Tannehill actually has a good Time To Throw number
Last year’s 58 sack stat obviously stood out to all of us and the main areas of concern in my opinion were: #1- the play calling, #2 the offensive line, #3 the anemic running game and #4 Tannehill’s pocket awareness. Making this stat even more frustrating is the fact that he certainly is mobile but did not show a lot of inclination to take off when absolutely necessary. My best guess is the coaches did not want him to risk injury or turn the ball over. Many times it seemed that he did not feel the oncoming pressure and I’m glad he did not get injured. The bottom line is these sacks caused a loss of 399 yards and also the potential yards lost that could have been gained without a sack.
The time to throw is measured from the time of the snap until the release of the ball by the QB. This time has many interrelated facets such as the offensive scheme, the OL, QB mobility, reading defenses, and the running game among other factors. Some QBs just hold the ball longer than others. Peyton Manning’s TTT was 2.33 seconds last year and Tom Brady’s time was 2.54. Super Bowl Champ Russel Wilson’s was over 3 seconds reflecting Seattle’s use of a lot of play action and his ability to buy time and make plays.
This leads us to our own Ryan Tannehill. His TTT (from 2012) was 2.57 seconds and TTS (time to sack) was also a very low 2.48 seconds. It took him less time to get sacked than it did to throw a pass. By comparison Russel Wilson had a much higher TTS again reflecting the offensive scheme and his ability to create plays. What does this mean and how do we fix it? To Point #1 and the play calling. OC Bill Lazor and Coach Philbin are going to emphasize a diversity in play calling and an up tempo play speed. Tannehill has the ability to get rid of the ball quickly and without such predictable play calling and an up pace scheme, offensive production should go up along with a reduction in sacks. Point #2 and the OL. Along with the much publicized Martin/Incognito story, a limited running attack, and the extreme number of sacks even the casual fan is aware of this glaring problem. We have Branden Albert now and will have a strong emphasis in the upcoming draft on OLs. Point #3 the running game. Now that Knowshon is here we have his valuable running and pass catching abilities along with the possibility of drafting a good RB. And lastly, Point #4 the pocket awareness. Tannehill is not a lifetime QB like most of today’s QB’s. It has been well documented that he played wide receiver at A & M and was moved from WR to QB. I believe this really shows up in his lack of pocket awareness as the WR is always ready to take a hit whereas the QB is looking to make a play happen and avoid getting hit. Like markeyh, I feel that Tannehill has the ability to lead the Dolphins to success but has to demonstrate this.
I believe the first three points will be vastly improved. The fourth point, pocket awareness, is another matter. I feel that this is almost an intangible that a QB has or doesn’t have to a great extent. It may be improved with hard work, but that does not mean you will have Manziel-like awareness. The bottom line is the scheme has to fit the players and the players have to fit the scheme. Most likely, Ryan will have a much better chance to show his skills this year. After all, TTT and TTS are just stats. Yours Truly, saysMikey
The Dolphin Seer 
Welcome kfitz and thank you for your comments! I really like the idea of us getting a safety and taking an Ol in round 2 and I am really big on getting a top WR early. We really need more offensive firepower in the draft for sure, but my mock draft has us taking a safety and OLB. No, it’s not brain science but it’s certainly not easy trying to predict someone’s future success. We look forward to hearing from you again. Yours Truly, saysMikey.
All great and valid points! I just wanted to say how pissed I still am they got rid of Dansby and Burnett [2013] when they were not even the problem, therefore, now leaving us with even more problems seeing how our run defense went from like 5th to 25th in one season!! Anyhow, Lamar Miller cannot block his way outta a paper bag. Hello Moreno; Bye Miller. Our draft needs are obvious; however, I wanted to throw out the idea of them upgrading at Safety. Safety IS the up and coming position. They take TE’s outta games and seeing how the Patriots have such a TE fettish, then the Phins best come up with a solution if they’d like to see their names topping 1st in the division again. Having said all of that, if the 19th pick is a reach at OL; My advice is to pick up J.James in the 2nd at OL from Tennessee and grab whatever safety is the best left at 19. I predict Clinton-Dix and Pryor gone by then, but if not Jimmie Ward should be there. If they grab an OL in the 1st, then Deone Buchanon in the 2nd–He is a hard-hitting machine!! Also, Ross has paid his LB’s well, so it is time they put up or go!! And, one more thing–YES, we need another bigtime WR; And a phone call to Jermichael Finley’s agent to see how his neck is so we have an extra draft pick. This stuff isnt brain science Mr. Philbin
All of your points are certainly valid, but 58 sacks is too many for any QB regardless of circumstances. Another interesting fact is a QB’s completion % on average drops significantly on throws that take over 2.5 seconds. Again of the 4 points I mentioned, 3 should be significantly better which should allow Tannehill room to breathe and prosper. Thanks for the feedback from both of you Dolfans.
I do feel there were quite a few plays where Tannehill could have run to extend the play and avoid sacks he held on to the ball way to long and had that deer in the headlights look about himself at times last year. There is a time to run and he failed to do that. Like Mikey said I am not sure if he was coached not to run and if so it was poor coaching IMO. I am not looking for a Vick like QB but with his speed and mobility he SHOULD have run more both seasons. He improved last year over his first but he still could have run for a few hundred more yards IMO.
197 yards rushing in 2012 4.0 yards per carry in 2013
238 yards rushing in 2013 and get this he had a 6.1 yard per carry average in 2013
http://pickingpros.com/nfl/quarterback-rushing-leaders.php
Sherman has a lot to answer for. I think Tannehill will have a lot more flexibility in what he does within Lazors’ schemes and he will be allowed to run a lot more.
Tannehill I think has been very accurate with his medium passes so there may be more emphasis on these and utilising Wallaces speed on shorter routes when he may be able to get significant yards after the catch.
I have no idea about his pocket awareness but if your TTS is less than your TTT , coupled with bad play calling and a bad O Line did he have any chance to show his awareness anyway , was there anywhere to scramble?