Peyton Manning may be retired, but he's still doing all he can to beat the Patriots.
. . . OK that may be a little strong. As far as we can tell, he's not in a bunker somewhere breaking down film of Bill Belichick's defenses and handing out reports to the Jets, Steelers and Ravens. It is, however, worth noting who Manning has taken under his wing this offseason.
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill told the Miami Herald recently that Manning chose to quietly visit the Dolphins facilities in the spring to meet with Tannehill and talk football.
Manning played under Dolphins coach Adam Gase when Gase was the offensive coordinator in Denver so he may have had some insight to share with Tannehill. (Dolphins players did not have the opportunity to work under Gase before the start of Miami's offseason program.)
"It was really cool," Tannehill said. "A guy that had his career, the living legend he is, coming off a Super Bowl winning season --- it was really cool just to be able to sit and pick his brain about things he's done in this offense and football things in general: snap counts, things you like, the way you want guys to run routes, little details about the game. We really just got to talk the game, which is something we both love."
There are high hopes for Gase in South Florida. Given his track record in Denver and Chicago, he's expected to squeeze the most out of Tannehill, who was taken with the No. 8 overall pick in 2012. From 2014 to 2015, Tannehill took a bit of a step back statistically as his completion percentage dropped from 66 percent to 62 percent and his touchdown to interception ratio went from 27-to-12 to 24-to-12. His quarterback rating also fell from 92.8 to 88.7.
Those aren't statistical nose-dives, but for a player who has been expected to perform as a franchise quarterback, they're indicators that his development may have stalled.
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Gase, who Dolphins owner Stephen Ross hinted could be the next Bill Belichick, will have his work cut out for him to nudge Tannehill's career progression out of neutral and get the Dolphins into contention in the AFC East.