It hasn’t taken long for rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill to make a good first impression with his teammates and coaches.
It took rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill just two days for his teammates to nickname him “The Golden Child” and “The Franchise.”
But the eighth overall pick hopes to earn another title: starting quarterback.
Tannehill, the first quarterback taken by the Dolphins in the first round since Dan Marino in 1983, said he’s in contention to win the job against veterans David Garrard and Matt Moore.
“I feel like I’m in it,” Tannehill told ESPN.com. “Maybe I am being naïve, but the coaches haven’t given me any indication that I’m not, so I’m going to go out there every day and do my best to get better every day and hopefully win the job.”
Tannehill, who has the advantage of playing under Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman who coached Tannehill at Texas A&M, missed the first two days of training camp because of a contract dispute.
But after signing his deal on Saturday, Tannehill has been sharp the past two days of practice, including on Monday, when he threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Roberto Wallace, according to The Palm Beach Post.
“I thought he threw the ball very well on Sunday,” coach Joe Philbin said. “I want to say he had 53 we thought were competitive snaps. He completed I believe over 40 of them and he threw the ball well. Monday, and again, it’s a little different. I thought we missed a couple plays early. We had a couple opportunities for some big plays early that we didn’t convert on, but, for a rookie quarterback, I think he is doing very well.”
Tannehill also handling himself as a high first-round draft pick, said left tackle Jake Long, the top overall pick in 2008.
“He’s been handling it well,” Long told The Palm Beach Post. “He’s been coming out to practice, working hard, and that’s all you can ask for -- to prove to your players and coaches, the guys that brought you in, that it was the right choice, and I think he’s coming out here and doing that.”
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