Ryan Tannehill: Joe Philbin Caused a "Bunch of Stir" and "Distraction" By Not Naming Him Starter
By Jason Lisk
To recap in case you’ve missed it, when Joe Philbin was asked about whether Ryan Tannehill–who is last in the league, right behind a guy named Tom Brady, in yards per pass attempt–was still his starter, provided a non-answer.
That then led to a bunch of speculation that Tannehill was in danger of being benched before the Dolphins touch down in London to face the Oakland Raiders.
Today, Ryan Tannehill faced the media, and seemed to imply that behind the scenes, he was assured of his position, but was still bothered by the way it was handled this week. From Chris Perkins of the Sun-Sentinel:
" “Obviously, it doesn’t feel good,” Tannehill said about having his starting status publicly questioned. “It creates a bunch of stir and a bunch of distraction in the lockerroom, mostly from the outside coming in, and guys having to deal with the distraction of it. So it’s not a good feeling but he’s been clear with me and I know where I stand.” . . . “He told me why, and I asked him what his reason was,” Tannehill said. So what was the reason? “You’re going to have to get that from him,” Tannehill said."
So, what is that reason? We haven’t heard it directly from Philbin, so Perkins got to also provide that info.
It’s his policy not to ever answer that question. Just like it’s his policy not to answer questions about injured players.
"Philbin doesn’t answer questions on injuries. He doesn’t answer questions about players who don’t participate in practice, whatever the reason. The standard answer on those questions is always something along the lines of, “I’ll be glad to discuss any player who participated in today’s practice.”"
Assuming that Tannehill practiced, someone should ask Philbin if he is going to start.