Ryan Tannehill – June 5, 2018
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Tuesday, June 5, 2018
QB Ryan Tannehill
(Head Coach Adam Gase was saying that it wasn’t necessarily a good day today. He said you guys put in a lot of new stuff offensively. What did you think of how today went offensively?) – “I think we had our ups and downs. We had some plays and some series where I thought we moved quickly and we were in and out of the huddle and moved efficiently and moved the ball down the field. Then I feel like towards the end of practice maybe the heat caught up to us a little bit. We just have to be better with our conditioning and grinding through that, as a team to be at our best in the heat, because that’s one of our advantages of playing in South Florida. It’s being able to play in that heat and play at a high level where other teams are coming down from up north where they don’t get to prepare in these types of environments. It’s got to be used to our advantage and that’s why we have spring and that’s why we have training camp. It’s to prepare our bodies and get acclimated to that heat.”
(How big of an advantage has that been in your experience in September games? Do you visibly see the other team withering? How do you use that to your advantage?) – “Yes, I see it. Definitely. I don’t think it’s every week but you do see teams come down here and be affected by the heat. It’s just something that we’re going to have to deal with throughout the whole year and throughout training camp, so we have to prepare for it and be acclimated for it.”
(You guys have run the offense a lot – the passing offense a lot – with WR Jarvis Landry the last few years. Would you say now that there are a lot more options open to you, there’s just way more weapons for you to use?) – “We’ve had some of the same few guys throughout the past few years but I feel right now that we legitimately have two groups of receivers that can play at a high level for us. So if we want to sub somebody out and keep fresh legs in there, or if someone goes down – whatever the case may be – I don’t feel like there’s really going to be much of a drop off from production or ability with the group that we have. We have a really deep room right now. They work really hard. You see them every day out there grinding. Nobody’s complaining. They’re trying to get better each and every day and that’s what we want.”
(Does that make it at all any harder for you because now you have to know five or six guys and be on point with them instead of maybe one or two?) – “I wouldn’t say it makes it harder. I think the hard part is keeping everyone involved and in the game. We have, like I said, a good group of guys. They’re not complaining. They’re not griping about not getting the ball; but when you do have talented guys, you want to get them the football. I think it’s a balancing act from (Head Coach Adam) Gase to myself of trying to get guys involved, finding them rhythms in the game and help them be productive.”
(Has some of the drama worn off from you originally coming back to practice at the start of OTAs? Has it started to feel more like regular work days to you?) – “Yes. I don’t think it was anything crazy. I mean I’m still excited to be out here and appreciate, I think, a little more than I have in the past, being on the field, being able to prepare and practice with the guys; but not a lot has changed in the fact of what I’m trying to accomplish every day.”
(I saw a cool thing on social media where you were actually showing TE Mike Gesicki the way you wanted him to run a certain route. I was curious how often you’ve done that throughout your career and how having literally done that, run routes, has helped you.) – “I was nowhere near the route-runner that any of these guys are, so I can’t say that I can do it any better; but I have been in their shoes so to speak of feeling how a practice is, feeling how the heat affects you through a practice and can kind of relate a little bit. As far as coaching guys up on what I’m expecting in routes, I think when you get in the first year of an offense, it’s a little tougher because you’re learning the offense yourself. You’re trying to understand what the coach wants, how you see it and how that blends together. As you move to Year 2 and Year 3, you can really take ownership of it and say ‘Okay, this is what I want. I need you to be right here at this time.’”
(What have you picked up from TE Mike Gesicki so far?) – “He’s flashed a couple of times. I think it was last week, he made a great one-handed catch down the sideline on a deep pass. He’s young; he’s learning. He’s going to take his bumps along the way, but he works really hard. He’s locked in and trying to get better each and every day, and that’s what we want. He has all of the talent and the athletic ability and once he catches up to knowing what we’re doing, he’s going to be a big weapon for us.”
(When you were a first-round pick, how long does that designation stay with you either in your head or to teammates? Like your rookie year, I’m sure it probably stays with you but does it wear off after two or three years? Do guys remind you? How aware are you of it?) – “I don’t really think about it often. That’s a tough question. I don’t really know. I think it may be different for everybody. For me, I didn’t really think about it a lot. I think how I went about my business and how I still do really has no effect on where you’re taken. Now, you might get more opportunities when you’re a first-round pick, or whatever the case may be; but how you prepare day in and day out shouldn’t matter depending on where you’re drafted. You should go out there every day like you’re an undrafted free agent and try to get better and make an impact.”
(The pressure to perform, does that come from within? Does that come from us and fans? If you’re a first-round pick, you’re expected to contribute immediately. How do you deal with that and where does it come from?) – “I think it’s different to the guy. For me, it doesn’t really matter what the media or the fans say. My internal drive is what pushes me – my willingness to succeed, my drive to succeed. But there are some guys that maybe the other outside forces push them. I think whatever it is, you have to drive yourself each and every day to come to work and try to get better.”
(We hear that your family is growing?) – “Yes.”
(What’s your reaction and what can you tell us about it?) – “Yes, we’re expecting a baby girl. I’m excited. (I’m) a little nervous excited (about) it being a girl, so we have to change the dynamics and change the hormones in the household. (laughter) It’ll be interesting for us but I am excited.”
(Due date?) – “It’s in October.”
(When you get a new receiver, especially someone a little less experienced like more so WR Albert Wilson than WR Danny Amendola, what role do you take on with Albert Wilson as far as establishing a chemistry? What’s your approach to that?) – “I think just getting reps. We started throwing with Albert back in March. I’ll take guys off the site and off the location here and just throw, and just get to learn his body language and try to coach him up on what I’m expecting on certain routes. Over time, you develop that chemistry. You get comfortable (and) seeing his indicators. ‘When I see his hips lean this way then I can let it go to that spot.’ That just takes reps but right now, he’s getting more comfortable in the offense, knowing exactly where to line up. We do a lot of formations, moving guys around, and it’s tough on those guys. Those guys have a lot of pressure and a lot of things to learn. They’re doing a good job now, especially Albert, of moving around and being in the right spot.”
(Are you patient or do you get frustrated easily when that’s not where you want it yet?) – “(laughter) A little of both. I think I try to be patient. Sometimes I might be a little short-tempered on expecting guys to do what they’re supposed to do. I hold guys accountable and I think that’s the way we’re going to win here is by everyone being accountable, myself included. You can’t look past … If a guy makes a mistake once then you might let it go. If he makes it again, that’s when I have a problem because we’ve already made that mistake and it should be corrected.”
(Even though you didn’t play last year, how much more familiar are you with the offense? How much more comfortable are you just by watching from the sideline?) – “Yes, I learned a lot last year. I was in the meeting room – in this room – as we installed. I was still around the game. I was still hearing and still seeing the tape and learning. Like I said last week, it’s not like playing. It’s not quite the same; but you do learn. You do pick up things. We installed things last year and it’s not like it’s the first time I’m hearing it now. If it was new to me last year, I didn’t run it and I was never physically the quarterback running the play; but if we install it now, I already feel comfortable running it because I’ve seen it run on tape, I’ve heard how we installed it, how we’re teaching the guys and now we can go execute.”
(With the tight end position, this team hasn’t had a high level of productivity since TE Charles Clay. What’s it going to take to change that?) – “Guys are going to have to come in and play well. Like I said, accountability is huge – being in the right spot at the right time. We brought in some young guys who are really athletic. We have MarQueis Gray, who has done a good job for us. A.J. Derby is athletic on the outside. It’s really up in the air right now who’s going to come out of that group and really lead the group; but we have some veteran guys, we have some young guys. We’re expecting somebody to really step up and make big plays with us.”
(Speaking of first-round picks, what is your impression of this year’s top pick – S Minkah Fitzpatrick – so far?) – “He’s been good. He’s flying around at practice. You see his mentality and his aggression. He plays aggressive. He plays what he sees and he plays fast, and that’s what you want to see out of a DB. You might make a mistake here or there but if you’re out there playing fast, you’re going to make some big plays and really change games for us. I’m excited with what I see so far. I can’t really speak on details because I don’t know how he’s being coached or what positions he’s being put in, but from what I’m seeing, he’s playing fast and he’s working hard, so I like what I see.”
(Quarterbacks are expected to make the entire team better. How does a quarterback make the defense or the special teams better?) – “Special teams is going to be tough. (laughter) But defense, I think it’s day in and day out at practice. It’s pushing the offense to execute. If the defense isn’t at the right spot, making them pay and holding them accountable that way because if they’re not in the right spot, then I should have a throw or a check or a run. If the defense corrects it, now it shouldn’t happen again. It’s just a constant pressure being applied to them from the offense, and they do the same thing to us. They put the heat on us sometimes and we have to adjust and learn from it. I think both sides drive each other to be better. I think when you have a good offense executing at a high level, it’s going to help your defense be better and the same thing with the defense.”
(It looked like DE Charles Harris may have gotten around the end on you at one point today. Is that something that’s happened more than once? How has he looked in his second offseason?) – “He’s moving well. I think our rushers, we have some really good rushers. You see Rob Quinn coming around the edge and it’s incredible how he bends the corner and his hips are two feet off the ground, but he’s running full speed around the corner. You can point it out with Charles (Harris)’ speed. Cam (Wake) and his presence that he has out there on the outside. We have a deep group of rushers. Will Hayes is going to come in and play strong. I’m really excited about our d-line group and how they come off the ball, especially on the outside with the pass rush.”
(Is your sense that your mobility and escapability are exactly what it was two years ago and is there any data that Head Coach Adam Gase has that can measure that sort of thing by? Obviously 40-times aren’t a good reflection of what you’re doing in the pocket when you’re trying to escape pressure. Is there any data that you’ve looked at to see whether it’s exactly the same and what’s your instinct on that?) – “Yes, we do have data. We have the GPS monitors that we wear every day at practice, so we can go back and compare speeds, agility, quickness and movements. That’s something we can take a look at; but I feel good. I feel like I’m moving well. I’m able to escape; I’m able to get up-field when the window is there. It’s still going to be a weapon for me. I think when the defense presents an open spot then we can make them pay by getting through with my legs.”
(How would you anticipate this season to be different given that you have such a versatile group of running backs?) – “Yes, we do have a diverse group of running backs. You see (Kenyan) Drake who really came on for us last year. He’s a really talented guy. He’s fast; he’s explosive. You can split him out on the outside and use him in the pass game. He’s good out of the backfield. He’s tough in protections and he runs the ball extremely well. Then you add in Frank Gore. He’s a Hall of Fame lock. He’s done it all. He’s been so consistent over the past however many years. You see it, just how he works. He doesn’t get a lot of reps with us right now with the team; but just how he prepares in the weight room and in the meeting room. He’s constantly asking me, ‘Hey, give me something Ryan. Give me something. Give me something.’ And I’ll talk through a play or a protection with him. Just his mentality that he brings to the table, really leading that group and showing them how to work and how a pro works day in and day out. Then you add that with the young guys that we have that bring a little more explosive speed to the game. Yes, we have a diverse group that’s going to be big for us.”
