Ryan Tannehill expresses frustration with the Dolphins' poor pass protection
It’s no surprise that Ryan Tannehill has been sacked more than all but two quarterbacks this season. The Miami Dolphins have one of the worst offensive lines in football, and it shows in Tannehill’s numbers.
His 17 sacks are tied for the second-most in the league and he’s been hit more than just about anyone, too. On Sunday, it was especially bad with Miami down its starting left tackle and left guard. Tannehill was hit 13 times on just 24 dropbacks, leading to a two-interception game with a passer rating of 62.3.
He’s noticeably (and understandably) frustrated with the lack of protection he has received and expressed his discontent in abundance Wednesday.
“It’s tough whenever you don’t really have a chance to start your progression,” Tannehill said, via James Walker of ESPN. “If you do and [can’t] get to No. 2, there’s no chance of that. It makes it tough on everyone. The receivers have to be able to get open quickly, and I think several of them were on third-down situations.”
Tannehill has been under constant pressure for years now as the Dolphins have yet to fix their offensive line with him under center. Since he came into the NFL, no quarterback has been sacked more than Tannehill (201 times), with Russell Wilson second (173).
Some of that can be pinned on Tannehill for being slow to go through his progressions and not feeling pressure in the pocket – which he admits is true – but it’s mostly on the offensive line’s inability to block.
“It’s tough to get to the open guy if you don’t have time,” Tannehill said. “But part of that is on me to be able to move in the pocket and get to the open guy.”
The Dolphins have been a complete disaster this season and the statistics don’t lie. They’re one of the worst offenses in the league, leading to a 1-4 record and a seat in last place in the AFC East.
There’s still time for them to turn it around, but it won’t be easy.
“Obviously we’re nowhere near where we thought we were going to be,” Tannehill said. “But the reality is that’s our reality. So we only have one real option, and that’s the keep working and find a way to win games.”
