Socci's Notebook: Containing Tannehill Can Help Patriots Gain A Leg Up In Miami
MIAMI (CBS) – From the outset of its telecast of last October's visit by the Miami Dolphins to New England, CBS was clearly focused on a storyline written by a seemingly swollen right hand.
A week earlier at New York, Tom Brady was struck on the hand by the Jets' Quinton Coples as he reared back to throw. Frequently thereafter, he was seen balling his fingers into a fist. Opening then closing them; opening then closing.
His actions caught the attention of the Tiffany network, which then called the attention of its audience to various close-ups of Brady's hand during the ensuing encounter with Miami. Especially early, before the Patriots were subject to booing by the Gillette Stadium crowd and rallied to prevail, 27-17. In the end, Brady completed 13-of-22 passes for just 116 yards, though his uncharacteristic stats may have been due as much to pressure in a shrinking pocket as the pain of a swelling hand.
Now we near another meeting of the AFC East foes, three days after Brady missed practice reportedly because of a calf injury. So surely CBS will zoom in on his lower extremities. Meanwhile, we should also keep an eye on the legs of Brady's counterpart, Ryan Tannehill.
The Patriots' defense certainly will.
TANNEHILL LOOKING BETTER
As a former wide receiver who didn't make a college conversion to quarterback until the second half of his Texas A&M career, Tannehill is in his first year operating an offense well suited to his skills. It's an attack implemented by new coordinator Bill Lazor and influenced by his experience under Chip Kelly with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Last year Kelly defied conventional NFL thought with the fast-paced, quick-decision style that made his University of Oregon teams so tough to defend on the college level. In the process, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles recorded the best touchdown-to-interception ratio (27-to-2) and third-highest rating (119.2) in league history.
At the same time, Tannehill spent his second season in a much different offense behind an awful line that allowed an NFL-high 58 sacks. Still, he managed 3,913 yards and 24 TD passing, including a late score to beat the Patriots in their second meeting in December.
As with Foles a year ago, and as evident by this preseason, Tannehill has responded well to the change. Most noticeably, thanks in great part to the nature of the Kelly-Lazor system, he's getting rid of the ball in a hurry.
"Tannehill's looking better, stronger in the pocket," says Jimmy Cefalo, the ex-Dolphin wide receiver turned team broadcaster. "(He's) more definitive, the ball's coming out of his hand quicker.
"It's the nature of the offense that Bill Lazor's put together. They're moving people around...The ball comes out of the hand quickly. They know exactly where they want to go, when they want to get to it."
New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia concurs.
"They're definitely spreading the ball around with good, smart, accurate passing (schemes) and concepts," said Patricia.
Another component of the offense is the so-called read option. And though the quarterback isn't expected to keep it often, Tannehill is much more dangerous on the run than Foles.
"No question," said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. "Yeah, I'd say he's a lot faster than Nick Foles."
"He can run the football, and he will run it some on Sunday," adds Cefalo. "They're not afraid to let him take off."
In fact, last December Tannehill dashed through the snow in Pittsburgh for 48 yards on an option play (see http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000293961/Tannehill-58-yard-scramble). As he read linebacker Jarvis Jones' reaction to running back Lamar Miller, Tannehill pulled the ball from Miller's midsection and bolted from the backfield.
Just one play, it doesn't mean Tannehill is going to turn into the Tim Tebow of 2011. In fact, he rushed only twice in preseason. But as Belichick explains, the Pats have to beware of Tannehill's ever-present option to run.
"Again, a lot of those plays, including Foles' plays, instead of running with the quarterback, there's some built-in screens and slip screens to wide receivers and things like that," Belichick said. "So, that sort of replaces the quarterback keeping the ball on an option to a degree. I think that anytime you go up against an option offense, you can say, 'Well, they don't do this or they do that.' But we all know that it's based on the read of the defense. So, if the defense is taking away one thing, it doesn't necessarily mean they won't do it.
"It just means that the defense is lighter on another part of the play and that's the play that offense has chosen to emphasize or feature based on the look. If you get a look that's fairly consistent then a lot of times you see the same play over and over again and say, 'OK, we're going to stop that play,' but as soon as you go to stop that one, then there are other parts of the option play that they see you have that stopped, they're not even trying to go there."
Defending the option requires what coaches call 'assignment football.' The concept is nothing new for Patriots like Rob Ninkovich, who are always told -- and constantly repeat -- the phrase, 'Do your job.'
"The biggest problems that teams (experience) on defense is when you get too aggressive and go after the wrong guy," Ninkovich said, describing what Tannehill's long gainer at Pittsburgh demonstrated. "That's when a big play happens. We just got to be patient and understand that everyone's got to be in the right place at the same time and just play team defense."
That goes for designed option plays or, just as likely, the unscripted result of a broken conventional play.
"(Tannehill's) a dangerous scrambling quarterback if the receivers are covered and the pass rush doesn't have him contained," Belichick concludes. "We're very aware of him. He has excellent speed. He can run away from most defensive linemen and linebackers.
"So keeping leverage and containing him is going to be a big part of us being successful against the Dolphins."
TRADING PLACES
By claiming Bruce Gaston from the Patriots Thursday, the Dolphins addressed a sudden need, while adding to the never-ending intrigue of a divisional rivalry.
Already minus suspended defensive end Dion Jordan, Miami declared rookie lineman Terrance Fede out for Sunday's opener due to a knee injury. Getting Gaston gives them another large body -- at 310 pounds -- to help get through Week 1.
Gaston was in New England less than a week before being let go. He had been picked up by the Patriots after being waived by the Arizona Cardinals. Still, brief as his stay proved, one wonders if there's insight into the Patriots' defensive plans Gaston can provide his new team.
Meanwhile, a pair of recently-released Dolphins are now in-house in New England. The Pats have safety Don Jones on their 53-man roster and running back Marcus Thigpen on their practice squad.
Gamesmanship aside -- should any exist and whatever the benefits of such -- each player has both real and potential value beyond this weekend. Particularly on special teams.
Jones led Miami with 11 tackles covering kickoffs and punts in 2013. He was instrumental in a 27-23 win over Atlanta in Week 3, drilling Falcon punt returner Harry Douglas and forcing a game-turning fumble.
Thigpen, who caught Tannehill's game-winning 14-yard touchdown pass against New England in Week 15 last year, has been a dangerous return man. In 2012 he averaged 12.2 yards returning punts, including 72 yards for a score at Houston, and took a kickoff back 96 yards at Buffalo.
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