Miami Dolphins offensive woes a result of Adam Gase or Ryan Tannehill?

The Miami Dolphins are 3-1 and that is a fantastic start despite the huge loss to the Patriots in week four but is it Adam Gase or Ryan Tannehill to blame for the offense?

It would be easy to sit here and point fingers at both Adam Gase and Ryan Tannehill. The ineptitude of the Dolphins offense is concerning and injuries to the offensive line doesn’t help anyone. The running game has been non-existent for two weeks and their next opponent averages 31 points per game.

I need to preface this and I do not like doing that but readers need to know that this author believes the offense is trying to find its way. Still learning and still figuring things out. There is however a problem that Miami needs to fix sooner rather than later. In fact there are several.

When the Dolphins hired Adam Gase fans expected another “greatest show on turf” type offense. They haven’t seen but a few glimpses here and there and too inconsistent to believe that it’s coming. Slow starts have plagued this team dating back to 2016 and frankly they were never really fast starts under Joe Philbin.

Naturally fans want to see more. They expect more and I would assume that Adam Gase does as well. That is not what we are getting and the question is why? This has nothing to do with a blowout loss. The Dolphins are legitimately a 3-1 team regardless of who they beat. In fact, Miami has played from behind and won which is a good characteristic to have on offense.

Something needs to change and when you dive in to the “blame game” nothing really comes to the surface. But is it Adam Gase? Ryan Tannehill? Is it both?

Fans are well divided on the Dolphins starting quarterback and excuses run the table from no tight-end to poor offensive line play but isn’t Ryan Tannehill a mobile quarterback? Of course he is. So let’s start with Adam Gase.

MIAMI, FL – SEPTEMBER 09: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill of the Miami Dolphins drops back to pass against the Tennessee Titans at Hard Rock Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images) /

There is no question that the Miami Dolphins offense is slow despite some of the fastest players in the NFL being on the Dolphins offense. Adam Gase’s play calling has been questionable from the start of the season as well as dating back over the last two seasons. He is frankly too quick to abandon the run and too tunnel visioned with his approach.

Miami’s offense lacks grit and determination. There is no sense of urgency with the team. Sometimes that is a good thing. They stay level-headed and trust the process. They let the game play out but what they lack is the decisive attempt to dictate the games tempo and flow. Too easily they allow the opposing team to dictate that flow to them.

Miami struggles with three and outs. There are far too many and Miami can’t convert third and long situations something they find themselves in quite often. Mental discipline needs to be changed. Miami has far too many pre-snap penalties but this is nothing that fans don’t already know.

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One question is this. Despite Gase’s belief in Ryan Tannehill has he changed his approach to counter the quarterbacks faults? We see this with the constant bubble screens and quick throws to the outside for a few yards in the hope that the receiver can make someone miss and pick up chunk yards after the catch. Sometimes it works but more often than not it doesn’t.

Is Adam Gase taking things slow with Tannehill due to his knee issues the last season and a half? Tannehill is mobile but Gase keeps him in the pocket where he is far less productive. Where the offensive line needs to play perfectly and the receivers need time to get into their routes. This brings us to Tannehill.

Ryan Tannehill has closed the criticism book on not being able to make all the throws. He can throw deep and he can hit the outside as well as any other quarterback in the league but Tannehill seems to get rattled when there is pressure. He doesn’t suddenly make bad throws but he tends to lose his ability to go through his progressions and that tends to leave him throwing to the check down route.

Like the offense in general, Tannehill does not display that killer quarterback instinct that other young quarterbacks have. By now he should. Instead the impression is that he goes through the plays as practiced but if what they practice is not available on that play, aside from a ocassional run, Tannehill doesn’t buy enough time to make plays on his own. Does this hinder Adam Gase’s offensive system?

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the problem is and it very well could be both the coach and the quarterback. Tannehill is a smart methodical QB who can lead a team down the field. He can not however overcome the penalties or the third and long situations. Why is it that other NFL teams facing 3rd and longer than six run routes to the first down marker and Miami throws four yards short? This goes to what was said above, the offense seems more geared to the receivers catching the ball and making defenders miss.

It’s not working.

Miami has to attack that is what Adam Gase is supposed to bring to the table. If the quarterback can not execute that style of offense then the Dolphins should be combing the college ranks for one that can. That is not a knock on Tannehill.

I believe that Ryan Tannehill can be and for the most part, is, a very good NFL quarterback who loves the game and has the intellect to play the position but he needs a much bigger supporting cast to do that. He is far more a Trent Dilfer or a Matt Hasselback. In fact to keep this more in a Miami Dolphins line of thinking, Ryan Tannehill is a higher rated David Woodley. Capable of leading you to a Super Bowl but he is not going to be the reason you get there.