The NFL is a quarterback driven league, and for much of
the 21st century the Miami Dolphins haven’t had a good one. From 1983-1999 Dan
Marino started 240 of 269 games for the Dolphins. Since that time, 240 games,
21 different quarterbacks have started a game for the Dolphins.
The once proud franchise, owners of the only undefeated
season in the Super Bowl era have languished between mediocrity and downright
futility since Marino’s retirement.
Marino’s career record
over those 240 starts 147-93, a winning percentage of 61 percent. The 21
quarterbacks who have come after him have gone 107-133, a winning percentage of
44 percent.
Marino brought the Miami
Dolphins to the playoffs 10 times in his 17 year career. In the 14 completed
season since his retirement the Dolphins have made the playoffs a resounding
three times.
So
who can save the Dolphins and their terrible track record post Marino? Well the
answer is of course Marino.
Allow
me to explain. In the 2012 NFL draft the Miami Dolphins held the 8th overall
pick, they were not going to be able to trade up to draft Andrew Luck, or
Robert Griffin III so they decided to draft Ryan Tannehill out of Texas
A&M.
Most
people saw this as an extreme reach, and Tannehill as a project at best.
Someone who had all the pieces to the puzzle, but would need good coaching to
fit them together. He won the starting job out of camp and became the first
rookie to start at quarterback for the Dolphins. He played decently but didn’t
blow the doors off of the NFL, in his 32 starts he went 25 and 17, passed for
7,207 yards with 36 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.
These
number aren’t too bad when it comes to rookie stats, but his mediocrity was
compounded by the fact that his fellow quarterbacks drafted in 2012 had made
the playoffs a combined 5 times, and won a Super Bowl.
The
beginning of the 2014 season wasn’t great for Tannehill, after three games the
Dolphins were 1-2 and head coach Joe Philbin was noncommittal when it came to
whether Tannehill would continue to start for the Dolphins.
Enter
Dan Marino, the Dolphins have quietly brought Marino in to mentor Tannehill at
how to play quarterback in the NFL.
“It’s
cool,” Tannehill said. “I appreciate the knowledge he has of the game, just
little insights that he can point out and just him being around showing that he
cares, it’s nice. He’s always just pointing out little things on tape, whether
it’s a receiver’s routes or something I’m doing. He’s good at picking up little
things and passing them along.” (profootballtalk.com)
Since
Marino has come in the Dolphins have gone 5-2, and Tannehill has thrown for
1730 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. They are two late drives away
from being 7-0 as they lost at the end to both the Packers and Lions after
leading 24-20 and 16-13 respectively.
Tannehill
has looked more than solid during this time, and you need look no further than
Marino. He has helped out tremendously as Tannehill is playing the best
football of his professional life, and has put the Dolphins in a position to not
only make the playoffs, but also win the division. They are currently two games
behind the Patriots who are 8-2, with one game against the Patriots remaining,
and six games to play overall.
Tannehill
just won perhaps the biggest game of his career so far on Thursday night. A
divisional matchup against the Buffalo Bills, a team he had lost three straight
against coming in, including a 29-10 lost earlier this year. The game served as
a pseudo playoff game for the two teams, as both sat at 5-4. The Dolphins won
in convincing fashion 22-9, as Tannehill went 26/34 for 240 yards, two
touchdowns and zero interceptions.
It’s
hard to say whether Tannehill will become the franchise quarterback the
Dolphins have been looking for. According to Ian Rapoport the Dolphins are
“cautiously optimistic” that he can become that guy. The real test will be this
Sunday as the Dolphins take on the Broncos in Denver.
As
for right now, Tannehill may not be Marino, but with Marino’s help he has a
chance to become the man after Dan.
