Tannehill has Dolphins off to a hot start
Raiders’ defense has to worry about Miami’s spread offense
ALAMEDA >> Things we learned Wednesday as the Raiders began preparations to face the 2-0 Miami Dolphins on the road in Week 3: THE RAIDERS WILL HAVE THEIR HANDS FULL WITH MIAMI QUARTERBACK RYAN TANNEHILL >> Tannehill missed the entire 2017 season after knee injury and Coach Adam Gase said he believes Tannehill may be the better for it.
“He was able to take a step back and really listen to the fine points of a lot of things we talk about,” Gase told the Bay Area media by conference call. “I think he absorbed a lot of it and has a better feel for what we’re asking him to do a lot of the times.”
Tannehill has passed for 398 yards in two games but has been efficient (104.9 passer rating). He’s running a spread system that stretches the defense horizontally and finds holes created as a result.
And Tannehill, even after knee surgery,
will take off and run.
“They spread the field and they have a lot of RPOs (runpass options),” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. A lot of running plays with built-in pass options. And they throw the ball to anybody. Tannehill is as viable a ball carrier as Frank Gore is. You’ve got to account for him.”
Coming out of Texas A&M in 2012, Tannehill was a guest on “Gruden’s QB Camp” on ESPN.
“I had fun with it,” Tannehill told reporters in Miami. “He’s got that little cave in there in Tampa and I had a good time.”
Tannehill said he didn’t have a Gruden impression but did recall the coach mispronouncing his last name.
“He always pronounced my name funny — Tanneyhill,” Tannehill said. AMARI COOPER WOULD LOVE TO FIND THE END ZONE IN HIS HOMETOWN >> Cooper was targeted 10 times and caught all 10 passes for 116 yards against Denver, at least temporarily halting concern about integrating him properly into the offense. The Raiders beat Miami on the road 27-24 last Nov. 5, with Cooper catching four passes for 58 yards.
However, it was teammate Johnny Holton, who grew up with Cooper, who scored, catching a 44-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr.
“I’m from Miami, I grew up there, I grew up watching the Dolphins, so it’s a very special place for me,” Cooper said.
Cooper has never been one to fill up a notebook, but he has gradually come out of his shell with media and he resists typecasting wide receivers as personalities and divas.
“I don’t think you have to be flamboyant to be a great player,” Cooper said. “I just try to work on my craft, try to be as complete a player as possible. I’ve just been focusing on being a consistent player.”
Gruden said he’s coached all types of personalities, and his favorites “are the ones that can do what he did on Sunday ... he is quiet, but we are communicating better. We’re getting to know each other. I like where this relationship is heading.” THE RAIDERS ARE IN RECOVERY — THE PHYSICAL KIND, NOT MENTAL >> Raiders players and coaches don’t share the panic of much of the fan base and they aren’t concerned about the dire prognostications in the wake of an 0-2 start and the nearly unanimous disapproval over their trade of Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears.
But the opening Monday night loss against the Rams was a taxing one, and then the Raiders traveled to Denver on a short week. They were met there by the usual mile high altitude combined with one of the hottest September days in Denver history. Next up? Miami humidity in late September.
The strength and conditioning staff has monitored players closely, and there were no pads at practice Wednesday.
“We’ll put the pads on (today),” Gruden said. “Today will be a big learning day. We have a lot to learn in regards to Miami. We’ll let the team get fresh physically, but we’ll really go after them mentally and try to get them more and more reps to try and get them familiarized with the Dolphins.”
Defensive tackle P.J. Hall (ankle) did not participate in practice, no surprise since Gruden said at his Monday press conference he didn’t expect the rookie to be ready to play. Also not participating was rookie tackle Brandon Parker (ankle).
The following players were limited: cornerback Leon Hall (illness), center Rodney Hudson (ankle), guard Gabe Jackson (pectoral) and running back Marshawn Lynch (shoulder).
Wide receiver/return specialist Dwayne Harris (foot) was a full participant after missing the Denver game, which will come as good news to Jordy Nelson, who was forced into emergency punt return duty against Denver.
KOLTON MILLER AND DONALD PENN COULD GO FROM QUESTION MARKS TO STRENGTHS >> Miller, the first-round pick out of UCLA, has held up nicely through two games at left tackle. Carr has had ample time to throw, and Miller has shown agility for a 6-foot-8 lineman in terms of reaching potential blockers in space.
As for Penn, there was one instance when he got his feet tangled and Von Miller made him look bad, as well as a blocked extra point on his watch. When the decision was made to start a rookie on the left and move a veteran left tackle to the right, it raised some eyebrows.
So far, so good. Penn is taking the healthy attitude that he’s still got a ways to go.
“I’m a left-hander and I played left tackle,” Penn said. “It’s just a big difference. This week I’m going to work on my techinque a lot. I was stepping under myself, my footwork wasn’t where I want it to be. The more reps I get, the better I’ll get.”
Said Gruden of the tackle tandem: “We’ve done some really good things upfront quietly.”