I think Ryan Tannehill gives 100% effort on any given down, regardless of what anyone around him does. He's a great player and a great competitor, which in itself is definitely a type of leadership. I just don't think he's a "people person" type of leader past the X's and O's. In other words, he's not the guy you're going to turn to for advice or support past anything like, "What am I supposed to do on this route in zone coverage?" I remember an interview with Pouncey from years ago...this was under Philbin or Campbell. They asked Pouncey what it was like to play with Moore and he said that everyone moved a step faster with him on the field because they believed in him so much and he had their backs. The players actually loved Moore and fought for him....those same players respected Tannehill and played with him. With Tannehill, you don't have that emotional connection because he's so cerebral (or in his own head). That's not a knock on Tannehill though; it's a testament to quarterbacks that do have that natural leadership in the huddle to lift players up. I think Osweiler has that trait and it's why we won last week....despite his weaker arm, two picks, etc. People who haven't played football might not understand the importance of having a true leader out there but it does make a difference in the tougher games.
I agree that being a good leader is, in general, a very good attribute to have and in certain cases it can positively impact performance...but I've heard a lot of former players and coaches speak about how that impact on the field is, in reality, very small. Most fans get caught up in the Hollywood idea of football games where the QB comes into the huddle and gives a great speech before they score a game winning TD. In real life, that never happens. Most players tend to acknowledge that the best leaders are the guys who set the best examples. Boiled down, that means the best leaders tend to be the best players, not necessarily the most vocal guys. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, where certain guys bring out more energy for a certain amount of time, but it's impossible for that to extend beyond a few series or a full game, no less a full season. Once the grind begins it's about X's and O's and who's physically more talented. Ryan is undoubtedly more talented than Brock. PS Let's not forget that Pouncey also defended Aaron Hernandez. The guy was a nut-job. I wouldn't trust a single word he said.
Not to change the subject, but have you heard the stuff coming out about Hernandez? He had a love affair with his high school QB, his dad used to try to beat the sissy out of him, etc. We already knew he was highly deranged and the recent stories sort of show why. I can't believe his old QB came out and talked about that stuff when Hernandez spent his life trying to hide it....very uncool. I agree with your other points as well- there are no epic speeches in huddles. But there are moments and it's more about being there for your teammates and making them believe in you. It's not something said as much as it is how a guy carries himself and inspires confidence in others.
Real leadership in professional football in my opinion involves having a critical mass of players who exhibit self-motivation, selflessness, and drivenness to be great, that then creates a team culture in which other players follow that example. The Patriots have had this for nearly the entire time Brady and company have been around. And this is why Adam Gase tried to change the culture of the team with highly specific moves intended to create that effect this past offseason. The current head coach of the Dolphins apparently realizes the importance of leadership and team culture.
If Osweiler happens to play well this Sunday against Detroit and we somehow pull out another win, I think it's safe to say that he will be the starter moving forward. I get the feeling that Tannehill may be done here. In fact, he's done here either way, but his end here may have already happened. In other words our last memory of him as a Dolphin may in fact be that Bengal game where he totally collapsed under the pressure of the game. I would hate for it to end up going that way, but it feels as though it may.
Or where he totally collapsed under the pressure of a completely incompetent left side, and right side of the OL. Not to split hairs, because his decisions under that ridiculous amount of pressure given up by that OL were still just... puzzling. It's already out as well, he's not playing against Detroit while they evaluate his shoulder injury and give it time to rest/recover.
I don't agree...I think we'll see him this year if he can physically play. Brock would have to have an amazing 3-4 game stretch for that not to happen. Gase's loyalty almost ensures that.
Brocktober will be over soon -I hope with a couple more wins, but I'd be shocked if Gase does not go back to Tanny when he is healthy enough to return. Only if Brock plays two great games (with fewer mistakes) does he continue to start, and even then Gase can cover for any QB controversy by claiming Tanny is still healing (at least for the next month). Since the Lions can now go back and study Brock on tape, we'll see how he does when a team has time to prepare for him. The Texans will also be eager to prove paying to get rid of him was the right move.
I'm hopeful Brock can achieve something, but the general trend with NFL Backup QB's isn't good. Remember Matt Moore. Capable of a win here and there but no way near a solution long term. That's my expectation for Brock. I hope he surprise me, but that's the reality until proven otherwise.
Not knocking RT, but he's a laid back low energy guy. Most fans prefer high energy guys who inspire others because that can elevate a team's play. RT has superior physical tools to BO. However, even though it's a small sample size, BO has shown he is smarter with the football and has better pocket presence. BO can't make the throws RT can and he limits our offense in a lot of ways. However, as we have seen, if a QB isn't smart with the football, and lets a defense strip it from you instead of you throwing it out of bounds, it can hurt your offense in so many ways. Get behind and you become one dimensional, etc.. As for the comment about not trusting anything Pouncey said because he defended Hernandez, good thing we all aren't held to the same standard. Nobody would trust anybody, and I know nobody would trust me because I'm not perfect, either. Note: we are pretty much there all ready as a country, but that is a discussion for another day.
Just looking exclusively at Brock I don't see how we can have any great level of confidence that he's going to be good. Please understand me - I'm not saying he's bad but rather that we can't say he's particularly good. Going into Sunday we knew Brock had been turn-over prone. He showed that to be the case again, and it could have been worse were it not for some fortunate outcomes that could have gone a different direction. The result on Sunday was again dependent on the defense, which is fine, you want them to do that, but I just don't trust this offense to continue to be able to sustain drives. I'm slightly more confident than I was before last Sunday, and the team did show some excellent resilience and drive. However, when it comes down to Brock, I'm surprised how many people are feeling really positive about him. I'm not suggesting that we throw him under the bus or get depressed. Instead, I think the best we can realistically say is - let's wait and see what happens, and the odds are that things are going head downwards for our season, not upwards.
I am not ready to give up on RT this year. Although, his play wasn't a good as I hoped it would be, I think his poor play was related to his injury. However, I still think he can learn from this experience and when he is healthy come back better than ever. (I should say if the injury heals enough for him to come back. ) I think this Sunday will be a good test for our offense overall. As I said in another thread, I am guessing the Lions will smother our WR's like the patriots did. How BO and our offense handles that will let us know if we can make some serious noise this year. We have managed to win games with a strong defense that generates turnovers paired with a semi-stagnant offense. The resiliency we have is a testimony to our team, coaches and players alike.