Miami Dolphins: Tony Dungy, Jason Taylor speak against Joe Philbin’s handling of Ryan Tannehill
By Wes Goldberg
Following two-straight losses in which the Miami Dolphins showed an inability to move the ball on offense, head coach Joe Philbin is refusing to name a starter for Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders.
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On NBCSN’s Pro Football Talk Tuesday night, Tony Dungy and Jason Taylor took their turns criticizing Philbin’s decision (indecision?). Quotes via Barry Jackson, the Miami Herald.
Dungy said this is historically not a good situation for young quarterbacks.
"One of the first lessons I ever learned as an assistant coach working for Chuck Noll, and then Bill Walsh and Dennis Green, is that you don’t start a quarterback controversy…you’re telling everyone, ‘I’m not sure I believe in Ryan Tannehill.’”"
Former Dolphins great Taylor, who watched Miami’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs from owner Stephen Ross’suite, called it a “head scratcher.”
"If you’re going to make the change, then make the change. It’s Week 3 – I don’t think that change is warranted yet…you’re playing with a rookie right tackle, a backup center…if you’re going to try and put some doubt in the Raiders’ mind? Who cares what the Raiders think. Know who your quarterback is, and if it’s Ryan Tannehill, show him that support so he can continue to grow. Don’t put that doubt in the back of his mind.”"
Ross apparently has a lot of respect for both Dungy and Taylor, inviting both to his imaginary locker-room conduct committee that never ended up meeting. Still, it shows he regards what they think, and their opinions will matter to him.
It seems unlikely that Tannehill wouldn’t start Sunday, with reports even surfacing that Dolphins players have been told he will, but making this a story is entirely on Philbin. If he wasn’t really expecting Matt Moore to get the start, it makes very little sense why Philbin would create a controversy. The only logical reason is to light a fire under Tannehill, but the risks of harming his confidence don’t seem to be worth it.
Tannehill has struggled this season, though. Through the first three games, he has completed a career-low 56.5 percent of his passes for 624 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions with a quarterback rating of 74.1.
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