No Excuses for Tannehill

The Miami Dolphins are trying to climb out of mediocrity. Four straight seasons below .500 has left the fan base dull. The Dolphins won the offseason, changed their logo, and generated a little bit of buzz for this year. That won't last unless they win.

This offseason looks to be about acquiring play makers. General manager Jeff Ireland is trying to put the right pieces around second year quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Ireland went out and brought in Mike Wallace, a dynamic deep threat that Tannehill was missing last year. The team also signed Dustin Keller, an athletic tight end and security blanket for Tannehill.

Fans were clamoring for these moves. These signings appeased the fan base, but also raised the expectations and eliminated the excuses for Tannehill. Last season, Tannehill fluctuated from brilliant to pedestrian. His supporters consistently pointed to the Dolphins' lack of a true number one receiver. They marveled at his ability to move the offense without a deep threat to stretch the field, or a reliable tight end to create space over the middle.

Now those excuses are gone. Miami will be looking for Tannehill to lead this team to the playoffs. While no one would argue that the Dolphins are loaded on offense, they clearly have enough to win a wild card spot. These moves will force people to judge Tannehill based on production instead of potential. Instead of wondering what he could do with talent around him, fans will have the answers laid out in front of them. Tannehill will be held accountable to improve on his average 76.1 quarterback rating and his mediocre 6.81 yards per pass attempt, and he won't be bailed out by the constant hope of potential.

Miami is expecting the playoffs. The city is expecting Tannehill to deliver. Fans are expecting him to improve. They hope these signings will push them into the playoffs. If nothing else, these moves will now allow the city and organization to take an accurate assessment of their quarterback.