Ryan Tannehill quiets the critics for at least another week

Written by Matthew Cannata | Twitter: @PhinManiacs
Ryan Tannehill came out against the Oakland Raiders and quieted the critics for at least another week, completing 23 of 31 passes for 278 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Tannehill, who dealt with a lot of drama and controversy caused by his head coach over the past few days, was excited and proud of the way he performed.

“As the week went on and all the distractions, to finally leave the country, have a long flight and come over here and get ready for the game, I think I was more excited for this game than I’ve been for a game in a long time,” Tannehill said. “Regardless if people were writing or talking about me in a certain way, personally I still wanted to come out and play well. I’m a realist. I envision myself as a good player. I knew I wasn’t playing up to those standards in the first three weeks, so I wanted to come out and personally play better and my teammates need that from me. They expected me to play better and to finally be able to come out and do that, it felt good.”

Cornerback Brent Grimes, who had one interception that he nearly returned for a touchdown, echoed those sentiments.

“With all the things going on, all the talking, people trying to make turmoil on the team, for him to come out and play a great game like this shows a lot of his character. I’m very proud of him. I always knew he can make plays in the league; he’s done it before. So for him to come out amid all this negative stuff going on and have a game like this, it says a lot about Ryan Tannehill’s character.”

The Dolphins will have next week off before facing the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. Tannehill will need to show that he can be consistent every week in order to truly take the next step as a quarterback.

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