Miami Dolphin Talk

DAVIE — The ball was firing out Ryan Tannehill's hands as if he were playing a game of hot potato.

The decisions made during the one OTA practice the media watched this week were quick, and the passes were more precise.

A dig to Dustin Keller delivered right on the back shoulder of a linebacker.

A quick hitch to Mike Wallace arrived swiftly.

Tannehill noticed Brian Hartline had gotten behind the starting safeties during 11-on-11 drills and floated a deep ball to last year's leading receiver, allowing him to catch it in stride, putting Hartline in a foot race to the end zone just like the one they teamed up for in last year's record-setting performance against the Cardinals.

Tannehill was sharp in that game. He looked like a franchise quarterback, right up to his final snap — a game-sealing fumble in overtime.

During this week's practice, the first where the offense faced the defense, Tannehill looked like a quarterback ready to take that next step. And it was refreshing, exciting to witness.

It is clear Tannehill feels comfortable in year two. This is his offense. These are his new weapons.

The Miami Dolphins are his team. And now he's no longer a green, inexperienced rookie.

Tannehill has turned the page from this time last year, when Miami's 2012 first-round pick looked like he needed a diaper during OTA sessions.

Back then he was being sacked every fourth throw, and was spraying the ball all over the field to long shot receivers he wasn't familiar with. He wasn't Pat White bad, but after watching him in OTA last year few of his teammates felt he was in David Garrard's league, despite running an offense he knew the best.

"Last year at this time my head was spinning. I was just trying to figure out how things worked. I didn't really know how the day went, how the offseason went, how practices went," Tannehill said. "So being in it a year, I am completely comfortable. Now I can go out and focus on all the little things that go into the game."

The biggest question is how far can he take the Dolphins?

We've been on this road before. The Dolphins were supposed to be Chad Henne's team in 2010. Management got him a Pro Bowl receiver in Brandon Marshall and he was expected to take a drastic step forward.

He never did.

The next offseason they got him Reggie Bush, a better center in first-round pick Mike Pouncey and a new offensive coordinator.

But he was still a dud woodbooger.

The organization propped Henne up as a new and improved leader. Problem was few on the team truly believed in him, and fewer followed.

By now we should know what fabricated hope sounds like.

"One way to describe him is he's a gym rat. He loves football. He's been here an awful lot," coach Joe Philbin said of Tannehill, the quarterback whom he's attached his wagon to.

"He's been working out with the guys on their own, nothing orchestrated by us, well before the offseason program began. Those are all good indicators that somebody wants to be good. That's kind of step one.

"If you don't have players that want to be great, it's hard for them to keep climbing and keep accelerating their development. That's point number one that we're excited about."

Tannehill needs to show us what real hope looks like, and he needs to present it to South Florida by leading the Dolphins to a winning record for the first time since 2008, which means nine or more victories.

This second-year starter can get there by improving his completion percentage, throwing more touchdowns than interceptions, and performing better in the fourth quarter, when wins and losses are typically decided in professional sports.

Fourth-quarter performances are what separates the mediocre from the average, average from good, and good from great.

Last year Tannehill was mediocre in that department (finished 23rd with a 83.0 fourth-quarter passer rating), and as a result he produced just one fourth-quarter victory is six tries.

If he improves in those areas Tannehill should produce an 85-plus passer rating, and during the past three decades when the Dolphins have a starting quarterback behind center with that type of efficient, solid play the franchise has produced just one losing season in 12 years.

An 85-passer rating would have made Tannehill the NFL's 17th best quarterback last season.

Is that really too much to ask for from a player we all hope shows signs he's a franchise quarterback?

When the Miami Dolphins added Brandon Gibson through free agency, I thought it was a move that had potential to be a solid pick-up. I was surprised to see many Dolfans aggressively upset with the move. Some were upset because it likely meant the end of the line for fan-favorite Davone Bess, but the truth is he was in the Joe Philbin doghouse and was on the outside already. That ship was about to sail regardless so I agreed with the idea of being aggressive in bringing in a potential replacement for Bess. Others were upset because Gibson’s four-year career has been pretty pedestrian, and he is not a guy that can make a big play by racking up yards after the catch. ‘Phins phans were clamoring all offseason for the team to add playmaker-type additions to surround second-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and Gibson is not that guy. Despite that, I still see a guy that can bring value and production to the 2013 Dolphins (and going forward).

In his rookie season, we saw Tanny connect for some nice plays on second down with Bess, and I look for that to go to the next level with Gibson who does the majority of his damage on second down. When first down plays don’t yield much we will see Gibson make catches as a possession-type of WR. Again, we won’t expect much after the catch, but the 6-footer can be effective making possession-type catches on 2nd down. The hope is that translate to him being a legit red-zone threat as well.

2012 was Gibson’s best season, and he played very well vs. AFC East teams. He had his first ever 100-yard game last season (against the Buffalo Bills … six catches), plus he had three catches for 46 yards vs. the New England Patriots. Although he only had three catches for nine yards vs. the New York Jets, two of those catches were touchdowns. Against the ‘Phins, Gibson had seven catches on nine targets for 91 yards.

The rival Jets heavily pursued Gibson, but he chose Miami. It is worth noting that he has increased his average yard per catch in every season. Is he a difference maker like I feel Mike Wallace is? No (unless he can develop into a legit red-zone threat) … but … I do feel he is a guy who can help the team move the chains (2012 Dolphins were a putrid no.26 overall for earning 1st downs) and a guy who can and will contribute. I can’t see a lot of Gibson jerseys being sold, but the haters will come around when Gibson contributes.

I recently interviewed O.J. McDuffie for my show @RantingBenCraig and that interview will air on the Saturday May 25 show. OJ had some good things to say about Gibson, and OJ was clearly excited about what Gibson can do in this offense … when OJ talks WR play — I listen!