2015 Dolphins: Fire the Lazor!

[pdaj]

Sound like Suh and LaMichael James were the two most impressive players. Cameron had two TDs as well.

I speculated last year that James might be a very interesting fit in this offense. They're running an offense similar to what he ran at Oregon, where he led the nation in rushing. He can be a Sproles type of weapon for Miami.

 
Damien Williams flashed the receiving skills needed for a nice 3rd-down option last season, but the big plays were few and far in-between. James definitely has him bested in the big-play ability category. I do think Williams, however, would be the guy to replace Miller for the primary carries if an injury to occur. He's not averse to living in-between the tackles. Miller, James, Williams, Ajayi? I see those 4 making the squad. I'm surprised the rookie's started off the slow; his pass protection has been cited as the main reason, but it could be more than thatJust another reason to look forward to the pre-season contests. 

 

[Clears Cleaver]

ajayi has sucked and is now hurt. he's either getting cut or headed to the PS.
 
Tannehill hit on four deep balls in practice today, as many as he would hit in two weeks last year. This without Stills or Parker, the two primary deep threats, in practice.
 
everyone seems to like Brice McClain at CB.

 

[pdaj]

ajayi has sucked and is now hurt. he's either getting cut or headed to the PS.
 
Tannehill hit on four deep balls in practice today, as many as he would hit in two weeks last year. This without Stills or Parker, the two primary deep threats, in practice.
 
everyone seems to like Brice McClain at CB.

 
I really liked Bobby's college tape. He's got that "twitch" quickness that could make him an impact in nickel/dime packages and vs. the Edleman type receivers. I'm excited to see him in game action. Grimes, Br. McCain, Taylor, B. McCain, Bowman, Davis, Lippett. The CB competition could be fierce, and the depth could end up being a team strength for sure. 

 

[mcaqua]

@cianaf has been posting - and commenting - on Tannehill GIFs all day long on twitter. I think you Dolphin fans will enjoy the analysis.

 
Just bumping this from SF121, Fahey just posted a pretty terrific article on Tannehill.
 
http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/142017354/ryan-tannehill-training-camp-reviews-true

 

[pdaj]

 
Just bumping this from SF121, Fahey just posted a pretty terrific article on Tannehill.
 
http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/142017354/ryan-tannehill-training-camp-reviews-true

 
Thanks for the bump, Mc', as well as to SF121 for the initial mention. There's  lot of positivity/excitement around RT this year. I'm "all in".
 
"We" need that offensively line to be at least average, though. Let the pre-season games begin.

 

[jsinger121]

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter  1m1 minute ago
Former Dolphins OL coach Jim Turner is filing a defamation lawsuit in Florida against Ted Wells for Wells Report in Feb 2014, per source.

 

[Clears Cleaver]

Pouncey had to answer questions about maybe moving back to guard again. Miko Grimes mentioned it on her radio show this weekend. Can they please sign Mathis? Pats just traded for a guard, they are out. Rosenhaus has been seen talking to Tannenbaum at two practices in the past few days.
 
Fix it.

 

[sodenj5]

Pouncey had to answer questions about maybe moving back to guard again. Miko Grimes mentioned it on her radio show this weekend. Can they please sign Mathis? Pats just traded for a guard, they are out. Rosenhaus has been seen talking to Tannenbaum at two practices in the past few days.
 
Fix it.

They're in a Mexican standoff. The Fins want Mathis but not at his current price tag. Mathis wants to get paid what he feels he's worth and hasn't budged.

I think this first preseason game will be very telling. I'm sure all of the guards will be given a long look and it will be good to see how they hold up against someone that isn't one of the most dominant players in the league. I think Miami hasn't been willing to budge because they want to see what the young guys can do against someone else. If Turner struggles badly Thursday night, we might see something get done pretty quickly.

 

[sodenj5]

Some shameless self-promotion:
 
I wrote an article on the Fins receivers for ITP that was published today. Check that shiz.
 
 

 
In 2014, the Miami Dolphins fell short of making the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, finishing 8-8 for the second year in a row under head coach Joe Philbin. In an effort to get over the hump, Miami made a big splash this offseason landing former Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh for a record six-year $114M contract. Suh’s signing grabbed the headlines, but Miami quietly revamped nearly its entire receiving corps, jettisoning costly veterans and replacing them with younger, cost-controlled alternatives.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill enters 2015 with a freshly signed contract of his own. How will he adapt to his new receivers and can they be an improvement on 2014’s group?

 
http://insidethepylon.com/nfl/games-nfl/previews/2015/08/11/overhauled-miami-dolphins-receiving-corps/

 

[dwainw]

Some shameless self-promotion:
 
I wrote an article on the Fins receivers for ITP that was published today. Check that shiz.
 
 
 
http://insidethepylon.com/nfl/games-nfl/previews/2015/08/11/overhauled-miami-dolphins-receiving-corps/

Shameless.  

I kid, of course.   Excellent synopsis.  I was actually coming here to post about the lingering concerns about the health status of the receiving corps.  Probably early to be TOO concerned, but the combination of Stills and Parker not seeing the practice field, Jennings' relative oldness, and Cameron's concussion history, some level of concern seems warranted.  It's nice to have Matthews on the depth chart, to be sure, but my excitement can't help but be tempered by the current situation.

Question about Parker:  As you point out, even if he's on track to be good to go for the regular season, who knows how his development will be affected after missing so much practice time.  Is he generally perceived as a guy with a high football IQ?  I'm just wondering how quickly he'll be able to pick up the offense (beyond studying the playbook) and make the necessary adjustments, etc when he does get back on the field.

 

[sodenj5]

Shameless.  

I kid, of course.   Excellent synopsis.  I was actually coming here to post about the lingering concerns about the health status of the receiving corps.  Probably early to be TOO concerned, but the combination of Stills and Parker not seeing the practice field, Jennings' relative oldness, and Cameron's concussion history, some level of concern seems warranted.  It's nice to have Matthews on the depth chart, to be sure, but my excitement can't help but be tempered by the current situation.

Question about Parker:  As you point out, even if he's on track to be good to go for the regular season, who knows how his development will be affected after missing so much practice time.  Is he generally perceived as a guy with a high football IQ?  I'm just wondering how quickly he'll be able to pick up the offense (beyond studying the playbook) and make the necessary adjustments, etc when he does get back on the field.

 
My best guess with Parker is they bring him along slowly because they can afford to. With Landry, Stills, Jennings, and Matthews, they don't need him to contribute immediately for them to be able to win games. They're going to want to ease him into games from both a physical and mental standpoint, but I think there are three things working in his favor.
 

1. He's still able to be with the team, be in the meetings, digest the playbook, and take "mental reps" while watching plays from the sideline.
2. Jarvis Landry picked up the system pretty quickly in his first year. So I think Parker should be able to handle it as well. That's just speculation on my part.
3. He's so physically gifted with his size and speed and catching ability that even if he isn't 100% up to speed right away, he will be able to make an impact on the game. He was generating a lot of buzz during the OTAs because he was flat out catching everything thrown at him.

 

[soxfan121]

Parker, if healthy, will be able to run a fade route in the end zone on Day 1. Past that...do you need more? ;-)

 

[Clears Cleaver]

Lots of reports/rumors thatEvan Mathis is close to signing, specific reports say an"afceast" team. Let's hope he realizes the jets are a mess and that he has best chance to win in Miami. I think dolphins are waiting to see how Turner and Douglas play tonight vs Chicago, but signing Mathis gives them a potentially great running oline with depth.

 

[sodenj5]

Lots of reports/rumors thatEvan Mathis is close to signing, specific reports say an"afceast" team. Let's hope he realizes the jets are a mess and that he has best chance to win in Miami. I think dolphins are waiting to see how Turner and Douglas play tonight vs Chicago, but signing Mathis gives them a potentially great running oline with depth.

 
Yea, I've said it a few times that tonight is the night for Thomas, Turner, and Douglas. If any of them fall flat on their face tonight against the Bears, I think they may pull the trigger quickly on Mathis.
 
Mathis worries me because it isn't like he's some guy in his prime. The guy is older, he missed a pretty good chunk of last season with injuries, and has only played in 16 games twice in his career. It's not like he's a sure-fire solution to Miami's problems. I would certainly agree that on paper he's better than any other alternative Miami has presently, but he certainly has flaws of his own.

 

[RedOctober3829]

I wanted to post this for future mocking.
 
 

Peter Schrager ‏@PSchrags  18s19 seconds ago
"I think they win the AFC East and go to the playoffs." -- my guy Brady Quinn ( @3rd_Goal ) on the 2015 Dolphins.
 

 

[sodenj5]

Despite the final score, that went about as well as it could have.

Tannehill continued to roll. They carved up the Bears on his only drive and hooked up with Jarvis Landry for a 2 yard TD on 4th and goal.

The guards didn't look awful. The Bears aren't the best litmus test, but they held their own for the most part and allowed Tannehill to work. Lamar Miller had a 26 yard run as well.

The D harassed Cutler and the starters and 2nd team D Line played well. Jordan Phillips flashed once or twice stuffing runs for loss.

Most importantly, no major injuries.
 
I think the play of the guards further complicates the issue of Mathis. Mathis no doubt wants to sign with a team soon and get some camp and preseason reps in before the season starts. Chemistry is big within the O-Line. The guards showed well enough that Miami shouldn't have to pull the trigger until they see them against the Panthers D next game. If anything, it strengthens their negotiating tactics. They can squeeze Rosenhaus a little harder.

 

[dwainw]

Despite the final score, that went about as well as it could have.

Tannehill continued to roll. They carved up the Bears on his only drive and hooked up with Jarvis Landry for a 2 yard TD on 4th and goal.

The guards didn't look awful. The Bears aren't the best litmus test, but they held their own for the most part and allowed Tannehill to work. Lamar Miller had a 26 yard run as well.

The D harassed Cutler and the starters and 2nd team D Line played well. Jordan Phillips flashed once or twice stuffing runs for loss.

Most importantly, no major injuries.
 
I think the play of the guards further complicates the issue of Mathis. Mathis no doubt wants to sign with a team soon and get some camp and preseason reps in before the season starts. Chemistry is big within the O-Line. The guards showed well enough that Miami shouldn't have to pull the trigger until they see them against the Panthers D next game. If anything, it strengthens their negotiating tactics. They can squeeze Rosenhaus a little harder.

How many other teams will legitimately have interest in him, though?  The injuries are obviously going to start to mount now that the pre-season is in full swing.  I suppose you can't call Miami's situation "desperate" at this point, but there's still plenty of skepticism.  I'm with Clears and most others:  In a season with legitimate promise, so much hinges on that line doing a better job of keeping Tannehill upright.  Git 'er done.

 

[sodenj5]

How many other teams will legitimately have interest in him, though?  The injuries are obviously going to start to mount now that the pre-season is in full swing.  I suppose you can't call Miami's situation "desperate" at this point, but there's still plenty of skepticism.  I'm with Clears and most others:  In a season with legitimate promise, so much hinges on that line doing a better job of keeping Tannehill upright.  Git 'er done.

 
Plenty of teams would be interested in signing Evan Mathis, just not at his current price tag, which is why he's still a free agent. I think the standoff lasts another week. Miami has practices and a game with the Panthers. I think the practices will be telling as well. The Carolina D is no slouch. The staff will get an extended chance to see the line against another defense.
 
Like I said, Mathis isn't without his flaws. He isn't a long term solution. If you can get one or both of the guards playing well, you're setting the team up for sustainable success instead of pulling out all of the stops to win in 2015.

 

[dwainw]

 
Plenty of teams would be interested in signing Evan Mathis, just not at his current price tag, which is why he's still a free agent. I think the standoff lasts another week. Miami has practices and a game with the Panthers. I think the practices will be telling as well. The Carolina D is no slouch. The staff will get an extended chance to see the line against another defense.
 
Like I said, Mathis isn't without his flaws. He isn't a long term solution. If you can get one or both of the guards playing well, you're setting the team up for sustainable success instead of pulling out all of the stops to win in 2015.

I hear you.  There's clearly no guaranteed magic solution, either internally or externally.  But speaking as an average fan who wants to win now, an upgrade is an upgrade.

Meanwhile, FWIW, Turner earned the top grade among all the starting lineman on Thursday while playing the most snaps (with a solid 1.0), while Douglas graded out highest among the backups.  So there's that.   And you'd certainly think having to practice opposite Suh day after day has got to help raise the game of the guys facing him, assuming it doesn't shatter their confidence.  

Not much more left than to see what the Carolina game brings.

 

[Super Nomario]

Following on to some of the OL discussion from last week, Chase Stuart has a chart of which teams invested the most draft capital in their offense lines. Surprise: Miami is #3.
http://www.footballperspective.com/2014-offensive-lineman-and-nfl-draft-value/

 

[Clears Cleaver]

First team O dominated first team D today. Grimes was out and they went after B McCain every play. Stills was back in and effective. I think Jennings will be a bigger part of the O than people think, especially early in the season. Tannehill loves him.
 
The practives versus Carolina start tomorrow I think. Will be a good test and guards go against a 4-man line (versus 3-4 in Chicago). Will be a truer test.

 

[sodenj5]

First team O dominated first team D today. Grimes was out and they went after B McCain every play. Stills was back in and effective. I think Jennings will be a bigger part of the O than people think, especially early in the season. Tannehill loves him.
 
The practives versus Carolina start tomorrow I think. Will be a good test and guards go against a 4-man line (versus 3-4 in Chicago). Will be a truer test.

 
I think if the season started today, it would be Jennings, Matthews, and Landry as the starting 3 WRs. Stills came on pretty quickly, but he has to make up some ground because Matthews has a pretty big head start on him. The depth at WR is certainly a good problem to have, I just feel like eventually either Jennings or Matthews will be the odd man out if everyone is healthy.

 

[Shelterdog]

Following on to some of the OL discussion from last week, Chase Stuart has a chart of which teams invested the most draft capital in their offense lines. Surprise: Miami is #3.
http://www.footballperspective.com/2014-offensive-lineman-and-nfl-draft-value/

 
It's a slightly funky methodology--it's "how highly were the guys you played drafted" and low and behold Colledge and Satele were second round picks a long time ago so the Dolphins get a reasonable amount of credit for playing guys off the scrap heap.
 
I would agree with the general point that the Dolphins have spent a more than adequate amount of resources on the oline over the years, they've just blown a shitload of picks.  In addition to the money they spent on Albert they've spent two first round picks, a second, two thirds, and a fourth on guys who could still be on rookie contracts

 

[CaptainLaddie]

I think this Dolphins team is the best we've seen in a very long time.  Tannehill looks to be making the leap and they've got a bunch of weapons around him --- not to mention all the monsters on the defensive line.  This is the realistically the closest we've seen to a challenge to a Brady/Belichick team yet.

 

[sodenj5]

I think this Dolphins team is the best we've seen in a very long time.  Tannehill looks to be making the leap and they've got a bunch of weapons around him --- not to mention all the monsters on the defensive line.  This is the realistically the closest we've seen to a challenge to a Brady/Belichick team yet.

Wow, this is when you know it's real. Laddie goes out of his way to compliment the Dolphins.

The thing that has me the most optimistic this whole season are the reports that Tannehill is hitting the deep ball consistently in practice. He hit Stills for a 40 yarder his first practice back. Whether it's an improvement in his footwork or accuracy or these WRs are just flat out better at catching the deep ball than Wallace was, that development is huge and could take Tannehill from pretty good to really good this year.

 

[jsinger121]

I think this Dolphins team is the best we've seen in a very long time.  Tannehill looks to be making the leap and they've got a bunch of weapons around him --- not to mention all the monsters on the defensive line.  This is the realistically the closest we've seen to a challenge to a Brady/Belichick team yet.

They are still coached by Joe Philbin.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Wow, this is when you know it's real. Laddie goes out of his way to compliment the Dolphins.

The thing that has me the most optimistic this whole season are the reports that Tannehill is hitting the deep ball consistently in practice. He hit Stills for a 40 yarder his first practice back. Whether it's an improvement in his footwork or accuracy or these WRs are just flat out better at catching the deep ball than Wallace was, that development is huge and could take Tannehill from pretty good to really good this year.

To be fair, it's easy to step into the deep ball when you're wearing the red jersey. Let's see if he'll do it with this patchwork line in week 1.

They are still coached by Joe Philbin.

The Packers won the Superbowl with Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys won it with Barry fucking Switzer. If the team has the talent, it can make up for the coach.

 

[sodenj5]

To be fair, it's easy to step into the deep ball when you're wearing the red jersey. Let's see if he'll do it with this patchwork line in week 1.

 
Ah, that's more like it.
 
Actually for the first time, it seems like Albert is making real progress. He's still not 100% but he's been participating more and more steadily. Again, I'm interested to see how they do against Carolina's front throughout this 2 day joint practice and then preseason game. Should be telling, and Evan Mathis is still available.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

 
Ah, that's more like it.
 
Actually for the first time, it seems like Albert is making real progress. He's still not 100% but he's been participating more and more steadily. Again, I'm interested to see how they do against Carolina's front throughout this 2 day joint practice and then preseason game. Should be telling, and Evan Mathis is still available.

Take some criticism, brother. There's a really good chance that he's just as bad at throwing deep as he's always been.

PS: Brady isn't great at them either, and he's kinda good.

 

[Shelterdog]

To be fair, it's easy to step into the deep ball when you're wearing the red jersey. Let's see if he'll do it with this patchwork line in week 1.


The Packers won the Superbowl with Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys won it with Barry fucking Switzer. If the team has the talent, it can make up for the coach.

 
To quibble a bit--McCarthy makes some odd decisions with playcalls at the end of games/halves from time to time but I think overall he's a pretty great coach.  The offense in particular is really well put together.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

 
To quibble a bit--McCarthy makes some odd decisions with playcalls at the end of games/halves from time to time but I think overall he's a pretty great coach.  The offense in particular is really well put together.

 
Shouldn't we credit Ted Thompson for that? 
 
How much credit should McCarthy get for having (arguably) the best QB in the game, two fantastic WR's, and a top 5 RB? I suppose it's a question we can break into another thread if we want to continue the convo.

 

[sodenj5]

Damn, sounds like after Kelvin Benjamin got carted off with a possible ACL injury, Louis Delmas was just carted off with a non-contact knee injury on the same knee he blew out last season.

 

[Clears Cleaver]

hopefully its just scar tissue and not something that needs another rehab. he came back quickly, too. I heard him on Sirius NFL radio this weekend and he was so upbeat, saying how he was going to make Reshad a all-pro this year. Walk Aiken has been really good this camp but Delmas is the "leader" of the secondary
 
Beasley reporting "internally the Dolphins are fearing the worst" and it was a non-contact injury

 

[jsinger121]

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet  37s38 seconds ago
Source: #Dolphins DB Louis Delmas has a torn ACL, per initial diagnosis.

 

[sodenj5]

That's a tough loss. Like Clears said, Delmas was viewed as a leader on defense and Miami's D fell off noticably when he went down last year. The only bright side I see is a young guy like Aikens seems to be well liked by the staff and has been doing well all training camp. He's going to get reps with the 1's now, and it's better it happens now than mid-season. I suppose if they were to lose Delmas, this is the best case scenario.

 

[Clears Cleaver]

Salguero confirms torn ACL, to be placed on IR

 

[koufax32]

My knowledge of Delmas is limited to once or twice per year. How devastating is this for MIA?

Also shame on all of you for not finding an excuse to post photos of RT's gf.

 

[sodenj5]

My knowledge of Delmas is limited to once or twice per year. How devastating is this for MIA?

Also shame on all of you for not finding an excuse to post photos of RT's gf.

 
Read above a few posts. I don't think it will derail their season, but he's undoubtedly a key piece and viewed as a leader on the defense.

 

[sodenj5]

So is it just my imagination, or did the gloom and doom of the guard play die down against the Panthers D in the last 2 days? I haven't read every tweet, but they haven't been bringing up how bad the guards have been, and no news is good news when you're an offensive lineman.
 
I'm not saying that the problem is fixed or that there isn't still work to do, but maybe the guards aren't awful and they're just going against maybe the best defensive line in the game every day, making them look bad.

 

[mcaqua]

Good article here by Barnwell pointing out some very legitimate flaws with this year's iteration of the Dolphins.  I'll offer up a primer to one of the biggest issues currently facing the team:
 

Since every Dolphins offseason seems to be about putting out the most recent year’s fires, let’s start working through the problems in Miami and see what they can do to solve them in 2015.
We can begin with an easy one. A quick look at last year’s DVOA figures notes that Miami was eighth-best on offense and 17th on defense. Both figures were pretty respectable for a team that finished 15th in overall DVOA.
How do eight and 17 add up to 15? Oh, there’s one other component to DVOA, isn’t there? That small matter of special teams was a huge concern last season for the Dolphins, who finished last in special teams DVOA, with those units costing 30.4 points worth of field position. The only place the Dolphins were above league average was on kick returns, and there, the Jarvis Landry–led return corps was all of 0.1 points ahead of the average.

 
I feel like it should be obvious to the staff that our kicker isn't in camp right now.  Giving Sturgis an opportunity to torpedo a win or two would be all kinds of stupid.
 
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-dolphins-mission-of-mediocrity/

 

[sodenj5]

Good article here by Barnwell pointing out some very legitimate flaws with this year's iteration of the Dolphins.  I'll offer up a primer to one of the biggest issues currently facing the team:
 
 
 
 
I feel like it should be obvious to the staff that our kicker isn't in camp right now.  Giving Sturgis an opportunity to torpedo a win or two would be all kinds of stupid.
 
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-dolphins-mission-of-mediocrity/

 
I'm not the biggest fan of Sturgis. His leg is good enough, but he's so inconsistent. Every time they go to kick a FG I have to hold my breath. I get why they let Carpenter walk away, because they were cutting costs, but man does he scare the crap out of me. He kicked a kickoff out of bounds in the first preseason game, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Clears Cleaver]

the ST with Don Jones and without were materially different. Of course, Jones is hurt again...
 
Barnwell almost never impresses me with his analyses, but at least its an interesting look at things. He did say that the LB signings were terrible and was right. But the primary analysis is whether Tannehill gets better. If he becomes a top-10 QB, then the team will do well. If not, they will be 8-8 or 7-9 or whatever. Because, well, that is what the NFL has become.
 
also, let's see how Miami's D does this year and let's see how Detroit's D does. I have a feeling Suh materially affects games

 

[Clears Cleaver]

Tannehill sharp. Matthews and Miller played great. Online sucked. first team D had two three and outs and an INT almost returned for TD. Second team oline sucked
 
hopefully J Taylor quad injury not a big deal. J Fox has concussion, may be out next week. they do not have enough linemen or tackles to play next week. sign Mathis!!!
 
LBs were not good
Depth everywhere an issue except Dline and WR.

 

[soxfan121]

https://twitter.com/nflukhank/status/635258425929244672
 

Henry Hodgson‏@nflukhank

Dolphins playing a preseason game. Suspended DE Dion Jordan posting shots of himself drinking at the same time #bust

 

[sodenj5]

Tannehill sharp. Matthews and Miller played great. Online sucked. first team D had two three and outs and an INT almost returned for TD. Second team oline sucked
 
hopefully J Taylor quad injury not a big deal. J Fox has concussion, may be out next week. they do not have enough linemen or tackles to play next week. sign Mathis!!!
 
LBs were not good
Depth everywhere an issue except Dline and WR.

I actually thought the line played pretty well. Keep in mind that Carolina has a really talented defense. After that first series, it looked like Miami was moving the ball at will.

Tannehill threw one bad deep ball to Stills and threw absolute perfection to Jordan Cameron, who probably should have brought in in for a TD. He was crisp and got the ball out on time. He's ready. He even ran a nice option for 11 yards.

Miller absolutely shattered that defender's ankles on that dump off he caught. He looks ready too.

The D forced 3 and outs by the Panthers and then came up with a goal line stand to end the night. Reshad Jones was all over the field while he was in. He looks primed for a big season. Jamar Taylor came up with the nice INT and then pulled his quad, basically a microcosm of his career. Hopefully it's nothing serious and just requires some rest.

 

[soxfan121]

Not to rain on Tannehill's parade, but isn't the criticism that he reads defenses and progressions poorly? Vanilla pass defenses in the preseason may (note: haven't watched the film yet) be making him look sharper than he will be when things get rolling. 

 

[sodenj5]

Not to rain on Tannehill's parade, but isn't the criticism that he reads defenses and progressions poorly? Vanilla pass defenses in the preseason may (note: haven't watched the film yet) be making him look sharper than he will be when things get rolling. 

Possibly. I think the biggest knock on Tannehill is the deep ball, which by all accounts seems to be improved. Miami runs an Eagles like spread with lots of shifting and motion. Last year was Tannehill's first exposure to it and he struggled early in the season. He seems to have a very good feel for it now.

I suppose we will see once the bullets are real, but Tannehill has been largely improved over last preseason, if you want to strictly compare apples to apples. His pass to Matthews on the final drive to get them into the red zone is an NFL throw no matter the situation, throwing into a tight window in the zone coverage.

 

[mcaqua]

Possibly. I think the biggest knock on Tannehill is the deep ball, which by all accounts seems to be improved. Miami runs an Eagles like spread with lots of shifting and motion. Last year was Tannehill's first exposure to it and he struggled early in the season. He seems to have a very good feel for it now.

I suppose we will see once the bullets are real, but Tannehill has been largely improved over last preseason, if you want to strictly compare apples to apples. His pass to Matthews on the final drive to get them into the red zone is an NFL throw no matter the situation, throwing into a tight window in the zone coverage.

I'm not sure that I'd say his biggest weakness is the ability (or in this case, his inability) to read defenses and go through his progressions or even his lack of accuracy on the deep ball.

I think his shortcoming has always been his lack of pocket awareness. Now granted some of that might be related to horrible OL play that he's been dealt for basically the entirety of his career, but all the great ones seem to have that ability to sense the pocket collapsing and gravitate towards space with minimal motion. I'm not sure he's shown an ability to do that yet. At least not consistently. I think his lack of awareness at times has made the OL look worse from a counting stats perspective (things like hurries, hits and sacks) that a more adept QB (think Brady, or even Marino) might have been able to avoid. To me there's no doubt it's his biggest question going forward, especially in light of the state of the OL.

 

[dwainw]

I'm not sure that I'd say his biggest weakness is the ability (or in this case, his inability) to read defenses and go through his progressions or even his lack of accuracy on the deep ball.

I think his shortcoming has always been his lack of pocket awareness. Now granted some of that might be related to horrible OL play that he's been dealt for basically the entirety of his career, but all the great ones seem to have that ability to sense the pocket collapsing and gravitate towards space with minimal motion. I'm not sure he's shown an ability to do that yet. At least not consistently. I think his lack of awareness at times has made the OL look worse from a counting stats perspective (things like hurries, hits and sacks) that a more adept QB (think Brady, or even Marino) might have been able to avoid. To me there's no doubt it's his biggest question going forward, especially in light of the state of the OL.

I think you could also tack on the argument that his receivers have been a detriment early in his career, as well, or at least they haven't helped.  If this year's receiving corps is as good (and deep) as advertised, we should see guys running crisper routes (not to mention finishing them), committing fewer drops, and in the case of guys like Landry and Parker, outhustling and outmuscling defenders.  By all accounts he's already developed some legit chemistry with the guys who've been able to practice, and this is supported by the early results of preseason action.

 

[sodenj5]

I'm not sure that I'd say his biggest weakness is the ability (or in this case, his inability) to read defenses and go through his progressions or even his lack of accuracy on the deep ball.

I think his shortcoming has always been his lack of pocket awareness. Now granted some of that might be related to horrible OL play that he's been dealt for basically the entirety of his career, but all the great ones seem to have that ability to sense the pocket collapsing and gravitate towards space with minimal motion. I'm not sure he's shown an ability to do that yet. At least not consistently. I think his lack of awareness at times has made the OL look worse from a counting stats perspective (things like hurries, hits and sacks) that a more adept QB (think Brady, or even Marino) might have been able to avoid. To me there's no doubt it's his biggest question going forward, especially in light of the state of the OL.

 
His pocket awareness is a very valid point. There's something to be said about him being willing to hang in the pocket and take a shot while throwing, but the great ones find a way to buy themselves that extra second or two by sidestepping the rush or stepping up in the pocket. Marino was a statue, but he could consistently make the first guy miss. I don't want to suggest he needs to take off and run more frequently, but a guy with his athleticism could be a true dual threat if he had better awareness.