The Miami Dolphins' is clearly improved from last season, but it is not yet elite enough for Ryan Tannehill. With high expectations facing both the quarterback and the unit altogether, the Dolphins still have some things to iron out before the season begins. After an inconsistent showing against the Atlanta Falcons, Tannehill is stressing that things are simply not good enough and the team needs to clean things up before Week 1.
The Dolphins might have gotten the win over Atlanta, but Tannehill was not having any of it. The first-team offense certainly got down to the red zone plenty of times, but only walked away with one touchdown and Tannehill is admitting he has a lot of concerns after the performance.
"I was frustrated and I thought we didn't play clean," Tannehill said, via the Sun Sentinel. "We moved the ball, I felt like, when we didn't kick ourselves in the foot. We had penalties, we had negative plays. It's tough to put drives together when you have those, and I expect better out of our offense."
The biggest concern for the Dolphins is the offensive line which appeared out of sync all night. The team opted not to sign Evan Mathis and have not looked at Jake Long meaning that right now they are content. It is a good thing Lamar Miller has figured out how to make the most of the holes given as he is looking more and more like a home-run hit in the run game. Miller has been a huge threat on the field while Jay Ajayi, Damien Williams and LaMichael James battle to be his backup. Miller got the starting nod after Miami opted not to re-sign Knowshon Moreno and it appears they made the right call on the running back.
While Miller is a huge threat for the Dolphins, Kenny Stills might be the steal of the offseason for Miami. After losing DeVante Parker for the preseason to foot surgery, Stills has stepped up in a major way to be a critical addition for Tannehill. The wide receiver has been thriving next to Jarvis Landry and that is expected to continue even when Parker returns to the field. According to the Sun-Sentinel, the rise of Stills has made the Dolphins very comfortable going into the season with the receiver along with Landry, Greg Jennings and Rishard Matthews as their main rotation.
"It's great to have him back," Tannehill said. "We saw a flash of what he's known for - catching the ball downfield. And not only that, but we made an adjustment to a cover zero right there in the two-minute drive, and he was able to see the adjustment and make the catch for a big play for us. He's definitely a big-play receiver."
