Whether the Miami Dolphins sticking with Ryan Tannehill as their franchise quarterback is right or wrong remains to be seen. One thing is certain: Adam Gase, the new head coach, isn’t going to be trying to get rid of him anytime soon.
The Dolphins had an awful season end with a 6-10 record, as Dan Campbell took over from Joe Philbin after a 1-3 start and didn’t make things a whole lot better, but it did seem that the atmosphere was improved, with players actually playing under someone they like. Tannehill didn’t seem to be moving forward with similar numbers to his previous seasons, but now with Gase, previously a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, can finally make the leap forward.
Meanwhile, stories about Philbin run ins with the front office about Tannehill keep coming out. It seems that he has been trying to get rid of Tannehill since 2013. Philbin blamed Tannehill for the team’s issues on offense in 2013, trying to save the job of friend Mike Sherman, which didn’t work out for him. In the offseason, Philbin pushed for the team to draft Derek Carr, who ended up going to the Oakland Raiders. Philbin was less than supportive during the 2014 season, and really didn’t like Dan Marino, once he got a job with the organization, taking something of a mentor role in trying to support Tannehill.
Everyone knows how this ended: Tannehill is staying, with the huge contract. Philbin got fired, and will have to work his way up the NFL coaching ladder again. Gase supposedly knows a lot more about offense and will be much more supportive towards Tannehill, at least in the beginning. But if Tannehill isn’t the quarterback the front office thinks he can become, it doesn’t matter how much support he’ll get from the front office, it still won’t work.