Ryan Tannehill – September 12, 2018
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Wednesday, September 12, 2018
QB Ryan Tannehill
(What prompted you to – as we read in Peter King – gather all of your teammates and on a day off, bring them all in? And the fact that it seemed to be unanimous that they all came. What does it say about this meeting, about them and you all as a group?) – “It says a lot about the guys we have and how guys want to get better. We’re early in the season. (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) threw us a bone, giving us some time off, some time away, after a long, long Sunday; but we knew as a team, as a group, that we needed to be able to learn from that film. There were a lot of mistakes that were made, left a lot on the field and with the way the season is set up, if you don’t get that tape in on Monday, you don’t have time for it Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. You want to move on to the next game. We just wanted to make sure we would learn from the tape and the guys did a good job of coming in and being engaged and growing as a unit.”
(What does this say about team culture? Were there guys in the past that would have resisted something like that?) – “I don’t know. It means we have good guys in the room now and guys that are hungry to be great. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re on the right path and we’ve established the habits that are going to take us there.”
(The Jets after their win, some of the defensive players were talking about knowing the signals for the Lions. How do you guys prevent that from happening to you?) – “We have to be clean in our communication, whether that’s changing the signals, making sure we’re clean with our signals – a huddle. There’s going to be all types of different ways that we battle that. It comes down to us and the way we communicate and doing it in a way where we feel good about where we’re at.”
(Is it an inconvenience? Does it mess up the process in any way?) – “I don’t think it messes up anything. Obviously we’ll take a little time to go over what we have and make some adjustments, but I wouldn’t say it detracts from anything.”
(Did you watch the Jets game Monday?) – “Yes, I did. I watched it live with my wife and then obviously came in and watched the tape from … whatever you call it, the All-22 view or whatever. Yes, it was an exciting game. It started close and then the Jets really turned it on there in the second half and went on that run where they scored I think 21 points in like three minutes or something like that. I have a ton of respect for this team. The defense played really fast. I think that’s something that jumped out at me on tape. They played fast the whole game. Even when it was tight early on, their team speed and the way they were playing was just fast all around. It’s definitely something that we respect and have to be prepared for.”
(What did you think of Jets QB Sam Darnold?) – “He responded well. Obviously the first play … but the way he responded was admirable. You definitely respect how he bounced back from that and found a way to lead his team and get a W.”
(To have to go on the road in the first weekand have a pick-six on your first pass and come back and put 48 on the board, that’s pretty impressive.) – “Yes, definitely. I thought he did a good job.”
(What would you tell your rookie self if you could go back in time right now?) – “That would be a lot, a lot more than I can tell you right now. You learn so much over the course of your career. (I’m in) Year 7 now. If I knew then what I know now, I think that’s how everyone feels. You just kind of have to go through the process and take the lumps along the way, but it’s definitely a growing process.”
(Physically, you were fine after that game? It was your first full game in 20 months.) – “Yes. I thought the offensive line did a great job throughout the game. I had a really clean pocket for most of the game. It gave me time to go through my reads and make a couple of downfield throws, especially the long one, the touchdown to Kenny (Stills). Going back and looking at the tape, there’s no one around me. When you have a clean pocket like that, it makes playing quarterback a lot easier and delivering the football a lot easier. A lot of respect and props for my guys up front and how they protected me.”
(Obviously you’ve played in this rivalry many times. What is different about playing the Jets?) – “It’s always an exciting time. I feel like all division games have that extra buzz around them; but I feel like when we play the Jets, it’s always turned up just a little bit more. I don’t know what makes it that way or why it’s that way. Maybe it’s just the competitiveness of the games, but there always is an energy that goes with playing against the Jets.”
(How do you feel about playing at MetLife Stadium? Do you love playing up there? The fans are always on top of you and obviously want to see the Jets win.) – “I like playing on the road no matter where it is. Just the hostility of the environment, the feeling that you’re kind of alone as a team. You really have to kind of stick together, anchor down, feed off the crowd as much as you can even though they’re rooting against you, and be clean. It really tests you on your communication, on trusting the guy next to you because you can’t hear everything that one another is saying, right? You have to be clean in everything, whether it’s a signal or communication outside, communication up front with the offensive line. Everything has to be clean, so it really is a good test anytime you go on the road and there’s nothing better than getting a win on the road.”
(If you’re in front of a rabid crowd, what’s it like to silence that crowd?) – “That’s the best. When you get a win on the road and you get to feel the energy zap out of an entire stadium with 70-80,000 people, and you can just feel the energy drop out of the whole stadium, it’s the best feeling.”
(You know Jets Defensive Coordinator Kacy Rodgers from his time here and obviously Jets Head coach Todd Bowles and that defense. What is it about them that makes life for a quarterback difficult?) – “They show you a lot of looks. They do a good job of mixing things up up front. They play physical within the box. Then you add ‘33’ (Jamal Adams) who they added on last year, who’s a strong, physical, fast player. He generates a lot of pressure from the edge, does a good job whether it’s rushing tight ends, rushing backs, finding a way to get around the edge and be disruptive. They do a good job of matching their personnel with their pressures and giving you a bunch of different looks. Third down, I feel like there’s always something you haven’t seen on tape. They’re going to mix it up, do something you’re not prepared for and see how you respond. As a unit, we have to know our roles and be clean on how we respond to that.”
(If WR DeVante Parker is able to play this week, what element does he add to this offense?) – “We’ve seen what DeVante can do over the years. I think he’s obviously a big, strong, physical target. I don’t know if he’s going to play or not. We haven’t even discussed that. But any time he’s in the game, you feel good about having a physical, strong target at the ‘X’ spot that can go up and make plays for you.”
(Do you need time, I guess? Because you worked with WR DeVante Parker so much in the spring? Or do you he’ll just pick up where he left off?) – “Obviously he’s going to need to practice before he plays; but, yes, I’ve had a lot of time with him over the course of the last four years. Whenever he’s able to hop in, I feel like we can kind of just pick up where we left off.”
(Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke is game-planning against a guy who is making his second start in the NFL. Do you recall your rookie year where defenses were disguising things and what was it like your first few games? Were they trying to trick you at all?) – “I don’t know that any more of that goes into it. Maybe a little bit more pressure. I don’t think teams are going to do something that they don’t do. If they’re a pressure team that’s going to mix a bunch of looks, then that’s what they’re going to do. I don’t think you’re going to see a team that plays 5-match and Cover 2 and then all of a sudden they’re going to bring crazy blitz zones and play Cover 0. I think teams are who they are, maybe a little more one way than the other; but at the end of the day, you’ve got to be who you are and be good at it.”
(You mentioned picking up where you left off and you and WR Kenny Stills, clearly picked up where you left off from in 2016. Why is it with all the things that he can do, why not throw him the ball more? He’s like a four-target-a-game guy; can he be a seven-target-a-game guy?) – “Yes, Kenny can do a lot for us. Some of that is just kind of finding the spot in the game for that play. Obviously there were other calls in the game where we tried to get the ball downfield to him and didn’t get the right coverage. So you kind of play the game of biding time and waiting for the opportunity to take your shot. You can’t force those things to happen. You make the call to try to get the shot and if you don’t get the right coverage, then you have to be smart with the football and find the adjustment and go to two or three. Yes, sometimes it’s frustrating where you get those calls early in the game and you want to hit the home run, you want to get that touchdown, but you don’t get what you’re looking for. So you have to have the discipline in order to come down and take the completion and get ready to go for the next time and get another opportunity.”
(What was it like to play receiver on Sunday?) – “Not even a snap. (laughter) What was that, about three seconds? That was uneventful, I guess you could say. (laughter)”
(Do you have an NFL catch?) – “I don’t think so. (Oh) yes, I do. I do. Jarvis (Landry) threw me one back in Buffalo. I forget what year it was. We ran like a little reverse pass. It should have been a touchdown, but he threw it behind me. Spoken like a true receiver, right? (laughter)”
(You put something on social media about social justice. What message do you want to get across?) – “Yes, my friend Miles (McPherson) wrote that book. Social injustice is just a big topic these days with racial inequality and I believe that there is an issue in our country that people need to be aware of and conscious of. I think it’s a good read and you can get a take on his view of it.”
