For this Sunday, anyhow, Ryan Tannehill showed what hope looks like. His pinpoint passing. His eye-popping running. His follow-me leadership, like when Chicago scored to open the second half.
"We're going to answer," Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill said on the sideline, then again in the huddle to his offense.
And they did answer with a touchdown. The Dolphins answered everything Sunday asked in this 27-14 win against Chicago. The defense answered how to frustrate Chicago's Brandon Marshall into a post-game meltdown ("Unacceptable," he repeated four times of the Bears' day).
On 4th and 1, Tannehill took off up the middle for a 30 yard gain to setup a touchdown against the Bears.
The offense answered how to seal a game with a clock-eating scoring drive. But it was Tannehill and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, who for the third consecutive game answered the riddle that's bogged down this franchise going on three seasons now.
What's the winning vision of Tannehill's game?
There's a sticky follow-up question to consider, too: Is that vision enough? Not enough against Chicago. Enough to win big. Enough to beat playoff defenses. Enough to carry a team into February.
They've dialed back Tannehill to what he does well. There was a steady diet of short-to-medium passes — but no troublesome long throws.
But is Tannehill on a career path of Alex Smith or Andy Dalton — with the occasional run — rather than, say Russell Wilson? Is that the lowered ceiling, as this scaled-back game plan suggests? Or can this be a platform to build off?
You can't win without a dynamic quarterback in the NFL. Ten teams have one. The rest are trying to figure out how to get one.
In the small picture of Sunday, Tannehill was everything the Dolphins wanted him to be. The big picture wasn't part of this game. But it's something to watch as the Dolphins' vision for Tannehill becomes clearer each Sunday.
