Ryan Tannehill – July 29, 2016
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Friday, July 29, 2016
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill
(On how he likes being a father thus far) – “It’s awesome. It really is.”
(On if becoming a father has changed his outlook on life and/or football) – “Not initially. I think it’s such a blessing to see the birth of your child. The love you feel immediately… You always hear about it when other people experience it, but you don’t really get it until you experience it yourself. It’s a special moment. It’s a special time. It’s a real exciting thing to be a dad.”
(On if he spoke to Texas Tech Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury, who attended today’s practice) – “I haven’t talked to him. I just said hi to him briefly right at the start of practice. But past that, I haven’t been able to speak with him.”
(On interactions with Head Coach Adam Gase) – “(They’ve been) great. I think everyone here in the building is excited about having Adam (Gase) as a head coach. I think that he’s a great offensive mind. I think he’s able to relate to players and motivate players, and that’s something that we’re excited about having over the course of the year.”
(On if he feels any urgency this year) – “There’s urgency every year. You play to win games. You play to win the Super Bowl. That’s what we’re out here every day doing – competing with each other, pushing ourselves (and) trying to get better.”
(On the feeling of stepping onto the field for the first day of practice) – “It’s exciting. It’s an exciting time of every year to come out and get better. There’s such high expectations like there are every year (and) to be able to come out and get better each and every day, especially in this new offense, it’s a fun time for everyone.”
(On if the expectations are different this year or the same as previous seasons) – “For me, it’s always the same. It’s to go out and win games. I think the culture we’re building in this building is good. I think that guys have the right mindset as a team. I think everyone is focused on (the) team and focused on getting better, and that’s what we want to have.”
(On if he looks at this as a new beginning) – “Yes, it’s a fresh start. It’s a fresh start for everyone. Obviously, the coaching staff watched our tape from the past few years, but (Head Coach Adam Gase) is giving everyone a fresh start. He wants to see us prove ourselves and come out and compete and play well. That’s what we’re here doing in camp – pushing ourselves, trying to perfect the little things and get better every day.”
(On what Head Coach Adam Gase can do to further his development as a quarterback) – “It’s an everyday thing. I think just being on the same page, pushing me, making practice hard for me so that when it gets to the games, I’ve been in those situations before, and we’re able to have success. And just focus on the little things – the details, whether its footwork, read, progression, protection – there are so many things that go into playing the position. I think that (Gase is) an expert in pushing guys to reach their potential, and I’m excited to have him.”
(On his thoughts about Dion Jordan being reinstated) – “It’s great to have him back. I don’t know. It’s the first I’ve heard about it –just walking off the field – that he got reinstated; but past that, I don’t know much. We look forward to having him back.”
(On how much studying he did in the offseason and how much he knows the offense) – “Yes, there is a lot of studying. If you take the brake off and don’t look over your stuff, then you’re going to be swimming once you come back. I stayed up to date on it and tried to spend a couple hours every day going over the installs. I spent time with the receivers going over the installs, quizzing them and getting them on their board. I think that made us all better and made us all know the offense a little bit better. That way, when we come out Day 1 – the first week – you’re not having to take a few steps back to pick it up. We’re picking back up right where we left off in minicamp.”
(On the addition of RB Arian Foster and what he can potentially add to the offense) – “He’s a veteran guy that’s had a lot of success. I think he’s one of the league leaders of undrafted guys as far as (rushing) yards and to have that veteran presence in our backfield is huge. I think he’s great at running the zone read game, which we run here, and also as a receiver out of the backfield or split out wide. He has a good knack for getting open and having great hands on the outside, so it’s something that we’ll definitely look to use him.”
(On the biggest difference with new Head Coach Adam Gase) – “There’s a lot of things that are different. It’s tough to say one thing. I think every day, he gives me a couple things that he wants to see and wants to work on and think about. That makes it easy for me to go out that day and think about those things and try to improve upon those things. He’s constantly pushing me and trying to push my buttons a little bit, get me in the right position (and) put me in difficult situations. It’s going to pay off.”
(On what Head Coach Adam Gase asked him to do today) – “I’m going to keep our stuff between us, but I thought it went well. It was a good day.”
(On if things are better) – “I think the attitude … I’m not here to compare anything to last year or previous years, but I think the attitude in the building is in a great spot. I think guys are here to work. Guys are focused on (the) team. There’s not individual agendas being talked about or pushed around or thinking about. I think guys are here to work as a team, to push each other as a team and go out and compete. That’s what we’re here to do is to compete, make each other better and be ready to go Week 1.”
(On the versatility of the roster and how it helps near the goal line) – “It’s two-fold. Red zone is a huge area throughout the year. You got to be on top of your game once you get into the red zone, so we want to get a lot of work in. Day 1, we want to keep guys from opening up too much and try to limit soft tissue injuries. It’s a two-fold thought. The personnel we have are huge. We have so many weapons down there – whether it’s our tight ends, our backs coming out of the backfield, the receiving corps that we have – (that) defenses really have to be ready for anything, because we can throw anything at them and put the ball anywhere we want on any matchup we want.”
(On if it is nice knowing that he has the entire offense at his disposal at any time) – “It’s such a relief to have (Head Coach Adam Gase’s) confidence and him giving me the freedom to change plays and get us into a good play at the line of scrimmage. It’s only going to help us score more points.”
(On Head Coach Adam Gase’s trash talking during practice and if any of it is directed at him) – “A little bit. He’s trying to push buttons, and I give it right back to him, so it’s a good rapport.”
(On if it is a different experience for him to trash talk with a head coach) – “Definitely for a head coach, but it is good. I think it just builds that competitive atmosphere. We have high energy around the building. He’s encouraged us to talk to the defense, compete and make it a high competition. That way, we’re playing at the highest level we can and the games are easier.”
