Ryan Tannehill – July 26, 2018
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Thursday, July 26, 2018
QB Ryan Tannehill
(Tannehill 2.0 on the brace, who came up with that one?) – “I have so many braces that they had to label them somehow. I guess that’s how they figured it out.”
(Your confidence level in the knee compared to last year after having the surgery and a full year off, how does it compare to this year?) – “I have full confidence, obviously. I was able to do everything in the spring and it’s only gotten stronger. I only feel better. At this point, it’s like nothing ever happened. You’re working through the rehab in the spring, working through getting comfortable again and making all the moves. At this point, it’s second nature. You’re not even thinking about it.”
(The additions and subtractions to this roster, do you kind of sense with this team a culture change maybe or just a different personality about this team?) – “We had some good additions. I think that we brought in some good guys who will help us, that buy into what we’re doing. Honestly, it’s the leaders of the team, it’s our responsibility to set the tempo, set the culture of what we expect, set our standards and then hold everyone accountable so we keep those standards.”
(How would you describe your specific goals for the summer?) – “My goal for the summer was to get better. We left the spring with a couple of ideas, a couple small detail things of footwork, drops, and movement in the pocket that I wanted to work on and I was able to focus on those three things and try to get better. That way, coming into camp, we have a foundation we built.”
(The new receiver, can you give us a scouting report on the new receiver you had over there midfield [his son Steel]?) – “The little one? He’s got a long way to go. He gives his heart, but it’s fun. It’s fun having my little guy out here. It’s really a special time we get to share. It’s tough being away from him but getting to spend these few minutes with him on the field is huge.”
(How old is he now?) – “He just turned 2 a couple days ago.”
(Tannehill 2.0 on the brace, can you explain that?) – “Honestly, I didn’t even notice it until today I looked down. They made like four or five different braces for me to try out and have backups and backups in case one gets bent or whatever. It’s just a way they label them so they can keep them straight.”
(How does this Tannehill model compare to the old one?) – “They’re not a lot different, honestly. The brace is there just to prevent the injury from the hit, the contact. It doesn’t do much for stability or anything like that; but the contact, which started this whole ball rolling against Arizona in 2016, the brace is there to prevent that.”
(I meant this model of quarterback.) – “I hope he’s the best one yet. (laughter) That’s the goal is to come out and get better each and every day. I think that’s what we’re doing. We did that in the spring and obviously, the first day out here, it wasn’t perfect. We have a lot of room to grow; but I thought guys came out and competed and set the tempo of what we expect every day.”
(Just to be clear the 2.0 does not mean the 2.0 version of Ryan Tannehill it refers to the brace?) – “It refers to the brace. It had nothing to do with that.”
(You’re obviously familiar with how important a starting quarterback is for every team. After last year, does the realization that this team kind of rests on you and success or failure goes with you, is that a bigger realization for you now?) – “I think I’ve always known that; but being able to take a step back and do things from a little different viewpoint, going throughout a season and trying to observe and see how things happen – when you face adversity how people respond – I learned a lot through that process. I realized how much I can control through my play and how I lead day in and day out. That’s my goal is to go out and play well and lead this team to win.”
(Do you feel more responsibility now knowing that it’s that much more clear to you?) – “Yes, probably so. I love feeling that responsibility, because I know that I can handle it and I know I have the guys around me that can take it and we can do something special. Being able to captain that ship, so to speak, is a lot of fun.”
(WR Jarvis Landry said this offseason that you didn’t have a good relationship. How did you feel when you heard that?) – “I just want to focus on the guys we have here and what we’re trying to build here.”
(Was there a different level of excitement for you coming into this training camp after what happened last year?) – “Yes, I think so. Like I said in the spring, it was a different feeling being able to go on the field and enjoy every moment, a different humbleness about the moment, because it got taken away from me last year and it’s something that had never happened to me before. Really, being able to step out onto the field and enjoy every moment, enjoy every day and get the most out of every day is a lot of fun.”
(Can you anticipate what, with WR Danny Amendola, your relationship? You had a couple of good catches today and a quarterback-friendly guy.) – “Danny is a great guy to have out there. He has played a lot of football. He understands football. He understands zones and how to get himself open and match ups and does a great job of finding windows and finding space. You saw he made a couple of catches in tight windows today. He’s going to help us a lot this year. I’m excited to have him.”
(With all the changes, how comforting is it to have a guy with experience like WR Danny Amendola out there?) – “It’s big. It’s big not only for me, but for the receiver room in general. Having a veteran guy who has played a lot of football, played at a high level, played in championships, the experience being able to lead that room is big.”
(What was the thought process behind that Instagram post you put up the other day?) – “I don’t know which one?”
(You working with the receivers out on the field during the summertime?) – “The thought process is that I’m just trying to be a little bit more active on there. That’s not something that I’ve done a lot in the past. One of Kenny’s (Stills) buddies was out there filming and was like, ‘I have this video,’ and I put it up.”
(Do you feel like one of the old guys out here now?) – “I am one of the old guys now. I don’t feel old. I feel great. I don’t feel like I’m about to be 30. I am one of the old guys. I’ve been playing a lot of football here in Miami. It’s kind of a fun transition over the past three years of transitioning from one of the young guys to one of the more veteran guys and I’m enjoying it.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase told me yesterday that watching you in practice and OTAs over the last couple of years, that you’re a different guy than you were when you played that game against Arizona, your last game. Do you agree with that and how are you different?) – “Yes, I would say I’ve grown a lot as a leader. I’ve grown a lot as a person, as a football player, just because of the adversity that I’ve faced. Like I said, being able to take a step back and watch from a different perspective and take in all that information, file it away and write it down. I’ve been going back, looking at my notes of things that’ve hit me over the last 16 months or whatever it may be and build on that. It’s experience that while I would never want it to happen that way, it’s going to be invaluable for me moving forward.”
(You kept a journal or is that normal?) – “It’s normal. I always take notes – football notes, life notes, how I’m feeling, whatever it may be. I try to write everything down and that way you can go back and you don’t forget things that happened. You don’t forget things that you learn from. You’re able to refresh on it and keep it going.”
(You talked about being more of a leader. Are you more of a leader by example kind of guy or more of a vocal? Because I saw you talking to WR Rashawn Scott over there giving him some pointers. How is your leadership style?) – “My style is my style. I’m not going to put a label on it. I’m myself. If there’s a situation where you get on a guy, you get on a guy. If you don’t, you don’t. It varies. It’s not one mold that gets it done.”
(What do you want for your birthday?) – “A great day at practice. (laughter) I’m pretty simple. I don’t need a whole lot. I’ve been blessed a lot in my life and (am) excited to come out and play football.”
(You put a video out of practice, you practicing throwing to guys. Was that just to throw out there for people to see or any message to it?) – “Yes. Did you just walk up? (laughter)”
(I couldn’t hear you on that side.) – “Kenny’s guy was out there with a camera and videoed it. He was really taking pictures of Kenny, but doing pictures for everybody and sent it to me and was like, ‘I got this video. Do you like it?’ I was like, ‘Yes, I’ll put it out.’”
