Lessons we can learn from Ryan Tannehill

Titans Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is in a tremendous position as we enter a new year and decade.  After taking over for Marcus Mariota in week seven, Tannehill is 7-3 as the Titans starter and will be leading his team up to New England this weekend to face the vaunted Patriots in the wild card round.

Tannehill finished the season ranked third among NFL quarterbacks in completion percentage at 70.3%.  He wasn't just throwing swing passes either to reach that percentage.  Impressively, Tannehill led the NFL this season in yards per completion at 9.6 per.  The next closest was Matthew Stafford at 8.6, a whopping full yard behind the big Texan, Tannehill.  Most impressively, however, was Tannehill's ability to rally the once listless offense that was held scoreless this season in Denver with Mariota under center.  Tannehill mixed in some dazzling runs that he finished off seeking contact, and he even made a textbook form tackle after an interception.  It's clear he won over the locker room.

From purely a fan perspective, I am somewhat uniquely qualified to write a few words about Ryan Tannehill.  I've been a Dolphins fan since the mid-1980s when Dan Marino was throwing the ball all over the Orange Bowl to the one-bar face mask wearing Mark Duper and the visor sporting Mark Clayton.  I also watched Marino in his later years sling it around to Irving Fryar, OJ McDuffie, Keith Jackson and Keith Byars (among many others obviously).  After Marino's retirement in 1999, Dolphin fans waited for many years for a rocket armed heir apparent.  When Tannehill was drafted in 2012, there was a good feeling within the fan base that we'd finally gotten our guy.

I watched almost every snap Tannehill took as a Dolphin so I could write a long-form on Tannehill's Miami years, but ultimately, it didn't work out.  That said, there were plenty of bright spots.  Tannehill threw for over 120 touchdowns to only 75 interceptions as a Dolphin.  He also showed improvement year-over-year in areas such as deep ball accuracy.  Injuries and Adam Gase are the two primary culprits that derailed Tannehill as a Dolphin.  Sometimes, it's best for all parties to move on, and this was the case for Tannehill as a Dolphin.

As a Tennessee native, I was excited to see Tannehill traded to the Titans.  I'm a Dolphins fan first, but I have love for the Titans.  When they first came to Tennessee, I was over the moon for us to have NFL football in the Volunteer State so it was natural to adopt the Titans as my second favorite NFL franchise.  If Tannehill couldn't make it work out long term in Miami, maybe he could do it in Tennessee.  I'd named my fantasy football team "Big Tex Tannehill" for years, and my son wears number 17 on the pitch so I was already invested.

Kudos to Union City, TN native and Titans General Manager, Jon Robinson, for bringing in Tannehill to push Mariota.  Marcus Mariota has had some really good moments as the Titans starter, but injuries and inconsistency plagued him throughout his tenure.  The Titans clearly traded for Tannehill to push Marcus, but Ryan was squarely the backup as he arrived in Tennessee.  The Titans didn't even have an introductory press conference for Tannehill because in their eyes, teams don't have press conferences for backup quarterbacks.  Instead, they just put out a press release.  This trade and press release came on the heels of Tannehill essentially being ran out of Miami so he wasn't exactly seen as a world beater, and he was on the wrong side of 30.

Instead of feeling sorry for himself for being relegated to backup duty on a new team, Tannehill relied on his faith, family and team first attitude as he held the clipboard on the sidelines.  He waited on his number to be called and took full advantage once he was named the starter.  As we go turn the page to a new year and decade, we can learn a lot from the quarterback:

• Don't be afraid of new beginnings.
• Don't let others doubts define you.
• Be ready when you get your chance and take full advantage of it.
• Stay humble and gracious through it all.

I ran into Tannehill in May of this year at BNA, and we had a brief conversation while he was chasing his toddler son around the airport gate area.  I gave him a "Fins Up" for old times sake and wished him good luck with the Titans.  I had a strong feeling he would capitalize on any opportunity with the Titans, but I don't believe anyone anticipated this type of meteoric rise.  Hopefully, the Titans can pull the upset in New England this weekend and the Titans resign Tannehill.  I'd love to see him leading the way in Nashville into the roaring '20s.  

Defeating Envy Big Orange Style

Over the past two Sundays, New Vision's (Murfreesboro) Senior Pastor, Brady Cooper, has delivered impactful and insightful sermons on the dangers of envy.  Pastor Brady made multiple points, supported by scripture. 

Envy is an organizational cancer.  It can be combated by learning to celebrate the success of others. 

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. - Romans 12:15

As Pastor Brady delivered yesterday's sermon, I couldn't help but think about the Vols and more specifically, their QB room.  Anyone that follows this team knows Junior signal caller, Jarrett Guarantano, has had a rough year.  He played poorly against Georgia State, BYU and Florida and essentially lost his starting job during a bye week. 

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know about the QB sneak debacle against Alabama.  Many fans, former players and pundits piled on Guarantano for "going rogue" and possibly costing UT the game with that one particular play.  Many hoped he would never take another snap at UT.  Luckily, the coaching staff didn't take this knee jerk approach with the young man. 

Freshmen quarterbacks Brian Maurer and J.T. Shrout have been in the mix at quarterback over the last few games.  Both have made mistakes but also flashed promise and on occasion brilliance.  They both look like they could be the QB of the future for the Vols.  Right now, however, it's a three-headed monster at QB (due to injuries and who has the hot hand), and all three have contributed during stretches in recent conference wins versus Mississippi State and South Carolina. 

In a world where backup quarterbacks routinely enter the transfer portal or convey unhappiness with their role to coaches, it has been refreshing to watch these guys on the sidelines, in interview sessions and on Twitter.  Not counting Jennings in the wildcat, Shrout started at quarterback against South Carolina, but JG didn't sulk.  He was ready when his number was called. 

When one quarterback makes a touchdown throw, the other two are the first to greet him on the sidelines to celebrate.  The joy on their faces looks so genuine!  There's no envy or bitterness towards the starter-of-the-week, and they certainly live out the "rejoice with those who rejoice" verse after touchdown passes or big plays.  This sideline attitude spills over to interview sessions (when the players are made available) and Twitter banter.  There seems to be zero envy within the ranks of the quarterback room.

As football fans, we appreciate competition, and there's no doubt that these guys all want to be on the field.  One or two of the quarterbacks may transfer at the end of the season.  Who knows?  The current focus is all on 2019 and making it to a bowl game. 

Right now, this team is 3-5, but there's a clear winning camaraderie and positive vibe.  Much to the chagrin of the ever envious and bitter Dan Wolken, Coach Pruitt is building a winning culture.  I've never seen a 3-5 team that seems to love being out there competing quite like this team.  I'm sold no matter who is at QB, and I'm trying like heck to not be envious of teams like Alabama and Ohio State with undefeated records.  After all, envy is an organizational and personal cancer that can rot your soul.  I learned that from my Pastor and from a few young gunslingers down the road in Knoxville. 

Go Vols!  See Twitter screen shots below:

The Ninth P of Marketing

"The Marketing Mix" consisted of four P's back in my college days - product, price, promotion and place.  With the onslaught of the digital revolution and the rapid growth and quick pace of all disciplines (marketing included), we've seen the four P's grow all the way to seven or sometimes even eight - (four primary + process, people, physical evidence and performance).

I'm changing the game with this blog post by adding a ninth P!  Yes, you heard it here first!  The ninth P of the marketing mix is "permanence" as it is defined as "the state or quality of lasting or remaining unchanged indefinitely."  You may ask why am I officially adding this P of marketing?  Well, let me just tell you.

Earlier this week, my lovely wife made some killer chicken tacos in the instant pot (shredded chicken mixed with tomatoes, peppers, etc.).  As is often the case when doing home taco night, the store bought hard shells were about as durable as Glass Joe's jaw.  If you touched the shells with anything more than a gentle caress, they would break into pieces.  It was impossible to add the chicken, cheese, lettuce, avocado, salsa and sour cream without the shell shattering.  The solution, therefore, was to wrap the hard, crunchy shells inside a warm soft tortilla in order to keep it all together.  This combination of crunchy and soft is called a "double decker" and it leads me to the ninth P of marketing.

As long as I walk God's green Earth, I'll never consume a double decker without thinking of Taco Bell, Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon.  Shaq and Hakeem helped Taco Bell usher in the double decker nearly 25 years ago, back in 1995.  It was the perfect ad campaign.  Shaq was the most physically dominant player to ever enter the NBA.  He used his rugged brute strength to play a hard physical brand of basketball.  He tore down backboards and imposed his will on his opponents.  Hakeem, on the other hand, was a physically strong player too, but he possessed deft touch and the best footwork on the planet.  His game was a bit softer utilizing finesse and dazzling moves to conquer his foes.  A double decker taco was akin to combining the brute crunch of Shaq and the soft skills of Hakeem.

That ad campaign resonates with me 24 years later, and it's the reason Taco Bell nailed permanence in my opinion.  Some marketing efforts blow through time and are forgotten like tumbleweeds.  Others achieve the ninth P and never go away.  They last and remain unchanged indefinitely etched in memory banks.  Check out these YouTube videos.  Entertaining stuff!

Double Decker Introduction

With Spike Lee added

Four Alarm Double Decker