Is it a quarterback's job to mentor his replacement?
doubledragon
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Ryan Tannehill has set off a firestorm debate with his comments yesterday about Malik Willis, the quarterback drafted by the Titans to replace him. Speaking to the media yesterday, Ryan Tannehill said that it's "not his job" to mentor Malik Willis. Now, former NFL players are speaking out about it.
Ryan Tannehill's Malik Willis comments spark mentorship debate from Kurt Warner, NFL world: 'I will never understand'
Ryan Tannehill had a lot to get off his chest on Tuesday.
Speaking with reporters, the Titans quarterback was candid. He detailed his ordeal with mental health struggles following a difficult display in Tennessee's first-round loss to Cincinnati.
Media also queried Tannehill on his thoughts on newcomer Malik Willis. The former Liberty quarterback appeared slated to go in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but dropped all the way to the third round before the Titans snagged him.
Despite his draft slide, Willis possesses a whole lot of arm talent. In fact, many see Willis as the heir apparent under center for the Titans, poised to replace Tannehill as the team's starter in due time.
With that in mind, one would think a veteran QB in Tannehill might consider taking the rookie under his wing and teach him the ropes.
Tannehill, the 2019 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, didn't quite see it like that, though. The 33-year old batted away suggestions that he is required to mentor the young Willis.
"I don't think it's my job to mentor him," Tannehill said. "But if he learns from me on the way, then that's a great thing."
Ryan Tannehill's stance on mentoring Malik Willis sparks debate
Tannehill's comments set off a wave of discussion among those involved in the game. Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner was among the most vocal, taking to Twitter to question why older players wouldn't offer advice and mentorship to younger teammates who play in the same position. Warner also offered his services as a guide for young quarterbacks trying to make the grade at the next level.
Warner's position makes sense, especially when considering his background. Before he was a two-time MVP starring for the "Greatest Show on Turf" of the late 1990s and early 2000s, Warner was an undrafted free agent. He struggled to cling on to an NFL roster, plying his trade for the Arena Football League's Iowa Barnstormers and NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals. Then he joined the Rams, Trent Green got injured and the rest, as they say, is history. (They even made a terrible movie about it!)
Tannehill's journey to the league wasn't easy, but didn't quite require all the travel miles Warner's did. Tannehill was a star quarterback at Texas A&M who caught lightning in a bottle under center in his final two college seasons. He was named starter partway through his junior year, retained his role during his senior season and racked up 3,744 yards and 29 touchdowns. Catapulted by his senior success, Tannehill was taken No. 8 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Now, Tannehill's career trajectory hasn't always been the smoothest, but he came into the league as a starter. Warner didn't. Willis, despite his high ceiling, likely won't, either. For unheralded players hoping to make their mark in the league, a mentor can be the difference between staying on a roster and being cut loose.
Some other former NFL players shared Warner's sentiments. Former safety-turned-analyst Ryan Clark said a player's willingness to be a mentor is linked to their perception as a leader, a sought-after trait for quarterbacks across the league.
Longtime guard Geoff Schwartz agreed, saying he thrived under his veterans' tutelage as a young player and felt empowered to pay it forward as he got older.
Some, though, disagreed with Warner's take. Former Colts cornerback Darius Butler argued that Tannehill's statement was "100 percent right."
Tannehill's stance is a far cry from that of quarterback Marcus Mariota, who now with the Falcons and finds himself in a similar position as a veteran on a team that drafted a QB last week.
“I’ve been in this situation before," Mariota said prior to the NFL Draft. "It’s a ‘control what I can control,’ mindset. I have no ego. I can be an ear and listen. Teams are going to do what they’re going to do. If they do draft someone, I’ll give as much advice and knowledge as I can. If not, I’m ready to roll.”
Mariota, the former No. 2 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, was replaced as QB1 by Tannehill in 2019. Still, he remained a good teammate, always ready and willing to contribute.
Regardless of your view on Tannehill and his willingness to mentor, his comments reflect the dichotomy of the NFL. On one hand, teams are desperate to develop camaraderie and togetherness throughout their rosters, hoping that chemistry can add that extra something to push a team over the top.
Yet, there's a reason why the league has another nickname, one coined by the oracle of sporting idioms Jerry Glanville: "Not For Long." The average football player spends just 3.3 years in the NFL, a desperately short timeframe compared to that of the other major American sports. Offering tips of the trade for someone who ostensibly wants your gig just as much as you do is difficult, no matter how much we want to act like it's not.
Comments
Things sure did work out well for Aaron Rodgers with the Jordan Love situation.
Jordan Love still waiting to start in the year 2067....
it is in no way a QBs job to mentor his replacement. it is his job to prepare to the fullest to be the best QB he can be.
it is the coaching staffs job to mentor and teach the young players.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
It’s definitely not the QB’s job to mentor his replacement, it’s ridiculous to think otherwise.
The one thing from this story that is annoying to me though is this new thing of “Struggling with Mental Health” nonsense, that’s the trendy new thing to say when you struggle or just plain suck.
Having an excuse that no one is allowed to push back on is tough to pass up, evidently. Ask Ben Simmons.
It's certainly not Ryan Tannehill's job to mentor Malik Hill, I don't know what Kurt Warner is thinking. That being said, Ryan Tannehill needs to toughen up, if he can't handle a loss without having a mental breakdown then he's in the wrong line of work. This world has gone soft, there's certainly a big difference from back then and now.
Now look what you've done, you pissed off drill sergeant cat!
That young man in the picture with the machine gun?.....He most certainly did not storm the beach at Normandy in 1944. He's a Russian......Who did storm the beach?........
AMERICANS
BRITS
CANADIANS
NO RUSSIANS
I get your point, Dragon Master. You're spot on. It's somewhat sad how things have evolved.
My mother had two older twin brothers, Kansas farm boys. Lloyd and Floyd. They were there, hitting the beach together at 19 years old. They were good boys. After D-Day they were never the same. They saw too much. They both committed suicide in 1963? I liked them and they were friendly to me but my mother said the war changed them. Mom said that they couldn't live with the memories of the war. I can't tell you of so many times my mother sat up nights in the dark crying and crying about them. And another older brother of hers, Johnny, was a pilot shot down and killed during the invasion. He was her favorite brother. She never got over it. War is HELL.
Do people think Tannehill is going to not help Willis? Of course he will. He just isn't going to be setting up extra film sessions at his house to teach Malik, etc. Nothing wrong with that. If Tannehill was a lot older, and about to retire, it would be different.
Good call grasshopper, I can't allow a Russian to be on my meme, I don't like Russia right now, so I have replaced the Russian with Joseph Argenzio Jr. an American infantryman. He was only 17 years old when he stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day.
I know how you feel Dragon Master because of a previous post of yours. I just didn't want to say anything about that. I knew you would figure out where I'm coming from.
But,.....don't blame the soldiers. On either side. For the most part they are just kids put into an impossible situation. Given orders. The vast majority of the grunts on both sides HATE what what they are involved in. Seemed cool when they enlisted. But reality changes things. Any decent soldier respects his opponent. All of them....on both sides, just want to go home, see the family, and have Mom make them dinner......that's just the way it is.
You're right, they do hate it, I can't imagine a more terrifying situation to be in than war, Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, or in the Pacific theater, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Guadalcanal, Peleliu, they were all terrifying battles. I've watched many documentaries and have read a lot about all of the wars, including WW1 which was the war that chemical weapons were used, mustard gas etc. In fact, WW2 was really just a continuation of WW1. A young Adolf Hitler was a soldier in WW1 for Germany and he was injured with chemical weapons, years later when he came to power, he always held a grudge about Germany losing WW1, so he wanted to even the score. I've read a ton of stuff over the years about history and war.
Sort of like Brett Favre.
No. Absolutely not. The man is being paid to play his position. All his focus should be on his performance and improving his own skills at his position and preparing for the next game. That is a never ending job in itself. He didn't sign his contract to be a babysitter/coach. If the new guy needs a coach.....hire a coach. Ridiculous question.
This post makes me think of the Dolphins last season.? Media, T.V. announcers, etc., would fall all over themselves talking about how the veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick was such a wonderful guy because he was a great "mentor" for Tua. Well, the Dolphins did have potential last year but they didn't get too far......Maybe Fitzpatrick should have concentrated on his own game instead of being such a good guy and feeling sorry for Tua.......A QB that the Dolphins want so bad to dump and who is never going to amount to anything........Oh, the media HYPE about Tua!.....Tua needs talent......not a sympathetic mentor......Maybe the same for this Willis kid..........learn your own tricks of the trade.......I suspect he's going nowhere if he needs his competition to help him out. ......wasn't it Leo Durocher who said, "Nice guys finish last.".....Oh, Brother.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, God bless him, he tried so hard when he was with the Jets, his good luck beard couldn't help him overcome the curse of playing for that franchise.