I wonder if Lauren is going to be on Hard Knocks...
Ryan Tannehill is a highly-touted rookie quarterback who was a top 10 pick, and therefore, confidence is inherent. Every movie about high school or college football that I’ve ever watched tells me that quarterbacks land hot girls, get special treatment from teachers, and they’re generally pampered and told that all the greatest things in this world can be theirs.
They also say lines that make people who enjoy teen movies yell “booyah!’ or something, and their characters have accents that aren’t clichéd whatsoever…
A truly rich cultural experience.
Tannehill isn’t nearly as good looking as James Van der Beek, but that hasn’t stopped him from wanting to start all of the games. Tannehill missed the first two days of Dolphins training camp due to a brief contract holdout before he had his first full practice yesterday, and he told ESPN’s James Walker that despite his absence and the two veterans ahead of him on the Dolphins’ QB depth chart (David Garrard and Matt Moore), he still thinks he can start.
“I feel like I’m in it,” Tannehill said. “Maybe I am being naïve, but the coaches haven’t given me any indication that I’m not, so I’m going to go out there every day and do my best to get better every day and hopefully win the job.”
No, you’re not being naive, Ryan. You’re just being confident, and that’s the kind of thing that gets the narrative creators frothing with delight as they drool over another young quarterback who can win, or probably knows how to win. Tannehill may be a fine quarterback sometime very soon, and he can and should do everything in his power to win the Dolphins’ starting job.
But if new head coach Joe Philbin and offensive coordinator Mike Sherman have any sense whatsoever, they won’t let Tannehill anywhere near a football in Week 1. Seriously, no footballs. Ban him from the mere possession of the one item that makes playing a game of football possible.
We could linger over concerns about Tannehill’s lack of starting experience after he completed just one full season as a starter at Texas A&M. But that’s a crumbling bridge over rough waters that’s long since been crossed. If the Dolphins were confident enough to draft Tannehill at eighth overall when others had him as a late-round pick at best, they’re also confident enough to cast him as the quarterback of their offense for the next decade. Hopefully.
Vick is still talking dynasty
Posted by Kyle Smith under Commentary, Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles on Jul 30, 2012
Last year, Philadelphia Eagles backup quarterback Vince Young proclaimed the Eagles to be a “Dream Team” before they even lined up for a single snap. That so-called Dream Team struggled out of the gate, and even with four straight wins to end the season, the Eagles still had a mediocre 8-8 record. That would be akin to the real Dream Team losing the Bronze medal game to Lithuania at the ’92 Olympics. The Eagles were appropriately bashed by most media outlets for crowning themselves before proving themselves, thus leading them to be humbled by the experience.
There’s no way they couldn’t have learned from their mistakes. They were totally humbled…right?
Well, I guess not. Last week Michael Vick was talking about a possible Eagles dynasty, and in a recent interview with WIP radio in Philadelphia, he didn’t not backing away from those claims.
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