There are Dolphins fans who feel all kinds of ways about the career revival we’ve seen from former Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill over the course of the last three months in Tennessee. Some fans are happy for someone who, by all accounts, is a great person to finally find the success that eluded him for seven years in Miami. Others are disheartened that Tannehill’s success comes the moment he leaves Miami. And others still seem to use it as their latest excuse to be angry with the Dolphins organization.
The fact of the matter is this — there were a lot of variables at play that contributed to Ryan Tannehill never getting over the playoff hump in Miami. His own limitations were certainly a part of the mix. So, too, was Miami’s failure during the Joe Philbin years to surround him with a quality offensive line or effective coaches.
Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace weighed in last night — and it wasn’t exactly a glowing endorsement for Joe Philbin, Jeff Ireland or Mike Sherman.
Wallace played with Miami in 2013 and 2014 — two seasons that saw the Dolphins go a combined 16-16 on the field. Over those two seasons, Miami lost 7 games by less than a touchdown — including Joe Philbin’s infamous “queasy” game against the Green Bay Packers.
The silver lining for Dolphins fans? After the disarray of the Joe Philbin and Adam Gase tenures in Miami, the Dolphins seem to have fixed their biggest problem. Coaching and culture go a long way in consistently having a competitive program — and the Dolphins seem to have knocked their latest hire out of the park. So while the Miami Dolphins of the 2010s very well may have been a “toxic” program, the folks established in leadership positions with the Dolphins now are going to prevent talent is accentuated instead of wasted going forward.
