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You knew this was coming . . .
Headine -“Adam Gase might fail Sam Darnold like he failed Ryan Tannehill.”
This was a story today, but you have seen these kind of stories the last couple of weeks.
It’s kind of low-hanging fruit, but honestly, there is very little meat on the bones here.
Tannehill didn’t all of sudden become a much better player after nine months with the Tennessee Titans.
And don’t ask me, ask him.
“Statistically, obviously, it’s better,” Tannehill said this week while preparing for the AFC Championship game. “But I don’t feel like I’ve changed a whole lot. My approach to the game, and how I play the game, I don’t think it’s changed a whole lot.”
Gase did nothing wrong, vis-à-vis the development of Ryan Tannehill in Miami. He coached the quarterback for three seasons, but Tannehill missed half the games during that time due to injuries.
And while Tannehill has done a nice job for the Titans since taking over for Marcus Mariota at QB in October, after the Titans started 2-4, he didn’t magically become a different guy from Miami in matter of months. He was traded on March 15 from Miami to Tennessee with a sixth-round pick for fourth- and seventh-round selections.
Tannehill has stabilized the quarterback position for Titans. Mariota is more of an athlete playing quarterback, and Tannehill, who is also a good athlete, is a better game manager than Mariota, and that is what the Titans needed. They needed a better game-manager to compliment their terrific defense and running game, and Tannehill has provided that.
And the Titans running game has been superb, and is a big reason why they are playing in the AFC Championship Game against Kansas City on Sunday.
The Titans massive, quick-footed tailback Derrick Henry has been unstoppable the last three games, rushing for 211 yards in the team’s win in Week 17 over Houston to clinch a playoff spot, then he ran all over New England in the Wildcard Round with a 182-yard effort, and then gashing Baltimore for 195 yards in the Titans upset over the Ravens in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
This isn’t to take anything away from Tannehill, who has complimented Henry well, especially in that major upset over Baltimore, but Henry’s running has spearheaded this unlikely run by the Titans.
The 247-pound Henry requires so much attention, and so many defenders to bring down, that teams are forced to play eight- or nine-in-the-box, and this creates some amazing passing opportunities.
Don’t get me wrong, Tannehill has done a terrific job, but to act like he was coached poorly in Miami, and got such great coaching in Tennessee that now he’s finally realizing his potential now, is flawed logic.
Like I’ve said over and over, Gase has some things to work on as a head coach, but coaching quarterbacks isn’t one of them.
His coaching of Tannehill (when he was healthy) was fine in Miami.
Just like his coaching of Darnold.
January 17, 2020
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