The Tennessee Titans are still confident that Ryan Tannehill is the quarterback who will be able to lead them to great honors.
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Sunday, during an interview with the daily The Tennessean, general manager Jon Robinson reiterated his confidence in him.
“Ryan is a real pro. He knows how much he means to us, the GM said. We made a trade for his services. We gave him the opportunity to be a starter. We gave him a new contract. I think his status with us is pretty obvious. He’s our quarterback. I don’t know how many more times I’m going to have to say it.”
Tannehill was the target of criticism after the Titans’ early elimination in the playoffs. Boasting a first-round bye by virtue of their regular-season standings, the Tennessee club went down 19-16 against the Cincinnati Bengals in their first game of the postseason.
During this duel, the 33-year-old quarterback threw three interceptions. Tannehill’s tendency to throw the ball into the hands of his rivals has caused a lot of ink to flow in 2021. In 17 meetings he has been the victim of 14 thefts, which is twice as many interceptions as in the two campaigns previous ones.
In defense of Tannehill
“Nobody probably feels worse than Ryan,” Robinson said. I don’t want to speak for Ryan about the interceptions, but they’re not all his fault.”
“Sometimes a defensive player made a great play. Sometimes a receiver was in the wrong place. [Tannehill] may have been under pressure and the ball was touched by a rival. There are a lot of things that come into play. Ultimately, the quarterback is always the one who bears the responsibility.
Tannehill has been a member of the Titans since March 15, 2019, having been acquired from the Miami Dolphins for two fourth-round picks and a seventh-round pick. He was Florida’s first-round pick (eighth overall) in the 2012 draft, but never really had much success with that club.
Since becoming a member of the Titans, Tannehill has gone 30-13 and completed 67.3% of his passes for 10,295 yards and 76 touchdowns.