Bill Belichick: 'Ryan Tannehill is a good game manager'


While speaking to reporters yesterday, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick touched on the quarterback of New England's next opponent. That would be Ryan Tannehill of the Miami Dolphins.

Belichick called Tannehill a solid "game manager," a phrase that gets tossed around the league a lot. In his eyes, that should be considered as a compliment.

Darrin Gantt of Pro Football Talk:
“They give him multiple options on every play,” Belichick said of the description. “I think that means they’re giving him a lot of responsibility. He’s the one that has to, at the line of scrimmage, get them out of a bad play if that’s what’s necessary and then after the ball’s snapped decide what to do on the play whether it’s hand the ball off, keep it, keep it and throw it as the third part of the option which some of their plays have.

“I think that’s a lot of responsibility to give a player. They have a lot of confidence in him and he does it well and has done it well. Getting the team in the right play and making the right decision is about as much responsibility as you can possibly give a player. What else could you ask him to do?”

He went on to say that Tannehill's ability to manage a game is his best attribute. Tannehill is having the best season of his three-year career. He has thrown for 3,044 yards, 21 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. He has also rushed for one touchdown. He is three touchdown passes short of his career high, 24, which he set last season, so it is very likely he will pass that.

Tannehill has looked like more than just a game manager at times this season. He led the Dolphins to near-wins over the Denver Broncos just a few weeks ago and the Green Bay Packers back in October. He can sometimes be tough to take down because of his ability to extend plays by running away from pressure, but he is not as good as the quarterbacks New England has gone up against in recent weeks.

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