Ryan Tannehill once envisioned himself being a Miami Dolphins lifer, something no quarterback has done for the franchise since Dan Marino from 1983 to 1999.
But after seven years in South Beach, Tannehill’s wish dissipated. The Dolphins didn’t want him anymore. Miami’s new regime traded him to the Tennessee Titans for a couple of late draft picks. It was a career low point for Tannehill.nfl nike jersey cheap
Low points can eventually give way to high points. One year later, Tannehill has had a “made for Hollywood” comeback season with the Titans, leading the NFL during the regular season in passer rating (117.5). The Titans are in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game (3:05 p.m. ET, CBS) for the first time since the Steve McNair-Eddie George era in 2002 and 2003.
Tannehill is one win away from playing in Super Bowl LIV, to be held on Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida — the same place he called home for seven years.
Now 31, the quarterback smirks at the suggestion it would be a poetic bookend. From a Dolphins discard to a Titans treasure; it sounds like a storybook season. However, it didn’t start that way in Nashville.cheap nfl jerseys china nike
It took time for Tannehill and his family to adjust to their new home. Tannehill also had to adjust to being a backup for the first time in his eight-year pro career, which called for a mix of patience, pain and short-term sacrifice.
“It was really hard. Nobody likes to sit on the bench. I wanted to be playing. I wanted to be competing. Everything is different when you’re not in the starting position,” Tannehill told ESPN. “That was a big change for me. There was a lot of biting your tongue and swallowing your pride. It was definitely an adjustment. But I just tried to make the best of the situation I was given, play my role and be a good teammate.”
