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As he does each week ahead of ESPN's Monday Night Football broadcast, analyst and former coach Jon Gruden took a closer look at both teams matched up in the game. In Week 13, that means he looked at the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets. His first thought had to do with the Dolphins and quarterback Ryan Tannehill:
Reaching a contract extension with Ryan Tannehill should be an easy decision for the Dolphins if he continues playing this way.
Tannehill has everything I'm looking for in a quarterback. He's athletic, he has size, he's smart, he's tough, he's versatile, and he has the advantage of having played wide receiver in college. He has run the routes, so he can communicate with his receivers on how he wants them to be run. Tannehill also has been well trained since college, getting input from Mike Sherman, Joe Philbin, Bill Lazor and even Dan Marino, who has been spending time in their meeting rooms. Tannehill has made some really tough throws under fire and has had to scramble and make throws behind an offensive line that has been injured.
The Dolphins must continue to add pieces around him, but this guy is a dual-threat QB who can hurt you. He is getting better and better. I like him. The next step for Tannehill and this Dolphins team is learning how to finish. They have not been good enough in fourth quarters to this point. People want to see Tannehill take over when the Dolphins need someone to make a play late in games.
He also went on to say that he likes the "fusion" of offensive styles being used by the Dolphins ("strategically" using the read optio, a scheme that fits Tannehill's ability to run), he worries about the Miami offensive line as injuries start to creep in, and that he is not surprised by the ups and downs of Jets quarterback Geno Smith.
You can read all of Gruden's thoughts here (ESPN Insider protected). What do you think of what he said about Tannehill? Should the Dolphins - and Dolphins fans - be comfortable with Tannehill as the long term answer at quarterback?