Plays like these can’t continue in Sherman’s offense. Not only will it increasingly become more difficult to keep the offense moving if it’s predicated on mainly outside-breaking routes, it’ll also make it harder for Tannehill to become the quarterback he was drafted to be. He needs to have patience and timing within his progression reads. It’s still integral in Sherman’s West Coast Offense, even if it has been modified from years past.
“The timing and the rhythm of the play is so important,” Sherman
said last year when discussing the kind of quarterback that fits his system. ”In the West Coast offense, tempo and rhythm is very important — one, two, three. One, two, three. We time the drops. With [Brett] Favre for six years we timed his drops to see where he is in his time from point A to point B.
“Other things in the West Coast offense is you like to have a quarterback who is able to make a good decision, have a quick release, get the ball out as he goes through his progression.”
Ultimately, if Tannehill’s throwing ability in the seam doesn’t improve, the Dolphins will have bigger issues. The offense will completely fall apart, failing to sustain drives and put points on the board. They’ll also start to question whether Tannehill’s the answer to the position that’s haunted them since Dan Marino retired in 1999.
When they drafted Tannehill in the first round (the first time the Dolphins have drafted a quarterback in the first round since Marino in 1983), they anticipated him becoming the face of the franchise. But that will only come once he starts anticipating his receivers in the middle of the field.
