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One of the best parts of the NFL is the way each week is its own entity. Whatever happened the week before does not matter. You go over the tape, work on repairing the areas you feel need improvement and you go back out on the field the following week and start all over.
Ryan Tannehill’s Week 2 performance for the Miami Dolphins is a perfect example.
Just like a bad hole during a round of golf, Tannehill felt the disappointment after his first game in the NFL became a nightmare of shanks and missed putts. Directly contributing to 17 Houston Texan points was no easy thing for the rookie to overcome, but just as you shake off the last hole and move on, Tannehill put his head down, worked on getting his passes up, and came to work on Sunday morning ready to play ball.
Watching Tannehill against the Oakland Raiders in his first game at Sun Life Stadium, it was easy to see he was in complete control of himself. As a critic of Tannehill since before the draft, watching him today was worth the slice of humble pie I was being fed. He completed 18 of his 30 attempts, scoring through the air, and with his feet. His passes were sharp and for the most part on target. All in all, he looked like a veteran quarterback used to performing at a high level.
Things weren’t all perfect for Miami’s young quarterback. While he did not throw an interception this week, he did have a hard time keeping the offense on the field, as the offense had to punt 7 times, 5 of them 3 and outs. Every team in the NFL knows they need to be on the field for the offense to have success, and while the 53% on 3rd down conversions is not horrible, it is something Tannehill and his unit will need to work on.
Tannehill did his part against the Raiders, and the play calling by Offensive Coordinator Mike Sherman was impressive. Tannehill had dropped back 25 times before Reggie Bush broke his first of his several huge runs of the day. In comparison, Sherman had called 19 run plays up to that point. The Dolphins were down 3 in the 3rd quarter and had not been able to get anything going since their first drive. It could have been easy to begin to rely on the pass, but staying consistent with the calls led to the Dolphins backfield breaking free and having a huge, 263 yard, day.
As long as Sherman keeps the offense balanced, Tannehill and Bush will get their moments to shine. This one, two combination could turn out to be a thing of beauty for the Miami Dolphins, especially if Tannehill can continue to compete with the poise he displayed today.
Jeff Everette is a Featured Columnist for www.RantSports.com, covering the NFL and NBA. Follow Jeff on twitter @jeverettesports, like his page on FaceBook, or add his Google + to your circles for all of his latest articles, thoughts, and rants.
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