Dolphins Notebook: Rookie QB Ryan Tannehill battling accuracy issues
Dolphins rookie QB Ryan Tannehill won't want a 23-16 loss to the Patriots on Sunday on his personal highlight reel.
Tannehill completed 13 of 29 passes for 186 passes with three sacks and a lost fumble. The eighth overall pick in April's draft did have a nifty 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but it wasn't enough to overcome his numerous erratic throws.
Three misses stick out: Overthrowing a wide-open WR Brian Hartline for a sure touchdown on a fly route, throwing behind RB Reggie Bush on a crossing route for a sure first down and underthrowing Hartline for a huge gain after he easily beat his defender over the top.
Connecting on any of those misfires could have helped change the course of the game.
“We want to be balanced; we want to be able to run the ball and throw it as well,” Tannehill said. “I feel like we did that for the majority of the game, but we just didn't hit the shots that were there. The one early to Hartline, I'm still kicking myself. You have to make that throw.”
Overall, the Dolphins have scored more than 20 points only once the past five games. Not coincidentally, the team is 1-4 over that span. The only win? A 24-21 victory over Seattle.
“I don't think (Dolphins coach Joe Philbin) specifically went to the offense and said, ‘you need to score points,' but we're not dumb,” Tannehill said. “We know they have a high-powered offense and I think our defense did a great job of holding them to what they did. We've got to put more points up as an offense.”
Sack master: Dolphins DE Cameron Wake continued his All-Pro caliber season against the Patriots last weekend.
The former Penn State star had one sack against New England when he delivered one of the best quarterback hits of the season when he lit up Tom Brady in the second half. Wake notched double-digits in sacks for the second time in his career with the takedown, giving the former Canadian Football League star 10.5 sacks this season.
Wake, who had a down year with just 8.5 sacks last season after posting 14 in 2010, has adjusted to additional attention from opposing offenses. The 6-foot-3, 258-pounder drew 13 holding penalties in 2011 -- six more than any other player. This year, he is turning those penalties back into sacks.
“The defense always has a mindset, regardless of where you are, to keep them off the board,” Wake said. “You have to draw that line in the dirt and make the plays.”
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