When David Garrard went down in the preseason to injury and Philbin came out and announced that Ryan Tannehill was the starter, I jumped. Sincerely, this was an announcement to the world that the 2012 Miami Dolphins weren’t going to try for the annual shallow playoff run. I know most of you think I’m nuts, that’s okay because my wife does too. However, I actually thought that Miami had a shot this year. So it was tough on me when I found out that Philbin had other ideas.

     To put it bluntly, it means starting his rookie QB and getting him up to speed as fast as possible. With that will come the lumps and bruises of losing close games because of your own mistakes. I have to admit that it is a bold plan. It really means taking a lot of heat early hoping that your decisions will produce lasting effects down the road. I’m at peace with that now.

    I saw Omar Kelly Tweet the other day about Henne’s 400 yard passing performance to start last season as evidence we shouldn’t jump on the Ryan Tannehill Bandwagon too early. Here’s why that is simply not the case.. Henne never had trouble with arm strength…he also has a cannon. However, Henne could never master the touch pass. Furthermore, RT is light years ahead of Henne’s development. It is telling that Omar had to reach 4 years into Henne’s Career to find a single game that compared with RT’s 4^th overall. RT’s growth has been astounding. I’m not going to say he’s not going to take a step back here or there. But, when you look at the windows he threw the ball through last week, hitting guys in stride, and the occasional touch pass that required a little finesse, there is no way you aren’t impressed. I’ve been waiting for this game since they named him the starter.

     I have to say that I’m again excited about the rest of the season. I sincerely believe they can still win 8-9 games if they remain healthy. However for that to happen, they’ll need to steal one on the road this weekend. Cincy is no pushover. Miami’s early season schedule went from soft to brutal given the current record of the teams they’ve faced. With that said, a 2-3 record going into the bye week will keep them in the race. A 1-4 record will make 8-8 a tough chore. In any case, watching Ryan Tannehill get unleashed will be a joy.

Go  Ryan

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