Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill can breathe easy for now. His job is safe.
"No. He's not coming out," coach Adam Gase said, via the Miami Herald. "You can ask me 100 times, he's going to be in there the rest of the season."
Tannehill added: "I know coach has confidence in me -- I have confidence in myself -- and I think the guys on offense have confidence in me. We're going to go out and play. I'm going to push myself in practice, do everything I can do to get better and expect to play better."
Gase is obviously making the right move here. Regardless of whether or not the Dolphins plan to move on from their former first-round draft pick -- something that is entirely within Gase's power over the coming months since the Dolphins are by no means "locked in" on this long-term deal -- the coach is taking the long view.
The Dolphins are oddly constructed at the moment. A defense that has enough star power to win them games, or at least make people believe they should. An offense with one of the league's best possession receivers and an offensive line packed with high draft picks.
It's easy to hurl all the blame on Tannehill for not making it work. On Sunday against the Titans, he threw for 191 yards and two picks. His quarterback rating floundered, ending at 62.3 (83.6 for the season). But Gase knows that there is little advantage amid a 1-4 season to handing Matt Moore the baton. While Moore is one of the league's most capable and underrated backup quarterbacks, he is 32 and does not represent the future of the program.
Gase has had success with all different types of quarterbacks and wants to at least allow Tannehill to run his course before hitting the panic button. If Gase is going to end up drafting his own quarterback this offseason or chasing one in free agency, he can do so after exhausting all of his efforts.
