Miami Dolphins Foolish to Rush Development of Ryan Tannehill

The Miami Dolphins conducted their three-day rookie mini-camp over the weekend, and if recent reports are to be believed then the Dolphins may be preparing to follow up the risky selection of Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill with the eighth-overall pick with an even more ill-advised decision to throw Tannehill to the wolves from the get-go.

The Palm Beach Post reports that Tannehill was an "extra coach" of sorts during the mini-camp, which should come as little surprise, since the Dolphins' new offense is being installed by Mike Sherman, whose most recent coaching job before becoming Maimi's offensive coordinator was head coach at Texas A&M.

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"Being in the offense for four years back at A&M, it's not my first go-around," Tannehill said. "So I'm trying to help these guys learn as much as I can. Just help speed their learning curve up."

Tannehill, the Aggies' starting quarterback the previous one-and-a-half seasons, has a lot more than a rookie knowledge of the offense. He estimated that he already knows "80 to 85 percent" of the new playbook.

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Post writer Ben Volin goes on to surmise that Tannehill's "head start" in Miami's offense may get Tannehill on the field earlier than many had expected, and in fact Volin states that Tannehill might even find himself under center on opening day, when the Dolphins travel to meet the Houston Texans.

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Coach Joe Philbin said Tannehill will be given the same opportunity to win the starting job as veterans Matt Moore and David Garrard.

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However, Tannehill's early "head start" aside, there are any number of reasons why naming Tannehill the starter from the get-go is a very risky decision at best and could severely hinder the development of the 6'4", 221-pound rookie.

Granted, quarterbacks such as Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals and Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers started last season and enjoyed a fair amount of success as rookies. But Newton had his share of struggles with turnovers, and Dalton had much more experience as a starter in college than Tannehill, who started fewer than 20 games after converting to quarterback from wide receiver at College Station.

Also, the Miami offensive line was among the worst in the National Football League a season ago, allowing the third-most sacks in the league in 2011, and as the saga of David Carr plainly showed, throwing a rookie quarterback onto the field behind a bad offensive line is an excellent way to destroy his confidence, as he spends the majority of each game running for his life.

Finally, with all due respect to the Miami Dolphins, the chances of the 'Fins contending in the AFC East this season are minimal, and with a pair of capable veterans on the roster in Matt Moore and David Garrard, there's little reason from a competitive standpoint to hurry Tannehill onto the field for a team that will be hard pressed to play .500 ball this year.

In fact, a study by Sam Dorward, a junior at Yale University, of quarterbacks in the NFL over the past decade, showed that "benching quarterbacks during their rookie year causes them to play much better throughout their entire career." They complete a higher percentage of passes and post a higher defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) rating than quarterbacks who did start during their rookie year.

It's understandable that the Dolphins would like to see Ryan Tannehill on the field soon, as the team isn't going to recoup much of their significant investment in Tannehill while he stands on the sideline holding a clipboard.

However, this is an instance where patience is a virtue, and the Miami Dolphins would be best served exercising some and not rushing Ryan Tannehill onto the field right away.

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