Tannehill Starting For Fins Vs. Panthers
CHARLOTTE (CBSMiami) – The Miami Dolphins are about to find out if rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill is the real deal and capable of leading the team this season.
According to Dick Stockton, who will broadcast the game on CBS4 tonight, Tannehill was named the starter Friday morning for the game against the Carolina Panthers.
The move by Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin has been expected for most of the week. Tannehill played well against reserves during last week's loss and the Fins have to see if he can duplicate that performance against the Panthers' starting defense.
Coach Philbin had previously said he wanted to name a starting quarterback before the third preseason game, according to Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post. That means this may be Tannehill's last chance to make his case to start Week 1.
Based on Philbin saying earlier in the week he wanted to get the starters a maximum of 30 snaps, Tannehill should play through the first half. After the set number of plays are run, Matt Moore will take over for awhile and then Pat Devlin may get a few snaps in the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins hitched their future to Tannehill in the 2012 NFL Draft when they selected him eighth overall. Friday night will go a long way towards determining if the rookie quarterback is ready to take the reins of an NFL offense or if he needs more time to acclimate to the game.
