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Dwork On Sports: I've Finally Given Up On Ryan Tannehill

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Welcome to the Dwork On Sports blog.  This is a place where I'll cover all things related to South Florida sports, with a steady combination of facts and opinions while ultimately keeping a close eye on anything and everything related to our local teams.

Dwork On Sports

My days of making what I thought were legitimate excuses for Ryan Tannehill are over.

I have long been a supporter of Tannehill's and believed that with time and the proper surroundings, he could thrive in the NFL.

That could end up being true, but those surroundings may be a stone wall instead of an offensive line and receivers like Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson and others who would go up and catch any ball regardless of the placement or the coverage.  Oh, and defensive lineman who can't lift their hands over their shoulders.

Things that I figured would improve over time, such as field vision, pocket awareness and accuracy, are still just as poor as they were in 2012.

Batted balls at the line of scrimmage are still an issue.  Receivers still have to slow down and reach behind them on simple 5-yard crossing routes.

If a play is designed for Jarvis Landry to receive the ball, everyone in the building knows it before Tannehill has finished dropping back to pass.

Is he working in his third offense scheme and with his third offensive coordinator in five years? Yes.

Has he had an offensive line worth a damn at any time during those five years? No.

Can arguments be made that he hasn't been put in an offense that works to his strengths? Sure.

There are plenty of reasons that can be attributed to his lack of production, and I clung to those reasons believing that his intelligence and athletic ability were strong enough to ultimately lead to success at this level.

I also believed that the Dolphins would eventually surround him with enough talent to provide at least a decent offense.

Clearly, at least up until now, I've been very wrong.

It wouldn't shock me to see Tannehill go to another team and find success.  Hell, if he were playing for the Tennessee Titans team that beat Miami on Sunday, I think Tannehill would look like a much better quarterback.

They've got an offensive line that can protect and a running game that takes pressure off the rest of the offense.

Unfortunately for Dolphins fans, there is no light at the end of the tunnel for Tannehill or for the rest of the team.

I've been a supporter of this team as far back as my memory takes me, and never have I been this shrouded in a feeling of hopelessness.

The blame for this team being in the situation that it's in should not fall on Tannehill.  He's just a cog in a much bigger machine that has been malfunctioning for far too long.

But my days of believing that he could be a part of the solution, much like the days of the Dolphins being known as a successful franchise, are a thing of the past.

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