Strong Offensive Line Play
It’s no secret that the Miami Dolphins have struggled with protection for years. Tannehill was frequently criticized for his lack of pocket awareness early in his career, but the offensive line in front of him was often a turnstile. Through the beginning part of his career, Tannehill was the most-sacked quarterback in the league. It’s something that has plagued the team for years, but it’s clear that was a focus for the front office in the off-season.
If today’s game was any indication, the offensive line is vastly improved from any unit we’ve seen since Tannehill came to town. They didn’t play a perfect game today by any means, but they played far better than they have in years. That’s an encouraging sign.
The offense sputtered at times today, but it wasn’t the fault of the offensive line. The hogs up front gave Tannehill plenty of time to sit back in the pocket and survey the field. They largely kept him clean, and Tannehill really only took one big shot the entire game.
For a quarterback coming off 20 games lost to a knee injury, knowing that he can trust the protection in front of him has to give Tannehill an extreme confidence boost.
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