How Ryan Tannehill Put Himself in Position to Win Dolphins QB Battle

The Miami Dolphins would love Ryan Tannehill, their 2012 first-round pick, to win the starting quarterback competition. After a rather impressive preseason debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he's made the first critical step in winning the job away from David Garrard and Matt Moore. 

The former Texas A&M signal-caller finished 14-of-21 for 167 yards with a touchdown pass to fullback Charles Clay. He tossed another touchdown pass, a seven-yard completion to Roberto Wallace, but it was overturned by instant replay. 

More encouraging than his statistics was the way he carried himself during game action. Tannehill's poised demeanor in the pocket led to a variety of calmly-delivered and accurate strikes to Dolphins' pass-catchers. 

Tannehill's familiarity with Mike Sherman's offense is well-documented, so seeing the young quarterback relaxed and composed should come as no surprise to the masses. Sherman ran the offense for the 19 games Tannehill started with the Aggies in college—the transition couldn't be anymore seamless.

Tannehill demonstrated a keen understanding of the offensive scheme against the Buccaneers, and his accuracy was impressive. 

Many times, rookie quarterbacks are overtly timid and tend to rely on checkdowns when they first enter the NFL. Though it was only a preseason game against a defense that likely didn't have a true game plan, Tannehill didn't hold back and was comfortable. 

After converting from a wide receiver to quarterback in college, the knock on Tannehill heading into the 2012 draft was that he didn't have enough experience under center, meaning he wasn't ready to make the jump to become a viable NFL starter. But the same doubts surrounded Cam Newton in 2011, and he went on to have the most productive rookie quarterback season in NFL history.

David Garrard's arthroscopic knee surgery, which will keep him on the shelf for up to four weeks (according to Jay Glazer), instantly gives Tannehill a decidedly better chance to win the starting job. And remember, Matt Moore has only won a quarterback competition against Jimmy Clausen. 

Moore's a leader, he performed admirably in the final nine games last season and he has NFL experience. However, Tannehill's strong debut has put him a position to overtake Moore and win the starting job prior to Week 1, especially if he builds on his promising effort. 

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