The Miami quarterback sat in the grass, his limbs re-arranged, his head dropped in pain, as defenders danced around in glee. A football requirement — either protecting the passer or throwing the ball away — was to blame.
TV announcers debated which one. Fans and media took sides. But here’s the larger point as yet another football October moves through South Florida:
Was that quarterback Ryan Tannehill or Brad Kaaya?
They’re parallel quarterbacks in many respects. Same city. Same story. Same toughness to them. Same intelligence. Same inherent dedication and admirable sense of purpose.
Same question, too: Do they need a perfect world around them — a football biosphere, if you will — to win?
Take this past week. Tannehill was protected well by his line for once, supported with a great running game for once and given the ball repeatedly by his defense for once. Tannehill was great for the first time this year.
“All phases of the game playing off each other, but it started with the offensive line,” coach Adam Gase said.
Kaaya, meanwhile, had the kind of game Thursday night in Virginia Tech that Tannehill has a career of. Kaaya was sacked eight times (Tannehill was sacked six times the previous game against Tennessee). His line struggled, his running game unsteady. That just started the translation of one night’s trouble.
“I don’t think I coached him well enough in this game for him to be able to cut the ball loose with confidence,” coach Mark Richt said. “In other words, was his decision-making process clean enough for him to cut the ball loose on time?
“The tape will show more, but to Virginia Tech’s credit, they do mix a lot of different coverages that a lot of people don’t run. Some of the traditional passing game doesn’t fit. I have to do a better job where Brad knows.”
The Dolphins have invested deeply in Tannehill, and believe his unsteady play is a byproduct of protection. You can run the numbers in support. No quarterback has been sacked more than his 201 times since 2012 (he has been sacked 17 times this year — the third-most in the league).
Tannehill has a 119.3 quarterback rating when facing no pressure, via ProFootballFocus.com. He has a 33.2 rating when under under pressure. So there’s the easy solution. Protect him, right?
“It’s not as easy as just saying that,” an NFL scout said. “Sometimes you ask a quarterback to see a play before the pressure comes. But it’s still more than that. It’s not always a perfect world back there.”
“Sometimes you need a quarterback to flat-out make plays — to bail everyone out. That’s a requirement for that position. And if you have a good one, they do that. If you don’t, sometimes the questions of what’s wrong pile up.”
The Dolphins spent the week before beating Pittsburgh cutting two offensive linemen to make one statement. Offensive line coach Chris Foerster was told his unit had to be better. But Tannehill, too, was told by coaches he had to be better.
Can he? Can Kaaya? The protection issue isn’t just for these two quarterbacks. Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck had a great opening few seasons. But he’s been sacked a league-high 23 times this year. He’s struggled at times. His Colts are 2-4.
Is Tannehill, in his fifth season, similarly a hostage to his team’s limitations — or capable of lifting it, if given some help? Is Kaaya, just a junior, capable of developing his game?
It seems like yesterday but it was a few decades ago Sports Illustrated put the Dolphins’ Dan Marino and Hurricanes’ Bernie Kosar on the cover together. “A Pair of Aces,” the headline read.
They fueled an era of electricity around those programs. And now? Tannehill and Kaaya face many of the same issues. That quarterback mentioned at the top of the story was Kaaya being sacked for the first time Thursday.
“Great rush by Virginia Tech,” ESPN’s Jesse Palmer said.
That was true. So was Palmer’s comments on the third sack, in which Kaaya, who isn’t fleet afloot, looked for an open receiver to no avail, just as Tannehill has so many times.
“Brad Kaaya just held onto the football an extra split-second. He’s got to get rid of the ball.”
