New GM Chris Grier wants competition at QB

The Miami Dolphins current head coach search and just completed general manager search has put one player under the microscope: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Executive vice president of Everything Mike Tannenbaum said that the search for Joe Philbin's fulltime successor will absolutely include talk of what kind of player Ryan Tannehill has been and may be in the future.

"We're going to hear things we don't want to hear and that includes their assessment of our quarterback," Tannenbaum said.

Tannenbaum obviously heard new general manager Chris Grier's opinion of Tannehill because one does not hire a general manager without knowing what that guys thinks of the team's most important player.

So in his introductory presser just completed, I asked Grier his opinion of Tannehill and got something of a lukewarm response.

"I like Ryan," Grier said. "He's our guy. I think yesterday was a great indication of some of the things that we can do. We can win with Ryan. I'm a firm believer in when you build a roster, you build competition. For me, I want competition, not just for Ryan, but for Suh, everybody on our roster.

"We can win with Ryan. We can do a lot of things to help him get better. And I think Ryan would tell you he's not happy with a lot of stuff that's gone on. Us as an organization, we're moving on with him and we're going to build a competitive roster at all positions."

First of all, let's not pretend this is about competition for Ndamukong Suh. I didn't ask about Suh. He's not going to be replaced. This is about Tannehill. The Dolphins have not provided any real competition for Tannehill since 2012 when he had to earn the starting job as a rookie.

It would be wise for them to draft a quarterback who can learn, compete and perhaps have a chance to replace Tannehill if things go south with the incumbent. At the very worst, drafting a player that makes things competitive gives the Dolphins a resource that can be traded for better picks later.

And if that player is actually a really good player, well then, he simply wins the job and the position is upgraded.

Not rocket science. Yet hasn't been done by the Dolphins in like -- well, since Dan Marino was drafted after David Woodley got the Dolphins to the Super Bowl.

I will say this: Grier didn't exactly jump on the Tannehill bandwagon while waving pom-poms.

Other issues covered during today's availability:

**Grier has been with the team 16 years and obviously been part of all that has gone on -- both good and bad. But he spoke today as if he's a new sheriff in town: "The past decade has been unacceptable for this organization. Steve and Mike and I will help find the right coach to lead this organization. The talk of dysfunction within this organization is over."

So what was dysfunctional?

"I don't want to, and I'm not avoiding the question, but today's about the Miami Dolphisn going forward and our process, how we're going to work to build our organization, in terms of everyone being on the same page, communicating well. Like I said, today's about us. It sounds like I'm avoiding it, but I don't want to talk ill of people at this time."

**Tannenbaum corrected the record on an ESPN saying Mike Shanahan has already interviewed and will continue that visit on Tuesday. Tannenbaum said he indeed spoke with Shanahan earlier but that was more a talk and an opportunity to pick each other's brains than an interview. Indeed, Tannenbaum said that was not an interview. The interview will be done on Tuesday, Tannenbaum confirmed.

**Tannenbaum said if the Dolphins didn't hire Grier as GM, "he was going to be a general manager very soon, if not within the next 10 days." Grier said he heard from "NFL sources" he was likely getting hired by another team soon. He also said he was a finalist for a previously unreported team last year aside from having interviewed with the New York Jets.

**Grier will report directly to Tannenbaum. Power over the 53-man roster and final control is up in the air.

**The Dolphins defense is not good. It needs help at MLB, DE, CB, and one safety. So can all that be addressed in one offseason? Tannenbaum suggested everything can be addressed in one offseason and Grier, speaking specifically about fixing the D in one offseason, said, "yes."