South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Tannehill’s debut adds to intrigue.
QB playing in his first opener since injuring knee in ’16
Adam Gase may be facing a make-or-break season in his third year as the Miami Dolphins head coach. But at least for the start of the 2018 season, Gase and the Dolphins feel a bit more comfortable unlike years past.
The Dolphins won’t be starting their season on the road like they did in Seattle in Gase’s first season in 2016. Nor will the team need to worry about an impending hurricane that canceled their 2017 opener and sent them across the country to practice and play their first game in Los Angeles.
To make matters even better, Gase has not had to scramble this preseason to find a stop-gap at quarterback like he did a year ago. Ryan Tannehill’s return highlights the Dolphins 2018 season opener against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at 1 p.m. inside Hard Rock Stadium.
“It’s nice to be able to really open up at home, so that’s exciting,” Gase said earlier this week. “We’re not traveling to Seattle. We’re not in L.A.
“I really think the coaching staff is excited. The players are excited. We want to get in there, and we want to get everything really going in the right direction.”
The opener will be Tannehill’s first regular season game since suffering knee injuries in Dec. 2016 and Aug. 2017. Last season, the Dolphins limped to a 6-10 record behind Jay Cutler, who previously played quarterback under Gase in Chicago.
Gase has praised Tannehill’s unwavering commitment to learning the fine details of the Dolphins offense, imparting his wisdom onto teammates, and keeping an eye on the bigger picture despite being unable to play.
Tannehill has turned last year’s mental repetitions into opportunities to hone Gase’s methodology of plays, concepts, progressions in the spring, training camp and preseason.
Now, Tannehill is ready to put it all on full display.
“Sunday is going to be huge — I’m really looking forward to it,” Tannehill said. “Obviously, I haven’t got to play a full game in a long, long time. To be able to do it at home in front of our fans, and go out and do what I love, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Veteran running back Frank Gore, the former Coral Gables High standout and University of Miami legend, will make his Dolphins debut and is sure to be a fan favorite in his 14th NFL season. Gore enters the game 76 yards shy of passing Curtis Martin for fourth place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list.
But it will be Kenyan Drake, a situational backup during his four seasons at Alabama and first two years with the Dolphins, who will begin the season as Miami’s feature running back.
“I’m not putting any added expectations on my shoulders,” Drake said. “I’m just going out there and trying to help this team win games by running the ball, being efficient in the pass game and just being a playmaker.”
Kenny Stills, who remains steadfast in his support of Colin Kaepernick by kneeling pregame during the national anthem, leads a slim group of receivers eager to work with Tannehill. They also welcome former Patriots slot receiver Danny Amendola into the mix.
“We’ve seen what we’re capa- ble of doing when Ryan is back there at quarterback,” Stills said, referring to the Dolphins’ 10-6 season with a playoff run in 2016.
“We can’t wait to get out there on Sunday and play, and have four quarters to have an opportunity to go out there and win a game.”
The Dolphins hope to slow dynamic Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner, and new starting running back Derrick Henry while spoiling new coach Mike Vrabel’s head-coaching debut.
Gase wants the Dolphins to get the ball moving on offense early, and force some three-and-outs to get the crowd involved.
Miami will welcome All-Pro defensive end Robert Quinn to its defense, while rookie linebacker Jerome Baker, second-year linebacker Raekwon McMillian and rookie defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick could make their first career starts.
No Dolphins player may be more excited about the opener than five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake, who is entering his 10th season.
“If there’s an opponent across from me, he’s wearing a different color and they’re keeping score, it’s all gas, no brakes. It doesn’t matter whatever it is,” Wake said. “I don’t care if it’s ping-pong, badminton, preseason, Super Bowl, I’m trying to kill you.”
Talk about enthusiasm for the upcoming season.