Great article, thanks FFIB!
Absolutely. I said it before the draft ... and I'm even more confident now. Hickey seems to be building around Tannehill with players that complement him. Tannehill does some things very well, such as precisely throw short to medium throws consistently accurately, throw very well wide, throw with velocity, stand in the pocket and deliver in the face of a fierce rush, pick himself up after getting hit and come back undeterred, play action fakes, and although I hope it is almost never used ... run the ball.
Tannehill is not as strong in other areas. For example, Tannehill sometimes 'aims' the ball rather than just throw it with confidence. We see that on very shallow crossing patterns. He is so afraid of leading the WR too much he ends up throwing it slightly behind their stride, which disrupts their timing and can prevent big YAC. Tannehill throws great darts to spots, but has trouble with high arc throws or "dropping it into the bucket" as it is often called. This is one reason why his long balls are so difficult to judge, adjust under and catch. IMHO, once his confidence rises to the point where he just brazenly throws the rock and isn't so scared of making a mistake ... that's when we will see the biggest jump for Tannehill in these areas.
So, Hickey noted these things and built a receiving corps tailored around that. Here's what I mean. Tannehill is precise ... so the ball is going to be there at the spot almost every time. Timing patterns require exceptional route runners like Landry and Jennings. Those guys get where they are supposed to get. Tannehill is accurate, so when a receiver gets open, he can thread the needle without needing much margin for error. Thus, guys with fantastic separation aren't really required. So, you don't really need guys to get WIDE open, just a little open is good enough. Separation is the biggest variable (even moreso than deep speed) for low paid and high paid WR's. If they can't separate, they usually are forced to retire.
So, guys that do great at contested catches but don't always generate breathtaking separation work just as well for Tannehill. So, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills will be more effective for Tannehill than Breshad Perriman and Mike Wallace. Both Parker and Stills are excellent at adjusting to the ball and catching it, but Perriman and Wallace are superior at generating separation. Since Tannehill's accuracy is so good that he doesn't need that level of separation, Hickey was able to bring in guys who excelled at other things, such as catch the ball. Neither Perriman nor Wallace are particularly good at that, thus they are not ideal fits for Tannehill.
Another key element is Area specialization. With Tannehill 'aiming' certain throws, he needs receivers who can compensate for those throws. Hopefully our young franchise QB will continue to develop and eliminate these weaknesses, but until then, Hickey has brought in safety blankets. Among his strengths, Jarvis Landry is exceptional at catching passes thrown behind him and maintaining most of his stride. It's an impressive feat! So, Landry isn't the fastest, and isn't streaking across the middle, but he flashes open quick enough and Tannehill hits him with a cannon-shot. Landry has the great hands to catch that high velocity cannonball ... even if it is aimed and arrives slightly behind his stride.
Likewise, our deep threats have been retooled. Kenny Stills does a great job of getting his head back early to gauge the throw, then adjusting to it, then fighting for the catch. So, even if the throw isn't where or when he expects it, Stills can often turn it into a big play rather than Wallace's typical missed opportunity. Tannehill doesn't help his WR's with beautifully arced balls that drop into the receivers bucket. So, Tannehill needs a guy who can compensate deep and make the catch despite a low trajectory fastball. DeVante Parker also offers a great skillset for compensating for this. Parker runs a 4.45, which is fast enough to get deep ... although many DB's can keep up if they aren't faked out by his route running. Still, at 6'3 with an 80" wingspan and a 33" vertical, Parker offers a ridiculous catch radius for throws that are not quite as accurate. Remember, Tannehill throws bullets, not moonshots, so he typically needs to wait a half-tick longer before he releases the ball and with our horrible pass protection, that means he has to hurry many or most of his deep throws ... so accuracy and timing will both suffer.
Brady ... just sits back, checks the sports page ... waits ... eats a bowl of Cheatios ... then gets up out of his lawn chair and throws the ball. Must be nice.
Anyway, DeVante Parker is also extremely good at getting an early look back, tracking and adjusting to the flight of the ball. Once the ball arrives, his length creates separation even if he is wearing the DB like a blanket. So, parker can adjust his path so that the incoming ball falls into that tight window, essentially creating a pinpoint pass by his adjustment to the ball. Parker is truly elite in this category. People underestimating Parker are not seeing this trait. For Tannehill, it will make all the difference in the world.
Also, Parker has size. As we know, the field is always the same but the down and distances aren't. Whether it's 3rd and 16, 4th and 5, or 1st and goal from the 9, those are all compact fields. Longer passes are much harder in those instances, and speed receivers rarely have the time and distance to get open deep. QB's are often creatively pressured, meaning they do not have time to throw deep regardless. It is especially during those times that Tannehill (or any QB) needs a bigger target. Put the ball where only the target can catch it, make the 1st down or TD, .... profit. DeVante Parker and Jordan Cameron have that. Passing options in the red zone just took a paradigm shift forward. Now you can go Jennings back shoulder in the corner, Landry quick slant, or isolate the big guys (Parker and Cameron) for high percentage plays.
Jordan Cameron also offers a seam threat that Charles Clay did not. Clay had poor hands, bad route running, and wasn't a big enough target to reliably be a seam threat. Let me explain. Once he latched onto the ball, there was nobody with a stronger grip on the ball than Clay ... but he kind of had hands of stone ... so catching the ball in traffic was a bad idea. Down the middle of the field, that leads to bobbles and interceptions, which is why we almost never threw the ball to Clay unless he was wide open ... so nobody jostled him, he didn't bobble, and if he did, nobody would be there to intercept it. Enter Jordan Cameron with very good hands. Cameron is also a ridiculous athlete like Clay ... but with a much bigger catch radius (6'2 maybe 6'3 and very tight limbed vs. 6'5 with great extension and vertical). Cameron also has better hands and most importantly, is adept at catching in traffic. So, Cameron is easier to hit running the seam, catches the ball better, and causes far fewer interceptions. Long story short, Clay wasn't really ever a seam threat. Cameron will always be a seam threat. So, whether we choose to throw it or not, Tannehill gained an option and production.
Greg Jennings didn't really get much discussion here, but that's because he does every single one of those things well. Jennings reminds me of Nat Moore when Marino arrived. Moore marshaled, led and taught Mark Clayton and Mark Duper in how to be a receiver, how to be a teammate, how to prepare, how to be accountable, how to be a citizen and how to be a professional. Things may have happened after they retired, but Nat Moore was a great influence on them and their careers .... and Nate was one hell of a good WR as well! IMHO, Greg Jennings is the same type of person and excellent player that Nat Moore was during that time. Perfect pickup by Hickey.
Throughout this post I've credited Hickey with the receiving corps construction. Honestly, none of us know who is responsible or how much of each, or how much of a role fate played in this. But, I know that it started when Hickey arrived, and it should have started when Tannehill arrived. So, I'm confident that at least part of the credit goes to Hickey. I'm perfectly happy saying some also goes to Tannenbaum ... and the Dolphins scouts, and the coaching staff. I just don't know how much. Here's what I do know. Jarvis Landry was a boom or bust prospect. Some GM's would not touch him because he wasn't big or fast. Others loved him. Most thought he would be a role player because he lacked the metrics of size and speed and weren't going to risk picking him in the 2nd round. Hickey did. Hickey understood how his route running, hands, ability to adjust to balls thrown behind him, and overall dedication and professionalism would be perfect for the hard working, intelligent and always improving Tannehill. Fit. Then after Tannenbaum came on board and wheeled and dealed a bit more (although Hickey has wheeled and dealed up and down the draft board a lot as well), we added to the 3rd best hands in the NFL last year (Landry) by adding a deep threat that had the 4th best (Stills) and drafted the best hands in the draft (Parker) and the ultimate professional and mentor (Jennings). There is a definite trend here. Tannehill is accurate and these guys are great at the acts of running routes and catching the ball, while not excelling as much at creating separation. That is building around your QB. And I like it.
