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Ryan Tannehill – November 23, 2016 (Conference Call) Download PDF version

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

QB Ryan Tannehill Conference Call with San Francisco Media

(You’ve talked about changing the culture, what’s changed?) – “A lot of things have changed. I think the biggest thing is the trust and belief in each other that we’re going to play for each other and go out and find a way to win football games.”

(Your head coach has over the years, gotten a lot of credit for working with a lot of different types of quarterbacks, having success with them. What has been the biggest thing that he’s brought to you to help you improve your game?) – “He’s brought a lot to me, I think his offense is really fun to play in. He does a lot of things to help the quarterback. Just his knowledge of playing quarterback, being around all the quarterbacks he’s had. He’s learned so much and can help you in so many ways. He’s helped me in so many ways. Whether it’s drills, or footwork, whether it’s eyes in a certain place, what you’re looking at, there are all sorts of things that go into playing this position, and he’s got a solid knowledge base on doing that.”

(Head Coach Adam Gase talked a little bit earlier that, when it gets late in games, he wants the offense to have the attitude of going to win games and not having the defense even to be on the field. Obviously that’s something that has translated for you guys as recently as last week. How has, for lack of a better word, swagger … How has that rubbed off on you and your ability to help finish games out?) – “Yes, it’s definitely confidence. I think that confidence has built throughout the week, and just seeing how I prepare, and how the guys around me prepare, how we practice, and get ready to play the game. You put in the work during the week, and then you can go into the game having that belief in each other knowing that we’ve put in the work and can find a way to win.”

(How do you explain from your vantage-point what you’ve seen from RB Jay Ajayi and his recent rising in recent weeks?) – “Jay’s done a great job. I think since the day he’s got here, he’s ran the ball extremely hard. He’s been a physical, tough runner. But over the course of the last two months, I think we’ve seen him grow in our zone-blocking scheme, just being able to have a little patience, see the creases, put his foot in the ground (and) get vertical. Once he gets into the second level, he’s a big, strong guy and he’s tough to bring down. You get him consistently in the second level and it’s going to cause problems for defenses.”

(Are you noticing defenses react more to him in these last couple of games? And has that opened up play-action for you a little bit more?) – “Yes, I mean they have to, honestly, because he’s had so much success and gained so many yards on the ground. If they don’t react, he’s going to be gaining even more on the ground. It has opened up a little play-action for us and that’s all a good thing.”

(You talked about how Head Coach Adam Gase has helped you with mechanics and stuff like that. But he also stuck by you early in the season after kind of a rocky start. Basically, ‘You’re my quarterback for the long term.’ What did that mean to you and how do you think that affected the team, just the fact that there seems to be some stability there?) – “It’s huge. It gives me confidence (and) it gives our team confidence knowing that there’s no instability knowing who the quarterback’s going to be – his belief in me, my belief in myself and my teammates. It starts from the top. If he believes in me and if he believes in the guys around me, then we believe in each other and play for each other even to more extent.”

(You guys spent some time the whole last week out here in California. The Niners are about to do the same in Florida. What are some benefits there for a team that you can take away from maybe getting that time away?) – “It’s a challenge, definitely. Just being away from your home facility, your home, your family, your own bed – all of those things are tough. But, there are some benefits, just being able to spend time with your teammates. There’s a little less of a distraction or pull from family being in town or whatever it may be, just because you’re away and the only people that are there are your teammates. There’s definitely a benefit to spending that extra time with your teammates.”

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