Report: 2014 Will Be Make Or Break For Tannehill

This report hit the internet this morning, courtesy of CBS.com's Jason La Canfora.

And yes, it forced me to come out of my offseason hibernation about 3 weeks earlier then I had intended to (free agency).

Here are the bullet points:


- The big take away from reading this was the state of QB Ryan Tannehill and head coach Joe Philbin. An excerpt:

"He definitely wants to push Tannehill more," said one source who has spoken to Philbin about the quarterbacks, "and if he doesn't see improvement he said he might go to Moore at some point. He definitely has a lot of faith in Moore, and they're paying him a lot of money."

Now, I absolutely do not know whether this is accurate or not.  Nobody follows the Miami Dolphins more than I do, and I can tell you right now that not one time during the season was there even an inkling that Moore could replace Tannehill.  However, after struggling down the stretch, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case now.

Personally, I have no problem with competition for Tannehill.  Competition is good.  Competition gets you the most out of your players.  BUT, Matt Moore is going on 30 years old this August.  How much good would it really do the organization to have Moore replace Tannehill?  IF this were to happen, my guess is that Philbin would be fired, Moore and Tannehill would be gone, and a new regime would start over with a new, rookie QB in the 2015 draft.

It just doesn't make sense to start over with a 30 year old QB.  

Another thing to consider:  New GM Dennis Hickey is pro-Tannehill.  No, he hasn't said it.  But he's showed it.  Remember, the first thing Hickey did when he got the job was buy his son a Ryan Tannehill jersey.  Subtle, yes.  But very, very telling.

There's no doubt that Tannehill is your starter going into this season.  He threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 24 TD's last year, behind an historically bad offensive line and with little to no running game.  He earned a third year.

BUT, make no mistake about it:  2014 will absolutely be make or break for him.

- According to La Canfora, CB Brent Grimes is a "top priority" this offseason, and he's either going to be signed to a long term deal or franchise tagged.  Either way, he'll be back this season.

- The team, according to the report, also will rebuild the entire offensive line with the exception of center Mike Pouncey.  An earlier report this week also said that Joe Philbin wants to go after Chiefs LT Branden Albert.  Remember, Miami went after him last season and a deal could not be reached.

- The final take away from the report is this:  Both Paul Soliai and Randy Starks will be free agents next month, and only one will most likely be back with the team, not both.  This is nothing new, and my best guess is it'll be Soliai.  He wants to be in Miami, and has showed in years past that he'll do it for a lesser price.

Okay, back to the offseason.  The blog will make a brief return for a few weeks once free agency opens up.  Until then, I leave you with this depressing thought:

Only 7 months until the season opener.