By RICHARD JUSTICE, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Updated 09:07 p.m., Thursday, September 22, 2011
| NICK de la TORRE: CHRONICLE TRANSFORMATION: At this time last
season, Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill was on the receiving instead of
the throwing end of passes. Photo: Nick De La Torre / © 2011 Houston Chronicle |
There were times Ryan Tannehill wondered if it would work out this way. He'll admit that much now.
"There's a split second that comes into your mind where you think, 'Am I ever going to get to play here?' " he said.
The thing Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman remembers from those days was how Tannehill never stopped believing in himself.
"The one thing Ryan brings to the table - always has - is confidence," Sherman said. "Even when he was our third quarterback, he never wavered in his ability to do the job."
Tannehill's belief in himself is not the most impressive part of this story. What's really different about him is how he channeled his frustration. He never spoke out. He never undermined anyone. All he asked was that coaches allow him to play some wide receiver so he could get on the field and feel like part of the team.
That experiment turned out like pretty much everything else Tannehill has attempted in his young life. While awaiting his chance to play quarterback, he played 30 games at receiver and caught 112 balls and scored 10 touchdowns. (He's the only player in NCAA FBS history with a 400-yard passing game and a 200-yard receiving game.)
"He never lost sight of his goal of becoming the starting quarterback at Texas A&M," Sherman said, "but his approach with me has always been whatever is in the best interest of our team and will help our team succeed."
If you're wondering what Tannehill's relationship with starting quarterback Jerrod Johnson was like during that time, this is all you need to know: They were so close that Sherman once cautioned Johnson against forcing throws to his buddy.
Big-time turnaround
Then six games into last season, with the Aggies 3-3 and Johnson struggling, Sherman gave Tannehill his chance.
(In a related part of the story, Johnson handled the demotion beautifully. Instead of dividing a locker room, he became Tannehill's biggest fan.)
Tannehill led the Aggies on a five-game winning streak that included an unprecedented sweep of Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska in a 19-day stretch. When he was done, the Aggies were his team, and he began this final season by leading a series of grueling summer drills to build both conditioning and camaraderie.
This is a special time to be the quarterback at Texas A&M. The Aggies are ranked eighth in the Associated Press poll as they prepare for Saturday's home game against seventh-ranked Oklahoma State.
The Aggies have a dazzling array of offensive weapons, beginning with running back Cyrus Gray, wide receiver Jeff Fuller and a huge, talented offensive line. But the key to everything is Tannehill. He's smart, tough and amazingly accurate. He's also such a perfectionist that Sherman sometimes frets about how to critique him.
"He's always had a competitive edge to him," Sherman said, "and always had high expectations of everything he's ever done and of those around him."
When Tannehill was asked to evaluate his season so far, almost the first thing out of his mouth was the one interception he'd thrown. Never mind that he completed 72.3 percent of his throws with four touchdown passes and zero sacks in victories over SMU and Idaho.
"Ryan is incredibly accurate," Fuller said. "He was a receiver himself. He ran quite a few routes and knows where you would want the ball in certain situations, and he can definitely get it there."
There was that one interception.
"It was kind of a fluke thing, but any time you turn it over, you don't want to do that," Tannehill said. "I threw a few more incompletions than I'd like to. There are always things you can get more consistent on - footwork, getting the ball out on time. There are constantly things you can improve on in this game, and I just try to do that each week."
NFL likely beckons
NFL talent evaluators project him as a second-round pick next spring, so even though he has a biology degree (3.60 GPA) and plans to attend medical school, Tannehill appears to have many years of football in front of him.
For now, though, game weeks like this one are what he had in mind when he left Big Spring High School with dreams of playing quarterback at Texas A&M.
"To me, the biggest difference now is I think he's enjoying himself more," Sherman said. "He's enjoying being the quarterback - the field general - and the responsibilities that go with that. You only get to do this at this age, on this field, one time in your life, and he's enjoying it."
richard.justice@chron.com twitter.com/richardjustice
"There's a split second that comes into your mind where you think, 'Am I ever going to get to play here?' " he said.
The thing Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman remembers from those days was how Tannehill never stopped believing in himself.
"The one thing Ryan brings to the table - always has - is confidence," Sherman said. "Even when he was our third quarterback, he never wavered in his ability to do the job."
Tannehill's belief in himself is not the most impressive part of this story. What's really different about him is how he channeled his frustration. He never spoke out. He never undermined anyone. All he asked was that coaches allow him to play some wide receiver so he could get on the field and feel like part of the team.
That experiment turned out like pretty much everything else Tannehill has attempted in his young life. While awaiting his chance to play quarterback, he played 30 games at receiver and caught 112 balls and scored 10 touchdowns. (He's the only player in NCAA FBS history with a 400-yard passing game and a 200-yard receiving game.)
"He never lost sight of his goal of becoming the starting quarterback at Texas A&M," Sherman said, "but his approach with me has always been whatever is in the best interest of our team and will help our team succeed."
If you're wondering what Tannehill's relationship with starting quarterback Jerrod Johnson was like during that time, this is all you need to know: They were so close that Sherman once cautioned Johnson against forcing throws to his buddy.
Big-time turnaround
Then six games into last season, with the Aggies 3-3 and Johnson struggling, Sherman gave Tannehill his chance.
(In a related part of the story, Johnson handled the demotion beautifully. Instead of dividing a locker room, he became Tannehill's biggest fan.)
Tannehill led the Aggies on a five-game winning streak that included an unprecedented sweep of Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska in a 19-day stretch. When he was done, the Aggies were his team, and he began this final season by leading a series of grueling summer drills to build both conditioning and camaraderie.
This is a special time to be the quarterback at Texas A&M. The Aggies are ranked eighth in the Associated Press poll as they prepare for Saturday's home game against seventh-ranked Oklahoma State.
The Aggies have a dazzling array of offensive weapons, beginning with running back Cyrus Gray, wide receiver Jeff Fuller and a huge, talented offensive line. But the key to everything is Tannehill. He's smart, tough and amazingly accurate. He's also such a perfectionist that Sherman sometimes frets about how to critique him.
"He's always had a competitive edge to him," Sherman said, "and always had high expectations of everything he's ever done and of those around him."
When Tannehill was asked to evaluate his season so far, almost the first thing out of his mouth was the one interception he'd thrown. Never mind that he completed 72.3 percent of his throws with four touchdown passes and zero sacks in victories over SMU and Idaho.
"Ryan is incredibly accurate," Fuller said. "He was a receiver himself. He ran quite a few routes and knows where you would want the ball in certain situations, and he can definitely get it there."
There was that one interception.
"It was kind of a fluke thing, but any time you turn it over, you don't want to do that," Tannehill said. "I threw a few more incompletions than I'd like to. There are always things you can get more consistent on - footwork, getting the ball out on time. There are constantly things you can improve on in this game, and I just try to do that each week."
NFL likely beckons
NFL talent evaluators project him as a second-round pick next spring, so even though he has a biology degree (3.60 GPA) and plans to attend medical school, Tannehill appears to have many years of football in front of him.
For now, though, game weeks like this one are what he had in mind when he left Big Spring High School with dreams of playing quarterback at Texas A&M.
"To me, the biggest difference now is I think he's enjoying himself more," Sherman said. "He's enjoying being the quarterback - the field general - and the responsibilities that go with that. You only get to do this at this age, on this field, one time in your life, and he's enjoying it."
richard.justice@chron.com twitter.com/richardjustice
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