Gruden’s QB Camp once had a ‘Tanny-hill’
Raiders coach impressed by Miami quarterback’s rise.
Ryan Tannehill was one of 10 quarterbacks invited to do a QB Camp episode with Jon Gruden on ESPN leading up to 2012 draft.
For three hours, between
DAVIE — the practice field and the film room, Ryan Tannehill kept quiet while Jon
Gruden repeatedly mispronounced
his name.
Tannehill was one of 10 quarterbacks invited to do a “QB Camp” episode with Gruden on ESPN leading up to the 2012 draft. It opens with a shot of Gruden on the field barking,
“Hustle back, ‘Tanny-hill,’ this ain’t no air-conditioned combine here.”
Being the mild-mannered person that he is — keep in mind this was him just out of college, too, so it’s maximum timid Tannehill at this point — he allowed Gruden to call him “Tan- ny-hill” the entire time without correcting him. Now he gets his shot at revenge with a chance to knock down
Gruden and the Raiders on Sunday. “Yes, a huge grudge match,” Tannehill joked Wednesday. “It’ll probably make all of the headlines: Huge grudge match. No, it was a good time. I had a lot of fun with it. I think he enjoyed doing it along the way. It was definitely something I look back and have fond memories of.”
Gruden called him “Tanny-hill” four times in the first few minutes of the show, but Tannehill shied away from speaking up because, “Eh, it was close enough.”
Gruden acknowledged Wednesday during a conference call he got the name wrong and continued to do so as a broadcaster on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.” The confusion stemmed from 1990s Univer
sity of South Carolina quarterback Steve Taneyhill.
“I knew a guy named ‘Tanny-hill’ who played quarterback at South Carolina,” Gruden said. “You can’t fault
me. I’m human like everybody else. But I know his name now, for sure.”
Tannehill, now 30, recalled it as a fun experience in Tampa, but the video is a little uncomfortable and he seemed nervous throughout. Most of his dialogue was merely, “Yes, sir.”
There are multiple uneasy exchanges, especially when Gruden demands multiple times he sing the Texas A&M fight song. (In a similarly awkward moment Wednesday, Tannehill declined to do a Gruden impersonation at his weekly news conference.) There’s another lull in which Gruden complained the eraser for his dry-erase board was worn out.
Tannehill joked their predraft session made his career.
“Yes, I thank that ‘QB Camp’ for everything,” Tannehill said. “Not my teammates or my coaching staff or all of the people who helped me along the way. It was that three hours I spent with Gruden, no question.”
Tannehill was up and down his first four seasons in the NFL but has been better since teaming up with coach Adam Gase. Gase, by the way, hasn’t had any history with Gruden other than brief interactions in passing, mostly when Gruden worked for ESPN. Gruden sat down with him and defensive coordinator Matt Burke for “Monday Night Football” preparation last year.
In his two seasons with Gase, Tannehill has shown modest improvement in most categories. Over his past 10 games, dating to October 2016, Tannehill has completed 69.7 percent of his passes, averaged 212.1 yards per game and had 17 touchdown passes against seven interceptions for a passer rating of 101.0.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for his rise,” Gruden said. “Going from wide receiver — I mean, he was a good wide receiver; He had some great games as a wideout — to make himself a quarterback in that conference and have that type of success in that short a period of time says a lot about a man.
“He’s a great kid. He learned fast. He threw the ball well. You just knew if he was given an opportunity and had some stability around him, he could have the chance to be a really good quarterback.”
O’Leary added to practice squad: Tight end Nick O’Leary of Palm Beach and Dwyer High School is joining the Dolphins practice squad, according to a league source.
O’Leary, who is the grandson of legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus and was a standout at Florida State, last played for the Buffalo Bills.
O’Leary was a sixth-round draft choice of Buffalo in 2015. He played 35 games over three years, including 12 starts.
Last season was O’Leary’s best in Buffalo, as he had 22 receptions for 322 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 14.6 yards per reception.
O’Leary, 26, would provide some insurance at tight end; Miami already has lost starter MarQueis Gray to injury for the season.