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Ryan Tannehill

AFC Notes: Harrison, Tannehill, Texans, Jags

September 25th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Steelers brought back veteran linebacker James Harrison this week after suffering a rash of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, but while the sight of Harrison in black and gold will look familiar, we shouldn’t expect him to play a major role immediately. Harrison started all 87 games he played for Pittsburgh from 2007 to 2012, but former Bucs GM Mark Domenik thinks it’s unrealistic to expect significant contributions from the linebacker at age 36.

“I think you could see him play five to 10 snaps [in Week 4] in that limited pass-rush role,” Dominik said, according to Scott Brown of ESPN.com. “I think at the end of the day you’ll be lucky if James Harrison become a 20- to 25-snap guy. He knows what to do in the system, and that’s the No. 1 thing, it’s just that can he get his body to do it? That’s going to take a little bit of time.”

Here’s more from out of the AFC:

  • After being ambiguous earlier this week when he was asked about Ryan Tannehill‘s job security as the Dolphins‘ No. 1 quarterback, head coach Joe Philbin has expressed remorse about having created a distraction and given his starting signal-caller a vote of confidence, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. As I noted earlier in the week, Tannehill will be extension-eligible starting this offseason and the Dolphins will also have to decide on his fifth-year option in the spring, so 2014 is a big year for the young QB.
  • We had already heard about the Texans auditioning a handful of punters this week in case Shane Lechler is unable to play this week, but Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) adds a couple more names to the list of players the team tried out. According to Wilson, Houston also took a look at long snappers Brandon Hartson and Chris Maikranz.
  • The Jaguars auditioned linebacker L.J. Fort this week, tweets Wilson. Fort, waived by the Broncos during the preseason, also worked out for the Titans earlier in September.
  • Cornerback Vernon Kearney, who was cut by the Chiefs a month ago, was among the defensive backs who worked out for the Jets this week, per Wilson (via Twitter).

Florida Notes: Tannehill, Dolphins, Jaguars

September 22nd, 2014 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Matt Moore is one of the highest-paid backup quarterbacks in the league, and the Dolphins may be reaching a point where they’re not just paying him to sit on the bench. According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, after another poor performance from Ryan Tannehill on Sunday, the club is mulling the possibility of changing quarterbacks. As Salguero notes, head coach Joe Philbin was evasive when asked about Tannehill’s job security today, and while a change isn’t necessarily imminent, the team is at least considering it.

If Tannehill were to lose his job, it wouldn’t bode well for his next contract. After this season, the Dolphins will have to make a decision on the signal-caller’s fifth-year option for 2016, and could even sign him to an extension if they so choose. While that option would almost certainly be exercised if Tannehill has a big 2014, it’s not looking good at the moment for him.

Here’s more on Tannehill, along with a couple more items on the NFL’s Florida teams….

  • Predictably, Tannehill was one of the three players Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap named in his weekly look at players whose potential future earnings have taken a hit based on their recent performances.
  • While the Dolphins haven’t looked great on the offensive side of the ball over the last two weeks, the defense hasn’t been any better, and according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, Miami players are getting frustrated. One source tells Beasley that many of the defenders are “beyond furious, irate” with defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle‘s game plans and play calls.
  • Assuming Blake Bortles stays healthy and remains the No. 1 quarterback in Jacksonville, the Jaguars will receive a $1.25MM credit on their cap, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Those savings would be a result of Chad Henne not reaching the playing-time incentives on his deal with the club.

East Notes: Tannehill, Jets, Bryant

September 7th, 2014 at 10:13am CST by Rory Parks

For Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, 2014 may well be the season that determines his future in the league. As Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes, the Dolphins must decide by May 2015 if they want to exercise Tannehill’s fifth-year option for 2016. Since Tannehill was a top-10 pick, that option would pay him the average salary of the 10 highest-paid quarterbacks in the league (about $15MM).

However, if Tannehill and the Dolphins offense thrive this season under the leadership of new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, Miami could offer their young-signal caller a long-term extension, which the Bengals gave to Andy Dalton and the 49ers gave to Colin Kaepernick after their third seasons in the league.

Statistically, Tannehill’s second season compares favorably to Matt Ryan‘s, which is certainly encouraging for Miami fans. On the other hand, out of the 18 quarterbacks drafted in the top 10 from 2000-2011, seven saw their quarterback ratings drop in their third season.

Whether Tannehill takes a third-year leap like Ryan or a third-year tumble like Mark Sanchez will of course play a significant role in his own fortunes, but it will also go a long way in determining the fate of the franchise. As Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes, “This is going to be one of those defining seasons that either settles the franchise for the near future or points the whole place in a completely different direction.” And so much of that hinges on Tannehill’s right arm.

Now for a couple more notes from the league’s east divisions:

  • In the same piece linked above, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins made an inquiry, but not an offer, to former starting safety Chris Clemons after he was released by the Texans. Reshad Jones is serving a four-game suspension to begin the season, and if the Dolphins do not like what they see from their secondary in today’s opener against New England, they could bring Clemons back into the fold next week and would not have to guarantee his salary for the remainder of the season.
  • Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes that, given the Jets‘ ample salary cap space, created in large part by GM John Idzik‘s failure to adequately address the team’s cornerback position this offseason–along with the holes stemming from those failures–head coach Rex Ryan should not be worried about his job security at the end of the season.
  • I wrote up the latest piece of news on the Bills‘ ownership saga earlier today.
  • Kevin Patra of NFL.com writes that, since the Cowboys and star wide receiver Dez Bryant were unable to hammer out an extension before today’s season opener, Bryant will be a logical candidate to get the franchise tag.

 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/09/06/4332422/armando-salguero-history-says.html#storylink=cpy

AFC East Links: Wallace, Johnson, Robey

July 5th, 2014 at 10:44am CST by Matt Feminis

Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace, who signed a five-year, $60MM deal ($30MM guaranteed) last year, did not have the big-play impact he or the team was hoping for last season. Wallace played all 16 games and tallied 73 catches, but he scored just five touchdowns and averaged 12.7 yards per catch, the lowest mark of his five-year career. ESPN’s James Walker says “former offensive coordinator Mike Sherman seemed lost with how to use his newfound toy. Miami’s offense with Wallace was too predictable and it impacted everyone’s production.”

Walker also says the arrival of new coordinator Bill Lazor is reason for optimism, but Wallace is also dependent on the offensive line (which will have five new starters) to give quarterback Ryan Tannehill time to connect with his No. 1 deep threat. Tannehill was sacked 58 times last year and his deep ball accuracy was below 33 percent per Pro Football Focus.

Here’s a few more AFC links:

  • Chris Johnson “is the Jets’ most accomplished skill-position player since LaDainian Tomlinson,” asserts ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Despite Johnson’s downward career trend, Cimini points out Johnson’s string of 1,000-yard seasons and his “extraordinary” durability. The Jets are hoping Johnson’s “home run” ability adds a quick-strike element to their offense.
  • New Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has been impressed with the talent in his secondary, including the nickel back combatants Nickell Robey and Corey Graham, writes A.J. Devine on BuffaloBills.com.
  • The Patriots specialists appear to be set with the exception of long snapper, where fourth-year pro Danny Aiken will try to hold off undrafted free agent Tyler Ott, notes ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss.
  • At the beginning of the week, Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus provided some AFC East depth chart update notes. Among them, he says Patriots defensive lineman Sealver Siliga was “above average” last season and is deserving of more snaps.

Dolphins Links: Tannehill, Pouncey, Ellerbe

July 2nd, 2014 at 10:35pm CST by Rob DiRe

Ryan Tannehill is the 23rd ranked quarterback in the popular piece by Mike Sando of ESPN.com (subscription required) where a group of anonymous league insiders divided the league’s quarterbacks into tiers. That ranking put him near the bottom of the third tier of NFL signal callers. Tannehill needs to find a way to lead this Dolphin team to a winning season, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. Otherwise, his career in Miami might be shorter than expected.

Here are some other notes about the Dolphins:

  • The Dolphins have a number of questions to be answered on offense in 2014 if they want to make a run at the playoffs, writes Ross Devonport of Fox Sports Florida. Devonport wonders if the re-tooled offensive line can keep Tannehill upright, if new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor can lead a more explosive unit, and if Knowshon Moreno will be able to contribute at a similar level as he did with the Broncos last season.
  • A SportsNation Poll on ESPN.com asked how the Dolphins will fare without star center Mike Pouncey if he misses between two and six games to start the season while recovering from hip surgery. Walker reveals the results, showing an optimistic fan base that believe the team can go 2-2 or 3-1 in his absence.
  • The team has moved Dannell Ellerbe from inside linebacker to outside linebacker this offseason, and the position change could bring out more playmaking from Ellerbe, writes Walker. However, the linebackers have underachieved recently, which is a cause for concern.
  • Some notable names could be left off the Dolphins 53-man roster, writes Thomas Galicia of Bleacher Report. Receivers Armon Binns and Damian Williams landed on his list of the last five players off the roster, while receiver Rishard Matthews and running back Marcus Thigpen were among those who squeezed into the last five spots on the roster.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Dolphins, Bills

July 1st, 2014 at 12:57pm CST by Ben Levine

Jets legend Joe Namath will not be purchasing a Geno Smith jersey in the foreseeable future. Talking to New York’s WFAN, Namath didn’t sound too impressed with the second-year player. Via Darryl Slater of The Star-Ledger…

“I can’t evaluate Geno other than what I’ve heard from his coaches. I don’t see anything outstanding about him. He’s not an outstanding passer. He’s not an outstanding runner. He’s good, but nothing jumps out at me with intangibles that I’m not aware of because I’m not there on an everyday (basis).

“I haven’t seen anything really extra special from Geno, and that’s not to be negative at all. The guy performed really darn well on a professional level against guys that were so much better than he’s ever played against. The upside of Geno is going to be strong. The upside is grasping his offense versus the defenses he sees.

“Just looking at him physically, what’s outstanding about his running ability? What’s outstanding about his passing ability? Nothing to me is outstanding about it, but it’s pretty good.”

Here’s some more news from the AFC East…

Extra Points: Tannehill, Burnett, Panthers

June 7th, 2014 at 10:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are some assorted NFL notes on this Saturday evening…

AFC East Notes: Stadium, Tannehill, Pryor

June 6th, 2014 at 9:50pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Dolphins‘ are reportedly very close to landing a $400MM upgrade to Sun Life Stadium, reports Patricia Mazzei and Andres Vaglucci of the Miami Herald. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giminez will attempt to secure the deal over the weekend.

Giminez stated that the stadium will be funded by tourist’s taxes.

Here are some other notes from around the AFC East:

  • With Colin Kaepernick‘s new extension, the Dolphins can start to consider their own quarterback’s next contract, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. Walker looks at other $100MM quarterbacks such as Matthew Stafford, Jay Cutler, and Joe Flacco and how they compare to Ryan Tannehill so far.
  • Jets‘ first-round pick Calvin Pryor is fitting right in with the team’s mentality, already taking his shots at the team’s biggest rivals, and their arch-nemesis Tom Brady, writes of Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “We don’t like Tom at all,” Pryor said. “When I first came here, that was one of the first things I heard about: We hate the Patriots and we hate the Giants. So we hate those guys and I look forward to playing them this season.”
  • Patriots‘ new corner tandem of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner are bullying the team’s receivers in OTAs, writes Nick Underhill of MassLive.com. The receivers are frustrated by their lack of opportunities against the pair, but are impressed by what their teammates will be unleashing when they first play together in week five. Browner is suspended for the first four games.

AFC East Notes: Jets’ QBs, Pats’ TEs, Woods

June 1st, 2014 at 9:48am CST by Rory Parks

As our Zach Links wrote several days ago, Jets‘ offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has tilted the team’s quarterback competition in favor of second-year man Geno Smith, but Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if that is a good idea. Cimini writes that there are benefits and drawbacks to both Smith and Michael Vick, so a truly open competition would eliminate any confusion and would also create a “best-man-wins scenario.”

Let’s take a quick look around the rest of the AFC East:

  • In the same piece, Cimini writes that although Jets‘ right guard Willie Colon is expected to be fully healthy by training camp, his injury has revealed the glaring lack of experienced depth along the team’s offensive line, which Cimini believes should be addressed with a veteran acquisition or two.
  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that, since we have reached that magical June 1 date, the Patriots are in a good position to add quality depth to their tight end group by signing a player like Dustin Keller or Jermichael Finley.
  • In a separate piece, Reiss empties out his notebook from the Patriots‘ first week of OTAs.
  • The Bills primarily utilized the unique route-running ability of departed wide receiver Stevie Johnson out of the slot last season, and head coach Doug Marrone believes Robert Woods can excel in that role, writes Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News.
  • Much like Philadelphia’s Chip Kelly, new Dolphins offensive coordinator Bill Lazor utilizes a system that focuses on tempo, and James Walker of ESPN.com examines the budding relationship between Lazor and third-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill and Lazor’s expectations for his young signal-caller.
  • In a separate piece, Walker wonders if Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace is ready to break out in 2014.

Dolphins Looking To Add A Quarterback

May 10th, 2014 at 2:19pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Dolphins are looking for a potential quarterback now in the draft, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). He notes the team could be interested in Stephen Morris of Miami (via Twitter).

The team still has Ryan Tannehill, who will be entering a crucial third season with the team. While he has not been a bust just yet, he may not be developing as quickly as the team would have hoped. Behind Tannehill are Matt Moore and Pat Devlin, which is not the worst set of backups in the league.

If the team stays away from Morris, there is still a bevy of options to choose from in the rest of the draft, including David Fales of San Jose State and Zach Mettenberger of LSU.

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