per completion.  2 TD’s.  0 Int’s. Passer rating of 139.

There is no question that RGIII had the best outing of the rookie QB’s as he led the Redskins to a victory over the New Orleans Saints.  He was helped by the legs of another rookie, RB Alfred Morris who rushed 28 times for 96 yards and put two in the end-zone.  Griffin was buoyed by his first touchdown pass of the game, an 88 yard strike to Pierre Garcon.  Take away that one big play and Andrew Luck is the leading passer for the rooks in total yards on opening weekend.  Regardless, RGIII was poised in the pocket and delivered.

Russell Wilson

18/34 for a 52.0 completion %.  151 yards with an average of 4.5 yards per completion.  1 TD.  1 Int.  Passer rating of 62.5

Wilson struggled in his first game but the Seahawks spent more time trying to run.  The Cardinals brought a lot of pressure on Wilson all day long and sacked him three times. The Wilson led Seahawks almost pulled a victory off but Braylon Edwards let the ball go through his hands in the end-zone as time ticked off.

Brandon Weeden

12/35 for 33.5 completion %.  118 yards with an average of 3.4 yards per completion.  0 TD’s.  4 Int’s.  Passer rating of 5.1.

To say that Weeden had the worst outing of all the rookie QB’s would be an understatement.  His rating of 5.1 paints him as the worst QB in the NFL at the moment but Weeden simply couldn’t generate any offense.  He completed far less than 50 percent of his passes and looked lost most of the game.  Yet the Browns almost pulled off a big upset against the Eagles despite the lack of QB production.

Week 1:

Ryan Tannehill’s QB rating earned him the 2nd worst among the rookie QB’s showing the importance of at least one TD being thrown to boost that number.  The NFL doesn’t list redzone trips on their official stats page nor do they list dropped passes.  All in all, Ryan Tannehill didn’t lite up the scoreboard but the fact that he was pressured and knocked around as much as he was is an indictment on his ability to stay in the pocket and make the throw.

Only RGIII had a higher completion percentage than Ryan Tannehill but RGIII threw 10 less passes.  Aside from the passer ratings Tannehill’s debut is in line with the other rookie QB’s give or take a few stats here and there.  Overall his performance showed that he was no different at handling the pressure of the NFL at this early rate and for the most part came away with favorable marks despite the indications to the contrary by the passer rating of 39.

Tannehill also faced one of the best defenses in the Houston Texans.

We will have a better idea of how well Tannehill is progressing or regressing after the first month of the season is gone.  Next week we will see how or if he was able to improve.