One day after Miami Dolphins coach Joe Philbin declined to say that quarterback Ryan Tannehill would start in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders, Tannehill admitted to reporters that the indecision has been a distraction in the locker room, and he even named himself the starter.
Ryan Tannehill names himself Dolphins starter
Tannehill is frustrated by Joe Philbin’s indecision about who will start for Miami in Week 4.
Tom Szczerbowski
Following the Dolphins' embarrassing loss to a then-winless Kansas City Chiefs team on Sunday, Philbin could not confirm that Tannehill would remain as the starter under center when the team takes on the Raiders in London this Sunday. Tannehill has clearly regressed from last season and is on pace to set career lows in completion percentage and yards per attempt. The only player this season with a lower Total QBR than Tannehill (27.2) is Jacksonville's Chad Henne (16.1), who was recently benched in favor of rookie Blake Bortles.
The question of who is starting under center is not the only controversy swirling around a 1-2 Dolphins team that has been manhandled in its last two losses against the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins' defensive players also were reportedly "beyond furious, irate" at the game plan created by defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle in their 34-15 loss to Kansas City in Week 3. Miami gave up 342 yards and five touchdowns to a Chiefs team that entered the game with one of the league's worst offenses this season.
All this has added up to an uncomfortable situation in Miami, where Philbin remains firmly on the hot seat while the Dolphins try to avoid a sixth straight season without a playoff berth. In fact, Bovada currently has Philbin at 3-to-1 odds to be the first coach fired this season, behind only Raiders head coach Dennis Allen (3-to-2).
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