Ryan Tannehill Flashes Potential in Miami Dolphins' Rout of Raiders

As sweet as the Miami Dolphins’ 38-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders was for the organization, the individual who gained the most in Week 4 was Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Just days after his head coach created an unnecessary quarterback controversy, Tannehill delivered one of the best performances of his career to silence his critics.

His final stat line included a 74 percent completion rate on his 31 pass attempts, 278 yards and two touchdowns. He also showed a greater willingness to escape the pocket and utilize his phenomenal athleticism en route to 35 rushing yards on just five carries. 

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Grimes: "To come out here amid all the negative things going on and have a game like this shows a lot about Ryan Tannehill’s character."

— Andrew Abramson (@AbramsonPBP) September 28, 2014"

But statistics don’t tell the entire story of Tannehill’s promising performance. Leading up to this game, Tannehill showed uneasiness in the pocket—as if he didn’t trust his eyes when reading the opposing defense.

He made several late throws or just flat-out missed a few reads that cost the Dolphins scoring opportunities in the first three weeks.

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In Week 4, Tannehill and his playmakers looked like veterans in offensive coordinator Bill Lazor’s newly installed offense for the first time this season. Tannehill showed much more decisiveness as he reached the top of his dropback and delivered perfectly placed passes to his receivers. 

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Philbin on Tannehill: "I thought he played very well. I thought he had good rhythm. He had good tempo. He had good command...was decisive. "

— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) September 28, 2014"

By working with more rhythm, Tannehill extended plays and looked more fluid in the pocket than ever before in his three-year career. The ball came out crisply and, more importantly, with great accuracy and ball placement.

Tannehill was able to get the ball to his outside playmakers, where they did significant damage to the Raiders defense.

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And that’s how offenses are supposed to work.

The Dolphins signal-caller made his fair share of highlight-reel plays, including a beautiful seam pass to Brian Hartline for a 35-yard gain. That seam pass is the best throw that Tannehill has made consistently throughout his tenure in Miami, but it was oddly absent in the first few games of the season.

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With an improved game plan, Tannehill was able to flash his immense talents and show why there is hope he can be the franchise quarterback the Dolphins so desperately need.

The success of the running game, which totaled 157 yards, allowed Tannehill to have more time in the pocket on passing plays and kept the Raiders defense honest on play-action passes.

With the linebackers frozen, Tannehill attacked the intermediate part of the field with fury. In one motion, Tannehill was able to sell the play action, then quickly pull the ball up and deliver a strike to receiver Jarvis Landry in the slot.

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It’s plays like this that show how Tannehill can have a successful offense built around his skill set. Through this season, Tannehill has shown good accuracy and better timing on his short and intermediate routes.

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His improved footwork and ability to slide around in the pocket bought him time on Sunday to find Dion Sims for a tremendous touchdown pass and catch in the second quarter. By putting the ball where only Sims could reach it, Tannehill allowed Sims to be the playmaker he must prove to be.

Week 4 was filled with “wow” moments for Tannehill.

He fit a pass in between two defenders to complete a 23-yard pass to Rishard Matthews when the margin for error was slim to none. This type of anticipation and accuracy is what Tannehill has flashed for the past two-plus seasons, but not consistently.

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As Lazor has kept Tannehill in the shotgun for a majority of snaps, it’s clear that Tannehill is able to read the defense more effectively pre-snap than ever before.

His lone interception on Sunday came from a drop by Sims. Although the pass was behind Sims, Tannehill had no other choice than to throw the ball to Sims' back shoulder. If he hadn’t, a defender was ready to level the second-year tight end.

As former Dolphins quarterback Brady Quinn wrote on Football by Football, Tannehill may have just needed time to acclimate to the new offense.

“It takes time for a new offense to marinate and become second nature. Once a quarterback has an offense down, it frees him to play without thinking. An offseason and three games into a season is not enough time for any quarterback to have a system engrained in his mind,” he wrote.

It certainly seemed that Tannehill had a much better grasp of the offense in Week 4. His timing, decision-making and accuracy were spot-on throughout the blowout of the Raiders.

It’s also important to take this performance seriously and not diminish the team’s play because it played a lesser opponent.

Just one week ago, the New England Patriots were held to just 16 points at home against the Raiders, who have a roster full of veteran and highly touted talent. Their coaching deficiencies have been an issue, but they are a tough team that plays hard.

As Miami enters its bye week in Week 5, it should feel more comfortable and confident in its quarterback moving forward.

His performance on Sunday certainly indicates that he is ready to fulfill his considerable potential as the Dolphins’ franchise quarterback.

All stats used are from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) or Sports-Reference.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac.

Ian Wharton is a Miami Dolphins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, contributor to Optimum Scouting and analyst for FinDepth.com.

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