Don Shula Appears on NFL AM

Miami Dolphins legendary head coach Don Shula, the NFL's all time winningest coach, appeared on NFL Network's NFL AM yesterday morning. Appearing to discuss the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Dolphins' undefeated season, the only perfect season in league history, Shula also discussed MIami's rookie head coach Joe Philbin and rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

The Hall of Fame coach, who won two Super Bowls with the Dolphins, was asked about his impression of Philbin and Tannehill in their first years in the league.

Shula responded, "You know, I really like [Philbin]. I like Ryan Tannehill, their young quarterback. And last week, they put it all together. They did some good things, and they won the game.

"Previously, they had been doing some good things and not winning. So, there was a lof of questions about if they made the right moves. When you start winning, it looks they're going to be better off in the long run for having made those moves earlier."

Getting more to the point, Shula was asked if Tannehill is the franchise quarterback Miami has been trying to find since Dan Marino, who Shula coached, retired following the 1999 season.

"I really liked what I saw last week. He needed that game, and he needs that confidence, to continue to move on in his career. You know, the guy has not been a quarterback for a long time. He was a wide receiver until, I think, his junior year in college, and then they moved him to quarterback.

"You know you have a good athlete, and you know he's got a lot of good football ahead of him. You just hope he is the right guy. He's just a wonderful young man and he's got all of those things going for him and, like I said, I liked what I saw last Sunday."

Shula continued to discuss things from around the NFL, like the rules changes emphasizing player safety, who could win the Don Shula Coach of the Year award this year, and his reaction to Jim Harbaugh naming Colin Kaepernik the starter over Alex Smith for the San Francisco 49ers.

You can watch the video of tDon Shula's interview on NFL.com.