Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Tannehill putting three INT outing behind him
DAVIE — Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is coming off his worst performance of the season, and one of the worst December performances of his career in last week’s three-interception game against Baltimore. He knows he must be better this week against Arizona for the Dolphins (7-5) to keep their playoff hopes alive.
“Usually teams play their best football in December, that’s just the way it is,” he said. “I talk about it all the time: You want to improve every day, every week, and other teams are doing that as well. The best football should be played in December, so everyone has to raise their game just a little bit.”
Tannehill, so clutch in victories against San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco, bottomed out against the Ravens by going 29 of 40 passing. It could be argued two of the interceptions weren’t his fault, but it also could be argued one of the two sacks was his fault.
“It wasn’t good enough,” Tannehill said of his performance. “I think, like I said, across the board we weren’t good enough. And that includes me.”
Arizona’s defense is No. 3 against the pass (199 yards per game) and No. 3 in quarterback passer rating (76.6). They also have passrushing linebacker Chandler Jones (8.0 sacks) and cornerback Patrick Peterson, regarded by many as the best in the game at his position.
Still, the Dolphins might need to ride Tannehill’s right arm to victory. That’s why he’s not making any major changes to his routine this week.
“When you lose, it’s no different,” he said. “You look at it the same way. Just make the corrections you can and move on.”
Parker (back) limited
Wide receiver DeVante Parker, who surprised many by playing against Baltimore after not practicing all last week, was limited in Wednesday’s practice. Parker is expected to play Sunday. Defensive end
Mario Williams (ankle) didn’t practice and wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who had an excused absence Monday, returned to practice.
Center Mike Pouncey (hip) didn’t practice, as expected, while cornerback
Xavien Howard (knee), running back Kenyan Drake (knee) and safety Isa Abdul-Quddus (neck) were all limited.
The Great Patrick Peterson
Cornerback Patrick Peterson, the five-time Pro Bowl pick and three-time All Pro who attended Blanch Ely High School in Pompano Beach, is regarded as the best cornerback in the NFL by many, including himself and his coach, Bruce Arians.
“I’ll never settle or sell myself short,” Peterson said. “I believe it’s well-documented I feel that I am the best in the league. I just want to continue doing things that I’ve been doing throughout this season to be considered the best, I just want to continue to do things to help my team win ball games because to me that’s most important. And whatever accolades come after that I’m definitely grateful.
“But if you ask me I definitely have to go with myself as far as being the best cornerback in the league because I believe I do different things than any other corner in the league.”
Tannehill said he’s always aware of where Peterson is on the field, especially because there’s a chance he could shadow a Dolphins wide receiver such as Landry or Parker.
“He’s played a couple of different ways throughout the year whether he’s shadowing a guy or sticking to his side a little more or, like I said, following a guy,” he said. “We’ll just have to see early in the game how they’re playing us and adjust from there.”
Fitzgerald vs. McCain
Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (88 receptions, 880 yards, five touchdowns) will likely be matched against slot/nickel defensive back Bobby McCain a lot on Sunday. McCain has no fear.
“I see a great receiver every day in practice in Juice, in Jarvis [Landry],” he said. “It’ll be great work, great competition, and I’m excited to go out and showcase my ability.”