Why Ryan Tannehill Is Not the Miami Dolphins' Biggest Problem

Everywhere you turn at Sun Life Stadium, you'll find someone within the Miami Dolphins organization trying to take responsibility for the shortcomings of the team.

Head coach Joe Philbin, defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle, quarterback Ryan Tannehill and nearly anyone wearing a Dolphins uniform were finding their own faults in what happened in Sunday's 41-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

But if we had to dish out all the blame for the Dolphins' slow start to the season, Tannehill's portion of the pie should be notably smaller than the rest.

Blame the defense, which has fallen severely short of expectations. Blame the offensive line, which continues to struggle to protect Tannehill. Blame the coaching staff, which continually fails to maximize the potential of the massively talented roster it is gifted year in and year out by the front office. Blame a couple of key injuries that have limited the impact of some of the Dolphins' highest-profile recent additions.

Don't blame Tannehill—at least not fully.

The Dolphins have spent the past two offseasons trying to rebuild their offensive line, yet that unit continues to struggle in the same manner year after year.

Tannehill is fighting through constant pressure, and although he's been sacked just seven times this season, he's been pressured 40.7 percent of the time he's dropped back to throw. That's tied for the fourth-highest percentage in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Pressure	No pressure	Under pressure
Comp	51	27
Att	79	48
Comp %	64.6	56.3
Yds	513	369
YPA	6.5	7.7
TD	3	2
INT	1	2
Rating	90.3	77.5

Tannehill has performed well under pressure in the past, but he's never had this much pressure in his face this consistently. 

His completion percentage is eight points lower and his passer rating is 13 points lower when he's under pressure than when he's operating from a clean pocket. 

There are measures the Dolphins can take to reduce the pressure on Tannehill.

He has sat in the pocket for an average of 2.6 seconds after the snap, according to Pro Football Focus, which is the 10th-highest average in the NFL. His 2.56 seconds to attempt a pass is also 10th-highest, but his average of 2.92 seconds to be sacked is one of the 10 quickest, and his average of 5.3 seconds to scramble is one of the longest in the NFL.

Basically, Tannehill's internal clock should be quicker. He needs to pick up the tempo in the pocket, but the coaches can help with that by getting the ball out of his hands quicker. The Dolphins have taken some criticism for their lack of deep passing, and Tannehill for his inaccuracy on those deep throws, but it's hard to consistently make those aggressive play calls when the pass protection can't hold.

Maybe the Dolphins offensive line will get better when left tackle Branden Albert returns to the lineup. That's perhaps the Dolphins' best hope right now, because if this pressure keeps up, the offense may never get it going this year.

Speaking of units that still need to get it going, the Dolphins defense holds no small part of the blame for the slow start, too.

Who would have thought, three weeks into the season, that the Dolphins would have one of the league's worst defenses? They're 19th in scoring, 26th overall and 31st against the run.

The Dolphins have faced a deficit of at least 10 points in the second quarter of each of their three games this season. 

That's because they've given up five touchdown drives and five field-goal drives on 15 first-half drives. They've allowed an average of 3.3 points, 7.8 plays and 49.4 yards per drive on all first-half drives in the first three games of the season (excluding kneel-down drives to end the half). According to Football Outsiders, the NFL average is 5.94 plays, 31.89 yards and 1.99 points per drive.

The Dolphins would rank second-worst or dead last in each of those three categories on defense if those were their numbers for the entire game.

When the Dolphins are playing from behind, it forces the offense into passing situations that make it much easier for the opposing defense to tee off on Tannehill. 

All of that is despite having one of the most talented defensive lineups in the entire league. Most general managers and coaches would kill for Pro Bowlers like defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, defensive end Cameron Wake and cornerback Brent Grimes at their disposal. Some might even give an appendage for a talented safety like Reshad Jones and defensive end Olivier Vernon. 

Coyle could not have imagined this defense getting off to such a bad start.

"No. I couldn't imagine that, but that's the reality of what it is and that's my job," Coyle said Monday. "I take responsibility for that. It's on my shoulders. It's my job to make sure we are playing winning defense and I've got to get that done. I'm disappointed, but I'm mostly disappointed in myself.”

Which brings the focus to the coaching staff.

With so much money invested in so many high-profile players, this team should be much better than it is. This is hardly the first time this coaching staff has been gifted a loaded roster and has failed to maximize the potential of that personnel. 

Coyle has to try to mix things up to create a spark for his defense. Philbin and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor should also try to make some adjustments to assist their struggling offensive line.

A lot of things have to change, and quickly, or else the Dolphins' season could be in danger of being over just as soon as it's begun. 

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.