Ryan Tannehill Reassures Us That He Will 'Support, Help, Encourage' Rookie QB Malik Willis
Back in late April, Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill raised a lot of eyebrows when he commented off the cuff that he didn't think he had any obligation to mentor new rookie QB Malik Willis, whom the team had drafted earlier that month.
To wit, Tannehill said, "I mean, that’s part of being in the quarterback room, the same room. We’re competing against each other. We’re watching the same tape, we’re doing the same drills. I don’t think it’s my job to mentor him, but if he learns from me along the way, then that’s a great thing."
At the time, such words sounded callous and out of character for the 34-year-old veteran, and it turns out, he didn't mean them the way they sounded. Tannehill went on the record this Tuesday to reaffirm his commitment to the team and to Willis in particular.
Take a listen:
"Like I said, I'm going to be a good teammate. I'm gonna support him, help, encourage, push him. And ya know, those are all important things, and things I'm going to continue to do."
See? Now that's better. And his body language is even more convincing.
The look on Tannehill's face confirms what we should have known all along: that the supposed rift between Tannehill and Willis was exaggerated to create a story that wasn't there. Does this look like a man who feels threatened by the arrival of a talented rookie?
No, it doesn't. And Willis said as much a couple of weeks ago.
"Ryan’s a good dude and he had us over at the house. Everything’s cool, man,” Willis said, according to OutKick's Nick Geddes.
Suffice it to say that both Tannehill and Willis both appear to be upstanding men and supportive teammates, which is all anyone can ask.
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