Ryan Tannehill disagrees with the way Miami Dolphins coach Joe Philbin publicly declined to endorse the third-year quarterback leading into Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders.
Philbin declined to say whether Tannehill would remain the starting quarterback on multiple occasions this week, creating national headlines and speculation that backup Matt Moore could take over the team at some point.
The Dolphins have gone 16-19 in 35 games with Ryan Tannehill as their starting quarterback.
But Tannehill said he spoke with Philbin privately to clear up his standing — and all indications are that Tannehill will start against Oakland at London’s Wembley Stadium.
“Obviously, it doesn’t feel good,” Tannehill said of how Philbin publicly handled the quarterback questions. “It creates a bunch of stir [and] a bunch of distraction in the locker room — mostly from the outside coming in and guys having to deal with the distraction of it. So it’s not a good feeling.”
Tannehill, who was clearly bothered by the events, explained his conversation with Philbin.
“I asked him what his reason was; you’re going to have to get that from him,” Tannehill said. “He has his reasons. Honestly, yes [I wished he handled it differently]. Does it feel good to deal with all the distractions that have been created with the situation? No. But that’s life.”
The heat is definitely on Tannehill after two-plus seasons and 35 career starts. He is on pace for career lows in passer rating (74.1), completion percentage (56.5) and yards per attempts (5.0). Tannehill has not responded well in the first three games in a new offense under first-year offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.
Tannehill is 16-19 as a starter for the Dolphins, including 1-4 in his past five games dating to last season. Miami (1-2) will try to get back to .500 with a win over the Raiders (0-3).
“We’re going about our normal week,” Tannehill said. “It’s all this stuff on the outside that seems like the world is collapsing. … I think the guys in the huddle are confident, not only in their abilities but in mine.”
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