Ryan Tannehill – August 17, 2016
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Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill
(On the urgency for the offense to get going and if this is the time when things will start clicking) – “Yes. It’s now or never. It’s time to go. I think we feel that urgency. This week has been a good week for us. I think we got a lot better. I saw some great strides from the offensive line the past couple of days, just protecting and giving me time to get the ball out, and guys are winning downfield. We still have a lot of work to do but I think we’re headed in the right direction. The past couple of days, we’ve seen some great strides.
(On if the offensive struggles were caused by just trying to get familiar with new stuff) – “Some of it. Early on, you’re learning a new system, you’re learning new concepts. (It’s) a lot of information for everyone. You’re having to think and figure out exactly what we’re supposed to do. Now, it’s a lot less thinking. We know what to do and we just have to go out and execute.”
(On if he has asked the coaching staff to stay on the field until the unit scores a touchdown on Friday night) – “No. (Head) Coach (Adam Gase) has a plan for us. I’m planning on scoring when we’re in there. That’s the mindset every time we hit the field – what can we do to move the chains and get the ball in the end zone? I haven’t asked that, no, but I do plan on scoring. That’s the name of the game.”
(On the versatility of the running backs) – “It’s a good group of guys. We have some speed. We have great hands out of the backfield – some power. I feel like we complement each other very well. We’ll be able to find the niches of those guys of what they do well and really accent our offense with them.”
(On RB Damien Williams and if he is as hungry as he’s ever been) – “Yes. Damien’s had a great camp. He’s a fast guy. He’s a football player. He just has that football mindset. He loves the game. He has great hands (and) great speed. He’s definitely going to be a weapon for us.”
(On what RB Arian Foster brings to the offense) – “Arian is a veteran guy. He’s been around a long time. He’s played a lot of football. He’s seen a lot of football – just that knowledge of helping those young guys in the room, as well as he’s a good football player. He’s got a lot of experience in the zone running game. He has great patience – you see him just have great patience. He sees a crease and hits it. He’s definitely going to help us out a lot in the zone game as well as out of the backfield. He has great hands and a good feel in the pass game.
(On what the team needs to do to pick up first downs consistently and stay on the field) – “That’s offense. You’ve got to move the ball. You have to have efficient third-down plays (and) get yourself in third-and-manageable. If you’re there, we feel we can convert those at a good rate and stay on the field. Basically staying out of third-and-long situations will always make it a lot easier and we’re going to have to make big plays as well.”
(On what things he sees that made G/T Laremy Tunsil a first-round draft pick) – “Laremy is an extremely athletic guy. He’s flashed at times. He’s playing a position that he hasn’t played a lot in the past so he’s learning, but he’s learning fast. If we can just keep him on that track and he keeps making strides, he’s going to be a force for us.
(On being from Texas and if he has feelings about returning to the state for Friday’s game at Dallas) – “Not particularly. There will be some fans and friends in the stands – and family. That’s always fun to go home and play in front of friends and family. I’ve played in the stadium several times before and it’s a fun stadium to play in but it’s a business trip. We are there to get better (and) to take the next step along this process.”
(On how many friends and family he expects to be in the stands on Friday night) – “I don’t even know. I’m just there to play. I don’t know exactly.”
(On what he wants to have personally accomplished when he walks off the field on Friday night) – “It’s not really about me personally. It’s about this offense and this team – just taking strides in our process – moving the ball, seeing good first- and second down-plays, getting ourselves into third-and-manageable, converting those at a good rate and just keep the chains moving and get in the end zone. That’s what we are looking to see.”
(On if he is looking forward to playing more with the first team offense over the next two preseason games) – “Yes. We’ve had seven plays so it’s an extremely small sample size. Obviously, it wasn’t the showing we wanted to have, but it was two drives. There are a lot of games you’re not going to score on the first two drives and you’re going to have to bounce back and the game goes into the second half. We’re not worried in the least bit, but we understand that the time is now and we have to continue making strides.”
(On the significance to him of training camp ending) – “It’s Phase I of the season ending and getting into a more normal swing of things in the season. Training camp has ended but it’s still training camp. We still have a few more weeks to really grind it out with each other and really get better before we start playing games that count.”
(On his receivers getting into a couple of scuffles today) – “I don’t know exactly what started them but those guys are competitive. They’ve been going against each other for a long time now – a lot of reps. No one likes to get beat so there was some jawing back and forth and the competitiveness kind of came to a boiling point today. I like to see a little bit of that out of our guys just, ‘Hey, we have a little bit of an attitude, a little swagger about ourselves and we’re not going to take crap.’ I appreciate (that) a little bit. Obviously, you don’t want to have four or five in a practice that drag on a whole practice, but I feel like a little bit of that is okay.”
(On what has to change to reduce the number of sacks this year) – “We have to protect and get the ball out. That’s what it comes down to. Like I said, (we have to) stay out of third-and-long situations where you’re having to hold onto the ball forever to get past the chains. (We have to) protect (and) pick up the quick rush and twist games inside (so we can) be able to get the ball out on time and in the right spot and let our playmakers make plays downfield.”
