#MCM Ryan Tannehill
-GatorAlvarez August 31
When you tell your friends or colleagues that you are obsessed with someone they might tell you that that obsession is “unhealthy” or that you are “insane”. What this #MCM article lets me do is let me open up about my obsession, my #MCM, Ryan Tannehill. While this obsession did not start until around the middle of last season, I have been completely transfixed ever since. Obviously, there must be some kind of statistical backing for why I love Tannehill so much or else I go back to looking insane. So, in the next few paragraphs, with the help of my analysis, I hope you all can come to appreciate Mr. Tannehill as much as I do.
The first thing that I feel will help push my #MCM to become a legitimate contender as a fantasy star is the hiring of Bill Lazor as the new Offensive Coordinator for the Dolphins last year. Lazor, who in the 2013 season served as the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, was in charge of making Nick Foles look like a legitimate QB. Under Lazor, Foles was able to post a stat line of 2,891 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a QB rating of 119.2 (third-highest QB rating in NFL history). Now, Nick Foles did have a great year that surprised us all in the fantasy world, but I believe by looking at his 2014 numbers (2,163 yds, 13 TDs, 10 Ints, and QBR of 81.4), Bill Lazor had a large part in helping Foles reach his full potential in 2013. All this being said, the hiring of Lazor last year and what he’s already helped Tannehill accomplish is just one aspect for why I believe Tannehill could be a legitimate star this season.
While I may not have swayed you with my spiel about the new OC in Miami, hopefully Tannehill’s career numbers will help to show you why I fully believe in my #MCM to have a career year. Looking at Tannehill’s career, we can see that almost every relevant stat has continued to get better.
The first thing that I feel will help push my #MCM to become a legitimate contender as a fantasy star is the hiring of Bill Lazor as the new Offensive Coordinator for the Dolphins last year. Lazor, who in the 2013 season served as the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, was in charge of making Nick Foles look like a legitimate QB. Under Lazor, Foles was able to post a stat line of 2,891 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a QB rating of 119.2 (third-highest QB rating in NFL history). Now, Nick Foles did have a great year that surprised us all in the fantasy world, but I believe by looking at his 2014 numbers (2,163 yds, 13 TDs, 10 Ints, and QBR of 81.4), Bill Lazor had a large part in helping Foles reach his full potential in 2013. All this being said, the hiring of Lazor last year and what he’s already helped Tannehill accomplish is just one aspect for why I believe Tannehill could be a legitimate star this season.
While I may not have swayed you with my spiel about the new OC in Miami, hopefully Tannehill’s career numbers will help to show you why I fully believe in my #MCM to have a career year. Looking at Tannehill’s career, we can see that almost every relevant stat has continued to get better.
Here we can see what kind of impact Lazor had on Tannehill in his first year as OC. Both Tannehill’s production and efficiency – 66.4% completion rate in 2014 compared to 60.4% in 2013 – went up in 2014, and he was able to post a career best QBR of 92.8.
Not only have his passing stats progressively gotten better over his career, but his rushing stats continue to rise as well. While he is no Russell Wilson or Cam Newton in terms of rushing production, I believe his rushing is in a much more orthodox manner. This rushing style has helped him stay on the field for every game of his career, as can be seen in the chart above.
If you are still not sold on why I love Tannehill, it is also important to note the receiving weapons that the Dolphins acquired during the offseason. First, there is the 14th overall pick in this year’s draft, Davante Parker. While there are some concerns for him being fully healthy this year, coming back from a foot surgery in June, the prospect of him being on the field should get you excited for how he can help Tannehill in the passing game. Standing at 6’3 inches with a wingspan of 80 inches, Parker adds a large receiver to the repertoire for Tannehill to throw to alongside Jarvis Landry. Going along with Parker, the Dolphins also acquired Jordan Cameron and Kenny Stills to their receiving corps. Cameron, while somewhat injury prone, will provide a big body for Tannehill to throw to down in the red zone. Stills, on the other hand, will provide a much needed deep-ball target with ridiculous speed (4.38 forty time).
All of these factors combined, I believe it’s time I come out and give you my projections for Tannehill this year. Currently, Tannehill’s Average Draft Position (ADP) on ESPN is right around #94. This puts him as the twelfth QB coming off the board, behind the likes of Tom Brady (serving a four game suspension) and Matthew Stafford (coming off his worst statistical season in terms of production since 2010). I believe a relatively safe stat line for Tannehill this year is 595 passing attempts and 395 completions going for 4,090 yards, 29 TDs and 15 interceptions.
Mr. Ryan Tannehill is my #MCM. When I look at his stats and the new additions to the receiving corps and coaching staff, I can’t help but get all tingly inside. I have the biggest of hopes for him this year, and after reading this article I hope I have given you a new fantasy football obsession.
Not only have his passing stats progressively gotten better over his career, but his rushing stats continue to rise as well. While he is no Russell Wilson or Cam Newton in terms of rushing production, I believe his rushing is in a much more orthodox manner. This rushing style has helped him stay on the field for every game of his career, as can be seen in the chart above.
If you are still not sold on why I love Tannehill, it is also important to note the receiving weapons that the Dolphins acquired during the offseason. First, there is the 14th overall pick in this year’s draft, Davante Parker. While there are some concerns for him being fully healthy this year, coming back from a foot surgery in June, the prospect of him being on the field should get you excited for how he can help Tannehill in the passing game. Standing at 6’3 inches with a wingspan of 80 inches, Parker adds a large receiver to the repertoire for Tannehill to throw to alongside Jarvis Landry. Going along with Parker, the Dolphins also acquired Jordan Cameron and Kenny Stills to their receiving corps. Cameron, while somewhat injury prone, will provide a big body for Tannehill to throw to down in the red zone. Stills, on the other hand, will provide a much needed deep-ball target with ridiculous speed (4.38 forty time).
All of these factors combined, I believe it’s time I come out and give you my projections for Tannehill this year. Currently, Tannehill’s Average Draft Position (ADP) on ESPN is right around #94. This puts him as the twelfth QB coming off the board, behind the likes of Tom Brady (serving a four game suspension) and Matthew Stafford (coming off his worst statistical season in terms of production since 2010). I believe a relatively safe stat line for Tannehill this year is 595 passing attempts and 395 completions going for 4,090 yards, 29 TDs and 15 interceptions.
Mr. Ryan Tannehill is my #MCM. When I look at his stats and the new additions to the receiving corps and coaching staff, I can’t help but get all tingly inside. I have the biggest of hopes for him this year, and after reading this article I hope I have given you a new fantasy football obsession.