Miami Dolphins: Why Ryan Tannehill Is Not the Answer

The current Dolphins buzz is that the team will select Ryan Tannehill, a quarterback from Texas A&M, with the 8th overall pick in April's draft.

I couldn't disagree with this selection more.

Miami is in a bad place.

They traded their best receiver for a pair of third rounders. All attempts to land free agents failed miserably. A new coach is bringing in a new system, and the current starting quarterback is a toss-up between the ever-average Matt Moore and the 34-year-old washed-up David Garrard.

Picking up a potential franchise QB whose old college coach happens to be the Dolphins' offensive coordinator is the obvious choice, right?

Wrong.

Why Not Ryan Tannehill?

The reason the Dolphins should avoid Tannehill is three-fold. The first is history.

When was the last time the Dolphins drafted a QB that was even remotely good? I will give you a hint. His name rhymes with Gran Torino.

The Dolphins haven't had a successful quarterback since Marino. Chad Henne never shined the way he was supposed to, Pat White is playing baseball, and John Beck threw more interceptions than yards he threw for.

Reason two is last year's San Fransisco 49ers. The Niners were a team many expected to tank in order to get Andrew Luck. Instead, they finished second in the NFC, coming seconds away from the Super Bowl. Like Jim Harbaugh last year, Joe Philbin will be in his first year, with a stop-gap QB, and a stifling defense.

Matt Moore or David Garrard can certainly be as solid of a quarterback as Alex Smith was and the Dolphins defense can live up the that of the 49ers if they get some help in the secondary via the draft.

The key to next year is the offensive line, which brings me to my third and final reason.

If the Dolphins select Tannehill, they will be passing up two very solid offensive lineman, Jonathan Martin from Stanford, and Riley Reiff from Iowa.

Whoever Jeff Ireland wants as a franchise quarterback, he has to have an offensive line.

Marc Colombo, thankfully, has been released, but that still leaves several glaring holes. Jake Long and Mike Pouncey are stellar and will be for years to come. Richie Incognito and Vernon Carey are also very competent.

Reiff or Martin would give the Dolphins a three-man anchor on the frontline for the foreseeable future.

Also, Tannehill is coming off of major foot surgery, and actually played receiver for three of the four years of his college career. He managed to be a successful QB for a year and a half, but does he have the arm strength and endurance to survive a brutal NFL season without going down to injury?

Who Else?

If the Dolphins choose to pass on Tannehill, the 2012 season doesn't look promising. While I maintain hope for a 49er-like miracle, it appears that the Dolphins will suffer yet another losing season.

It may not heal the wounds, but such a lousy season would allow for another top-ten draft pick, maybe as high as first or second. The next big thing, after the Andrew Luck/RGIII phenomenon passes, will be the Matt Barkley race.

Barkley is pretty much the unanimous Heisman front-runner, and has thrown for 80 TDs going into his senior year.

Oklahoma's Landry Jones is another top-tier prospect for the 2013 draft.

Look, I can't promise that Tannehill won't be a superstar, but I can assure you that the game is won in the trenches.

Dolphins fans: suffer and plow through the misery of 2012, and wait for the success and domination just a few years away.