VIDEO – Pro Player Insiders caught up with Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill behind the scenes at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles. The Dolphins have struggled recently to find their quarterback of the future. Actually, to be fair, they’ve struggled at quarterback ever since Dan Marino retired in 1999. This offseason, they flirted with everyone from Peyton Manning, to Matt Flynn, to Alex Smith before bringing in former Jaguars starter David Garrard and then drafting Tannehill with the eighth pick overall in the first round.
“I just want to go and compete first off,” Tannehill said. “We have some good guys on the roster already and I want to go and compete with those guys.”
Tannehill recognizes that Miami has some quality players to compete with. Garrard was a solid starter for Jacksonville before missing all of last season recovering from back surgery, and Matt Moore looked very solid in stretches last year, throwing 16 TDs and 9 INTs and finishing the season with a very respectable 87.1 passer rating. Obviously, the team was looking aggressively for another quarterback, that they weren’t sold on Moore to carry the team to the next level.
The door is wide open for Tannehill, and quarterbacks selected in the top ten are generally asked to start sometime in their first season. But Tannehill emphasizes his willingness to compete and the positives he brings to the team. “I want to go out and compete. I want to use my athletic ability, as far as my arm strength, being able to move the pocket, and just lead the team down the field.”
Also, the Dolphins have a new coaching staff and a new offense, one with which Tannehill is very familiar. New head coach Joe Philbin came over from Green Bay, and brought in Mike Sherman as his offensive coordinator. Sherman was the head coach at Texas A&M from 2008 to 2011, where Tannehill started and shined for the last two years. This is one case where the rookie may have an advantage in knowing the offense better than the veterans.
Tannehill agrees, “I think that playing in the same offense, and kind of transitioning to Miami with the same offense will really help.”
It looks like Tannehill couldn’t have landed in a better spot – he has his college coach running the offense, a head coach that is famous for developing young, athletic quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers has turned out pretty well) and is with a team that seemed to be on the upswing last season after a dismall start. Even the town he landed is seems perfectly suited to his personality and hobbies.
“I love fishing, so I think I’m in a good spot in Miami,” Tannehill said. “Deep sea fishing is only a half mile or a mile off the coast. Tons of lakes and inlets around.”
And his other favorite off-field activity is golf. “Golfing is great, there are tons of courses in the Miami area. I think fishing and golfing are two of my favorite past times, and I think I landed in a great spot for both of those things.”
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