UNBIASED Scouting Report of Tannehill vs. Bills

[Tannenbombs]

The ball went through his arms...by the time the DB swatted down on Hartline the ball was almost to the ground...I slowed down the video and watch it. Hartline slows up to catch that ball...it's not behind him...behind him suggests he had to stop or turn around to catch it and that's not the case here...he slows down...ALERT...that's pretty common in the NFL. Hartline has to make that catch...the problem I have is that everyone is expecting Tannehill to make a perfect deep throw every time...and the receivers are getting no accountability for their failure to help the QB out. I know if the throw is not perfect to Wallace he's not making the play downfield. Now some of Tannehill's throws have been so bad the receiver doesn't even get a chance to make a play on the ball downfield...I know that...but many of this misses fall on the receivers not making plays on their end. Hartline catches the ball it's six whether he slows down or not...he's 7 yards from the end zone, still running even though not in full stride, he scores. Wallace has enough awareness on the deep ball in game 1 to keep both feet inbounds it's 6...Sims catches the deep ball in game 1 it's 6. Tannehill can't make these guys catch the ball...at some point they have to make plays too.

You know we lead the league in dropped balls so far and that's not all on Tannehill either.

Having no receivers with any high point, or "above the rim" ability does not help him one bit. Need a legit size/speed WR that will win on 50/50 balls. That will give Tannehill a bigger strike zone, so to speak.

 

[whizafriz]

I think Tannehill's definitely got the short-field game pretty set. The problems I see always tend to show up once it's a 15-20 yd+ pass. Not just the accuracy, but the timing and decision-making. It's like he's lobbing it out to the WR in the hopes he'll manage to grab it amongst 2-3 defenders, and somehow get some YAC, and the chance of that happening so far is pretty low. He makes throwing a perfect long ball look as difficult as it is, it just doesn't seem natural to him finding the moment and firing on-point. I think he also gets too zoned in to his long trows and his pocket awareness / footwork starts to falter.

Thanks for the analysis, was a good read.

 

[FinfanInBuffalo]

Unbiased Scouting Report of Ryan Tannehill vs. Bills Week2

I did not see this game live. This is my first viewing of the game. Other than highlights by ESPN that were all Bills and the only Dolphins offensive play I saw was the TD to Wallace

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=650_1410926763


1st Quarter

11:45- Does a good job of keep his eye level up under pressure. That has always been one of his strengths. He good job coming back to what appears to be his inital read in Gibson in the slot. Don't like how he drifted back in the pocket instead of sliding/shuffling and resetting his feet though.

10:37- Inital pressure by K.Williams forces him off the spot, good job to avoid the sack, and then works back to climb the pocket, but M.Williams counters and gets the sack. Don't like the ball carrying position with 1 hand on the football. (18 fumbles in first 2 years)

9:48- Ball sailed on him on the out route to Clay. Appears to be an out route, hard to tell without end zone angle.

4:47- Good timing on the curl to Wallace. His best throws are curls + comebacks.

3:11- Deep. Ball. Accuracy. Doesn't have it because of the low delivery point he has. That should be 6 points on this post to Wallace.

3:03- Gets the ball out quickly and gives Landry a chance to make a play on this screen. Bills just sniff it out that's just good defense.

0:18- Good timing on the deep curl to Wallace. That's stealing. Again his best throws are curls+ comebacks and with the cushion Wallace gets it is stealing. Glad to see more of these throws being utilized in this game.

2nd Quarter

15:00-I like the meticulous play-action fake, good throw on the run, just good defense by BUF.

14:18- Kyle Williams is a beast and one of the most underrated players in the league. Just wanna see the QB place 2 hands on the football

13:31- It's 3rd and a bus trip. He's looking for Wallace on a deep route. Can't tell exactly the route because of the camera angle being a sideline shot and not end zone like coaches film. Would rather see him check it down here backed up like this and punt and get on with the game instead of take a sack and risk a fumble that would put them in the redzone. Don't like the playcall by Lazor. You're backed up in your own 20. Run a draw and punt the ball and get on with the game. It's 3rd and 25 on your own 20.

10:22- That's a great break on the ball by the corner, I think Ryan is simply throwing this one in the dirt and away from the aforementioned corner. Smart decision.

10:19- Good timing on the slant to Clay off play-action. Just a dropped ball by Clay.

10:13- Batted pass due to Ryan's low delivery point. Needs to find a throwing lane.

10:09- Great ball placement on the smoke screen to Landry. Places it on his upfield shoulder which sets him up beautifully for YAC.

6:48- Meticulous play-action fake. Does a good job avoiding the free runner to the QB as both inside backers blitz. I like how he got the ball out of his hands to avoid getting more behind in the chains. Instead of 3rd & 16 it's 3rd& 11.

6:01- Good job of climbing the pocket, avoiding M.Williams for the sack and potential turnover. Gains a few yards and makes a smart play on 3rd down backed up. Punt the ball, and get on with the game. Smart play.

1:26- End man on the line of scrimmage bites on the zone read, correct decision to pull, athleticisim to gain 7 yards on 3rd &2. And my favorite, slides to avoid taking an unneccesary hit. If that was RGME he would have got a concussion and been out 2 weeks.

3rd Quarter

15:00- Again. Stealing. Mike Wallace on a deep curl + Tannehill's best throw= stealing. Good timing.

13:42- Swing passes are much harder than they actually look. Ball placment sets Miller up nicely for a YAC.

13:19- Forced to drift back by pass rush, does a good job getting out of trouble, buys time with his feets and hits Clay on the sideline with a nice throw on the run. Just wanna see him carry the football with 2 hands.

12:05- Again very good timing on the deep curl to Wallace. This is stealing.

11:21- Good ball off play-action to Clay.

11:00- Has the arm strength to drift in the pocket and gun the ball into tight coverage to Hartline on 3rd&8. Impressive.

10:34- Good ball fake. Gets the ball out quickly to Clay. Just good open field tackle by BUF.

9:49- Question this throw to Gibson due to tight coverage. Questionable decision making. Gotta protect the ball and ensure points in the redzone.

9:44- Ball sails on him, overshoots Gibson.

9:19- Great play-action fake off zone read and great timing, fires a lazor to Landry on the slant. GREAT BALL PLACEMENT. Difference between a gain of 9, and the actual gain what appears to be 16-17 yards.

8:02- Sets up the screen nicely, just a smart play by Manny Lawson to get into the throwing lane and get his hand up. This batted pass is not on the QB, just a smart play by the defender.

7:56- Drifts away from this throw when it is not needed. Does not effect this throw but hinders velocity and arm strength. Just a drop by Lamar Miller.

7:52- Bullet by Tannehill to Landry on the under route on 4th &2. Landry is a physical mismatch in the slot

6:43- Drop by Sims on the throwback screen. Is this the guy you want to throw a throwback screen too? Not much YAC potential with Sims. I understand the playcall on 1st &20 but wouldn't you want to throw that to Clay?

6:37- Gets another pass batted because of his low delivery point, and inability to find a throwing lane. This is a problem since his A&M days and I haven't seen it improve.

6:33- Good ball placement on the stemmed corner route by Gibson from the slot.

6:11-Poor ball placement on the smoke screen to Matthews. Puts hit on his back shoulder instead of upfield shoulder, which causes him to turn around instead of immediately upfield.

4:53- 3rd&3 guns the ball to Hartline on a crosser. I don't think anyone has ever doubted Ryan's arm. Nice conversion on 3rd down in redzone.

4:18- Smart decision to check it down to the back here.

3:20- Great timing, touch, and ball placement on the fade to Wallace. Very impressive catch by Wallace also. Touchdowns in the redzone.

0:09- Good timing on the curl to Hartline backed up deep in his own endzone. So far his only incompletion on a curl is when he smartly throws the ball in the dirt because the CB makes a great break on the ball.

4th Quarter

15:00- Another batted pass. This one is off the zone read and the defender is right in his face. Hard to put this one on the QB, but his low delivery point certainly doesn't help in this situation. 4th batted pass this far into the film. Ouch.

14:56- Good decision here to hit Lamar Miller on the arrow route. Guns in into tight coverage. Have to make that catch.

10:32- Good job of stepping up and picking up 5 yards. Decision making, understanding situations has improved undoubtedly. Good sign.

10:00- Nice timing on the out route to Clay.

9:41- I don't like how he is fading away on this throw. But still he is excellent at throwing curls

9:11- Shows off the arm talent, and places this ball where only his guy can get it.

9:05- Again drifting in pocket isntead of shuffling and resetting. Nonetheless, nice job to convert on 3rd down. Fires a bullet to Clay on the under.

8:37- Starting to press here, forces this ball.

8:30- A rare inaccurate throw on a curl. Still a completion though. Needs to place it outside.

7:31- Correct decision to keep. Just a poor play call on 4th and 1.

4:15- Good job climbing the pocket. Buffalo is just really good up front and he steps into a sack.

3:48- Nice job hitting Clay on the out route.

3:41- Like how he keeps his eye level up under pressure. Hartline drops a catchable ball.

3:37- 4th down just trying to make a play here, nowhere really to go

1:54- Buffalo is playing prevent, still nice decision to hit Landry underneath on the crosser.

1:47- Good decision to check it down to the back and take what the defense gives you

1:39- Ouch. Deep. Ball. Accuarcy. Doesn't have it. Another should have been TD.

1:32- Good decision to take what the D gives you.

1:00- Just taking what the D gives you. Underneath to Clay, he trucks a Bills defenders though.

0:33- Makes correct decision with the ball throwing the out route to the slot.

0:27- Hits the back in the flat.

0:21- Doesn't give WR a chance to make a play

0:16- Meaningless interception on the last play of the game.


Overall Grade= B-

His decision making, timing, play speed, and ball placement are looking better. He showed a good understanding of situations, didn't hold onto the ball being hung up on a read. His low delivery point is concerning as it hinders his deep ball accuracy, and he had 4 batted passes. Part of that is finding a throwing lane, part is the delivery, but it needs to be improved. Luckily none of these were intercepted. I also think he needs to improve his pocket movement, he has a tendency to drift away instead of shuffle and resetting his feet. He has the arm strength to get away with this but in hinders velocity and accuracy.


As this was my first time viewing the film, I can't say I agree with PFF's #3 ranking. At the same time I can't agree with some poster's here who said he played awful either. I don't think he will ever be a top 10 Quarterback. But I think if you give him a running game and defense and don't put the whole game on him, he can be a franchise qb/game manger. I think he is more sum of all parts than a guy you can put the game on and count on him to win it for you. Played better this game than vs. NE.

Fair assessment but a pretty tough grader. You didn't have much to complain about but still awarded a B-. You seem to point out that his pocket awareness isn't as bad as people claim. Perhaps his movement could be better but his awareness is decent. I don't share the concern over the batted passes, simply because we haven't seen much of it since his first game a a rookie. He is facing a collapsed pocket quite often and guys are getting their hands up. I totally agree about his ability to keep his eyes down field when getting pressured. I also think his mental and physical toughness are top notch.

I disagree, like several others, about the Hartline play. Should have been caught.

 

[hoops]

Having no receivers with any high point, or "above the rim" ability does not help him one bit. Need a legit size/speed WR that will win on 50/50 balls. That will give Tannehill a bigger strike zone, so to speak.

yeah replace hartline with that guy...although big wrs because they don't separate or at least the ones that do are rare can be very hit and miss...not that i've missed on many crowning dez bryant and keenan allen in each ones classes as the top guys...LIKE A BOSS

 

[Tannenbombs]

yeah replace hartline with that guy...although big wrs because they don't separate or at least the ones that do are rare can be very hit and miss...not that i've missed on many crowning dez bryant and keenan allen in each ones classes as the top guys...LIKE A BOSS

Don't even get me started on Keenan Allen. I thought he was arguably the best player in the entire draft.

 

[Tannenbombs]

Fair assessment but a pretty tough grader. You didn't have much to complain about but still awarded a B-. You seem to point out that his pocket awareness isn't as bad as people claim. Perhaps his movement could be better but his awareness is decent. I don't share the concern over the batted passes, simply because we haven't seen much of it since his first game a a rookie. He is facing a collapsed pocket quite often and guys are getting their hands up. I totally agree about his ability to keep his eyes down field when getting pressured. I also think his mental and physical toughness are top notch.

I disagree, like several others, about the Hartline play. Should have been caught.

My complaints were the batted passes issue. Those have a very high tendency to be intercepted. Off the top of my head of J.J. Watt's 16 batted passes in 2012, 8 were intercepted. If Ryan were to hit Wallace on that post I would have graded him at B+. The Hartline play should have been caught. And it was a very long deep ball. I'm not singling that play alone to say "Ryan Tannehill can't throw the deep ball" as most QB's would have trouble with that same throw. But I don't think it is disputable that Hartline had to pull up. Should have been caught for a gain of 60. But Hartline wouldn't have scored. Even with his great RAC abilities

 

[Tannenbombs]

yeah replace hartline with that guy...although big wrs because they don't separate or at least the ones that do are rare can be very hit and miss...not that i've missed on many crowning dez bryant and keenan allen in each ones classes as the top guys...LIKE A BOSS

Kevin White from West Virginia is a guy with good size 6'3 210. He's had some monster games. I have yet to dig into his film. But some in the NFL are comparing him to Larry Fitzgerald. I'm about to get started on his film study very soon. Slimm has posted about him in the thread "2015 Senior WRs"

Hartline is #18 I believe in highest average salary per year. God Ireland got taken to the cleaners with that cap space he had..

Hopefully Hickey can rid the team of the horrible contracts of Wallace, Hartline, Wheeler, Ellerbe, and RJ.

Wallace and RJ can play.. but Wallace is #4 in average per year, and I believe RJ is #4 or #5 for safetys. Both free and strong.. That's just too much $$$ use it to sign a stud like Dez, Demaryius, or Julius Thomas.

 

[hoops]

Kevin White from West Virginia is a guy with good size 6'3 210. He's had some monster games. I have yet to dig into his film. But some in the NFL are comparing him to Larry Fitzgerald. I'm about to get started on his film study very soon. Slimm has posted about him in the thread "2015 Senior WRs"

Hartline is #18 I believe in highest average salary per year. God Ireland got taken to the cleaners with that cap space he had..

Hopefully Hickey can rid the team of the horrible contracts of Wallace, Hartline, Wheeler, Ellerbe, and RJ.

Wallace and RJ can play.. but Wallace is #4 in average per year, and I believe RJ is #4 or #5 for safetys. Both free and strong.. That's just too much $$$ use it to sign a stud like Dez, Demaryius, or Julius Thomas.

yeah i saw kevin white in the west va opener...he's definitely interesting...not sure he plays to that size but i havent taken enough of a look yet...i like reshad jones more than others but he did have a bad year in 2013...no doubt about that

 

[Tannenbombs]

yeah i saw kevin white in the west va opener...he's definitely interesting...not sure he plays to that size but i havent taken enough of a look yet...i like reshad jones more than others but he did have a bad year in 2013...no doubt about that

I like him too. I just think Ireland paid too much for 1 year's worth of production. I just don't feel he deserves to be paid top 5 safety money. But I understand the reason for keeping him around.. Maybe after you shed some of the other bad contracts you talk him into restructuring so his agent knows you are for real about cutting bad contracts.

 

[Sarnics13]

As a side not about Tannehill's deep ball. It is never going to be good. However it is much worse when going to Wallace. I don't have any #s on this, just off the eyeball test. I think that will improve some. But Tannehill will never have great deep ball accuracy because of his low delivery point. That's not the end of the world though. Just a negative attribute.

Nobody has a lower delivery than Rivers and he seems to be doing good with accuracy. I do agree that his problem seems to be far more with Wallace. He has thrown some amazing deep balls to all the other receivers, he just CAN'T SEEM to get his timing with Wallace. It is SOOOOO frustrating!!!!

 

[Tannenbombs]

Nobody has a lower delivery than Rivers and he seems to be doing good with accuracy. I do agree that his problem seems to be far more with Wallace. He has thrown some amazing deep balls to all the other receivers, he just CAN'T SEEM to get his timing with Wallace. It is SOOOOO frustrating!!!!

It kind of takes away the whole reason you sign Mike Wallace.. to be a deep threat.. on the flip side of that, the cushion Wallace receives gives him plenty of room on curls and comebacks, the two routes Tannehill throws the best.

 

[Fins1971]

Another thought... Those of you who think Tannehill is so awful have forgotten about Jay Feidler.

If we go back and compare Jay Fiedler long ball to RT17's here is what you find.

1st off, the Split Stats at ESPN only chart distance of pass back to 2002, So Fiedler's best years of 2000 and 2001 are NOT being included.
Not sure where you would get that info.

Pass thrown 31 yards and more in the air.

Jay Fiedler 2002-2005

10 of 48 with 4 TD's and 6 Ints

Ryan Tannehill

11 of 53 with 3 TD's and 5 Ints.

Fiedler has a slightly better completion percentage and TD percentage and slightly worse Int percentage.

But they are essentially the same. We had the same issue with Fiedler. Everyone stacked the box and dared him to beat us.

Same thing is happening today.

Don't bring Fiedler into the discussion unless you want to see the truth

 

[Fins1971]

You know we lead the league in dropped balls so far and that's not all on Tannehill either.

If the Hartline in-completion is considered a drop then I see why we lead the league. It was Under thrown.

 

[BlueFin]

I see no point or reason to ever mention Jay Fiedler again.

Hartline should have caught the ball at 7:20.

 

[Fins1971]

I see no point or reason to ever mention Jay Fiedler again.

Hartline should have caught the ball at 7:20.

Ryan Tannehill should have thrown it 4 yards further so Hartline could score untouched.