For the past decade, the Miami Dolphins have had their share of below average seasons. This season seems to be different. The Dolphins seem to be on the right track, thanks to being led by new Head Coach Joe Philbin, and new franchise quarterback, Ryan Tannehill. There seems to be one word that everyone has used to describe the tandem: “promising.” I cannot disagree; the team looks very promising for the future.
I have to start with the front office of the Dolphins. General Manager, Jeff Ireland, is responsible for all player personnel decisions, which include trading, drafting, signing, and cutting players from the Dolphins roster. This job is not easy and usually comes with a lot of pressure from the fans. Many Dolphins fans have been advocating for the Dolphins to fire Ireland; I don’t agree.
Even though the fans are very important to the team, they do not always know what is going on behind the scenes of the organization. They don’t always think of the limitations that a team might face. If you look at all of the roster moves that Ireland has made, they are all thought out carefully, so that the team will work well together. The right pieces have to be put in place so that they fit the specific scheme by which Dolphins are trying to succeed. I believe that Ireland has pointed the team in the right direction with the hiring of Philbin and the drafting of Tannehill, and I believe he will make more roster moves to improve this team and give the fans something to cheer for.
Philbin, formerly offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, has made his presence known with the changes he has made since becoming head coach of the Dolphins. I have to give credit to Stephen Ross, the team’s owner, and Ireland, for hiring Philbin and starting a new era for the Dolphins. I think Philbin is the smart, levelheaded, player-friendly coach the Dolphins needed, and I expect great things from him in the near future.
Tannehill has been the biggest surprise of the season by not playing like a rookie. Don’t get me wrong — he still has things to learn, but for a guy who only started 19 games at Texas A&M University as a quarterback, he sure doesn’t show it. It helps when his college head coach, Mike Sherman, is now his offensive coordinator in the National Football League. This has benefited Tannehill since Sherman already knows Tannehill’s strengths and weaknesses.
Before switching to quarterback, Tannehill was a wide receiver for Texas A&M. Not only is it unusual for a collegiate football player to switch positions, but it is very hard to do so successfully. However, Tannehill defied the norm by finishing his college career winning 63 percent of his games.
The main concern about Tannehill coming into the NFL was that he didn’t have enough experience as a quarterback to successfully go up against NFL defenses. So far he has shown that he can play at the NFL level. He shows poise in the pocket and has become the long lost leader that the Dolphins have been looking for. I mean, they have only gone through 16 starting quarterbacks since Hall of Famer Dan Marino retired in 1999. I believe Tannehill can become the franchise quarterback that the Dolphins’ fans have been looking for.
