Tannehill And The Secondary: Two Areas To Ponder

Before going to Coach's Night Friday, I was under the impression that Ryan Tannehill was our backup quarterback, and the favorite to replace Jerrod Johnson as the starter going into Spring Practice 2011. Coach Sherman's remarks, however, that he would prefer a freshman take Tannehill's job as backup quarterback so he can focus on being a wide receiver, call that assumption into question. Tannehill has been a solid backup QB from what I have seen of him in limited game and practice time; there is no reason to believe he can't be a solid starting QB. Given Tannehill's athleticism, he might prove to be quite the effective dual-threat QB. Tannehill is willing to do whatever it takes to get on the field and help the offense, including playing wide receiver and go over the middle to get the tough yards, so I'm sure he already has the respect of his teammates, and can lead the team from the quarterback position. Looking at it from all angles, Tannehill looks like the perfect replacement for Johnson once he completes his eligibility following the 2010 season. It might be that Sherman sees a better future for Tannehill as a wide receiver in the NFL, or thinks his athleticism and intelligence would translate better at that position, but I think if this was the case, he would have already told Tannehill this, and worked to make the move to receiver a more permanent one. This might also be a case where Sherman wants to move Tannehill to receiver, but not before we have another quarterback ready to step in as a backup, and we don't currently have anyone at the level where there won't be a significant drop-off in the offense when they come onto the field. The last possibility is that Sherman may have said this because he is trying to motivate Matt Joeckel and Jameill Showers to work harder to take Tannehill's backup spot from him. Given Sherman's desire for competition at every spot on the roster, up and down the depth chart, this might be the most distinct possibility.

The second area that really intrigues me is Sherman's take on the secondary, which he says might the strength of the defense. We have three starters returning in the secondary with Trent Hunter, Terrence Frederick, and Dustin Harris coming back, and Steven Terrell, who is slated to replace the departed Jordan Pugh at free safety, saw plenty of playing time last season. Terrell beat out Steven Campbell, who started in place of Jordan Pugh against Oklahoma State last year, and was expected to be the starter at free safety going into the Spring, so we know we're seeing good competition as the position. With Coryell Judie slated as a backup for Frederick, and the highly-regarded Toney Hurd Jr. coming in with the new recruiting class, we look to be fairly solid in the secondary. I would think getting to play against a corps of wide receivers as talented and as deep as the one we possess on offense would be a good test for our defensive backs, and I'm hoping this experience has made them better players. If they can even begin to shut door on our receivers, we will have on hell of a secondary. It is my hope that this is where Sherman's confidence in the secondary is coming from.

Since we are moving back to the 3-4 scheme, and we expect DeRuyter to be more aggressive with his playcalling, we're going to see  more pressure placed on the secondary to play on an island, and make plays against opposing receivers in man coverage. If we employ the zone blitz schemes I've discussed on here before, we will need our secondary to step up and help bring the pain; I think we have the players back there to do it, we just need to get out on the field and execute.

Of course, if the defensive line makes the leap forward I am hoping they are able to make under new coach  Terrell Williams, we'll be getting pressure from our interior three, and that will make the secondary's job much easier.