Philbin Says 1 Player Can't Take Over A Game In Football
DAVIE (CBSMiami) – Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin has been around two of the best quarterbacks in the last 20 years, namely Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. But Coach Philbin doesn't believe even the best quarterback can "take over a game."
Philbin was asked about the ability if he could remember a time when Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was able to lift up the team and proverbially carry the team on his back. Coach Philbin quickly shot down the notion.
"Football is still a team game as far as I am concerned. I have never been around anybody that one person that can carry a football team," Philbin said. "It takes 11 guys on offense, 11 guys on defense, 11 guys on special teams. I think he has had some very, very good games here, I anticipate that he will continue to do so. I have been coaching for 30 years, I have never seen one player win a game on his own."
The 2011 Indianapolis Colts who lost future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and ended up going 2-14 without him might disagree, as would most fan bases without a franchise quarterback. Texas A&M might as well if Johnny Manziel was lost for an entire game.
Philbin refused to say if Aaron Rodgers carried the Green Bay Packers at times during the recent Super Bowl season.
"Not necessarily, I am not going to comment on those specifics, I am going to tell you that in 30 years of coaching football is a team game and it takes 11 guys to execute in any phase," Philbin said Tuesday.
While technically true, several players, primarily quarterbacks have seemed to transcend games at different times in NFL history. Tom Brady and Eli Manning have both carried teams on their backs during improbable Super Bowl drives.
The big question though, is Ryan Tannehill capable of carrying the Dolphins on his back and raising his game along with the rest of the team. So far, the results have been underwhelming dating back to his college days.
Since 2011, the year before Tannehill was drafted by the Dolphins with the eighth overall pick; the former Texas A&M quarterback has put together a 19-21 record in both college and the pros. He's also thrown for more than 300 yards just four times in 27 NFL games.
