Dr. T Slices and Dices in Preseason Debut

In August of 1983 Dan Marino stepped on the field in the second half of a preseason tilt with the Dallas Cowboys. It was his first live action, and the kid threw for 176 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Tannehill, the most talented youngster we’ve had under center since Danny Boy, had a remarkably similar debut last night.

Okay, let’s not let the hype train rumble out of control. It is what it is, a preseason game. Not to mention the Dan Marino hangover has left us all desperate to anoint a second coming. But give the youngster some credit. Hell, if Roberto Wallace hangs onto that first TD this pre-med student turned top ten pick would have logged a downright monster stat line for just over a quarter of work.

So, if this kind of play continues throughout the preseason, what will the Dolphins do with this rookie gunslinger? There are success stories from both schools of thought. There are guys who sit and watch a veteran, undoubtedly learning much along the way. Then there are guys who are thrown into the deep end, learning on the fly.

Do we think starting immediately would have ruined Aaron Rodgers? No. Do we think sitting Cam Newton would have kept him from coming in this year and demolishing the league like he did in 2011? Nope. We think the cream of the crop rises to the top in either case.

But did the Panthers have a better quarterback on their roster than Cam last season? No. Was Bruce Gradkowski better than Andy Dalton up in Cincy? Can Ryan Tannehill best Matt Moore’s 175 yards and 1.2 TDs per game from 2011?

It’s worth pointing out that we have one of the top scoring defenses in the league, and that we were only three wins from a playoff spot. We need to see more of Dr. T, but wouldn’t it be a shame if we left our best chance to score points on the bench just because some mythical handbook says it’s the right thing to do?

Remember, Rodgers sat because the Pack had Brett Favre. Do you see a Favre on this roster?

GO DOLPHINS, and feel free to follow us on Twitter @TheBottlenose