The Miami Dolphins are coming into the season with high expectations for Ryan Tannehill and after trade rumors involving Mike Wallace and Brandon Gibson this offseason, the Fins are hoping he can turn things around and if not, they may regret passing on Johnny Manziel if he becomes a franchise player, as the two quarterbacks are former Texas A&M starters and the Fins have been looking for someone to replace Dan Marino for over a decade.
The Dolphins are coming into the season with very high hopes after just missing the playoffs in 2013 and they are looking to improve on offense as well. Tannehill made some strides last season, but towards the end Miami simply looked terrible and they scored just seven points over their final two games and were shutout by the Buffalo Bills. The team now has a new GM and offensive coordinator and while trading someone like Mike Wallace would have been a bad move offensively, the team also realized that his $60 million contract is a big one and he did not perform up to standards last season.
Wallace was shopped around but the team did not pull off the deal and now that may gave Tannehill and Wallace another chance to get things right this season. Wallace wasn't terrible in 2013, but he did not play like a player that gets paid like he does and had it not been for Brian Hartline, the receivers for the team would have been terrible. The team now is hoping that extra time this offseason working with Tannehill will pay off and some have their jobs on the line for it after passing on Manziel. Jeff Ireland picked Tannehill so that's not on Dennis Hickey exactly, but it is now that he opted to stick with Tannehill over someone like Manziel.
Some have written that if Manziel turns into a superstar teams will be kicking themselves for passing him up and the Dolphins fit into that category better than most. On top of the fact that the team has been trying to replace Marino, Tannehill and Manziel both went to Texas A&M, making the question and comparisons more apt and now the two teams will both be looking to make the playoffs in 2014. Things could be tougher for Manziel and the Browns since Manziel is coming in as the backup, but in a few years of Tannehill has still not turned the corner and Manziel is playing well, the franchise will look a little silly once again.
Tannehill has not been to the playoffs yet and is just 15-17 over two seasons and while it may be too early to call him a bust, those numbers are not getting it done. Last season Tannehill had his best season with 3913 yards and 24 touchdowns, but he also had 17 picks and now he will have even more pressure on him to perform well. Tannehill was up and down as a rookie with 12 TDs and 13 picks with 3,294 yards and now he is going to be expected to take the next step in his development.
