Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Whenever a franchise selects a quarterback with a top 10 pick, the expectations across the NFL begin to soar.
The Miami Dolphins selected Ryan Tannehill with the eighth pick and the move was highly critiqued by many. I was a tad pessimistic considering he had only 20 starts under his belt as a QB with the Texas A&M Aggies. His universal skills have meshed well to the NFL game, and if not for such a stellar rookie class the Dolphins would be getting praised for Tannehill.
Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin both exceeded expectations, yet it’s still safe to say that Tannehill was par for the course in his first professional season.
Sure, the statistics aren’t beautiful, but the 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions that Tannehill threw in 2012 were indicative of just how risky this guy can be. There were games when he was incredibly aggressive, and when Brian Hartline is your top wide receiver the interceptions are going to come.
Not to mention, the confidence meter for Tannehill is only going to go up once he starts seeing Mike Wallace lining up next to him each Sunday. I would rather have a fearless quarterback than someone who is to afraid to heave it up down field. After a 7-9 campaign last year, the ‘Fins must hope that their quarterback can take another year under Joe Philibin and turn in an All Pro caliber campaign.
After winning the proverbial offseason championship with a few stellar free agent signings, the Dolphins’ focus now turns to their second year quarterback who can benefit from the lack of notoriety and take a seat on the young quarterback throne that Luck, Griffin, Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick all currently share.
