Two months ago the kid was the next Dan Marino.
Now, to some, he's no better than his predecessor, and, ironically, opponent this weekend, Chad Henne.
Fans look around the NFL and see other rookie QB's, most notably Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, and RGIII, in the thick of a playoff race, and in the mist of impressive rookie campaigns.
And then they look at Ryan Tannehill, who is 5-8, has only thrown eight TD's, and possesses a passer rating near the bottom of the league, and they call him a bust, a fluke, another swing and a miss for the Miami Dolphins.
Ignorant. Premature. Sickening. Some other words I can't say in public.
I'm not saying Ryan Tannehill is the answer, no, what I'm saying is to compare Tannehill to his fellow rookie counterparts is like comparing apples to oranges. Peaches to pears. Whole milk to 2%.
Good teams to mediocre ones.
Andrew Luck has Reggie Wayne. Ryan Tannehill has Brian Hartline.
RGIII has Santana Moss, Pierre Garcon, and Alfred Morris. Tannehill has Davone Bess, Marlon Moore, and Reggie Bush.
Russell Wilson has Golden Tate, Sydney Rice, and Marshawn Lynch. Ryan Tannehill has Anthony Fasano, Rishard Matthews, and Marcus Thigpen.
Good teams, to mediocre ones.
And please, please, don't give me the "great QB's make their team better," talk, because, once again, that's just pure ignorance.
Ryan Tannehill is no where near a great QB yet! He's started a total of thirteen games in the NFL, and this on top of his nineteen starts at Texas A&M. That's 32 career starts at the position. Lets compare that to those other "great" rookie QB's fans are comparing Tannehill to.
Andrew Luck: 38 starts in college, 51 career starts at QB.
RGIII: 41 starts in college, 54 career starts at QB.
Russell Wilson: 50 starts in college, 63 career starts at QB.
Yet, fans continue to label Tannehill the problem, instead of the solution, because his team is 5-8.
I've got news for you, Ryan Tannehill is the absolute least of the Miami Dolphins worries right now.
Wide receiver, is a major worry.
Tight end, is a major worry.
Offensive line, is a major worry.
Cornerback, is a major worry.
Heck, Ryan Tannehill shouldn't even be put on that list; he's too young, too raw, too inexperienced to even be considered a problem right now. It's the ignorance of Dolfans all over that wrongly label Tannehill's struggles as a "bust." Instead, they should be labeled as "growing pains," or, how about this one:
"Absolutely nothing to work with."
Like I said, I'm not ready to crown Tannehill the next Dan Marino, but, nor am I at all ready to close the book on him before I've even gotten through the prologue. That would be nothing more than premature, ignorant, and just plain wrong.
Unfortunately, I seem to be in the minority right now.
But, knowing Dolfans like I do, that will all change with a good game this weekend.
What else is new?
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