Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill not the problem on 3rd down

Adam Gase blames offensive struggles on 'protection breakdowns'

DAVIE, Fla. – Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is not the problem on third downs, at least that's what head coach Adam Gase seemed to indicate on Tuesday ahead of their home game against the Tennessee Titans this Sunday.

On their struggles converting on third downs coach Gase said they've had, "probably too many protection breakdowns. That's probably where it comes down to the most. If we could -- one, just make the plays that are there. That's going to help us a lot, and then if we can just clean up some of the protections, just make sure we don't have any free runners at the quarterback. We've got some guys open. They're doing the right stuff outside. We just need to clean up some of our protections."

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Pro Bowl center Mike Pounce returned to practice on Tuesday, but Gase said he wants to see Pouncey make it through a full week of practice before the team gives the center the green light to make his season debut Sunday against Tennessee.

Pouncey has been sidelined since the pre-season with a hip injury.

The return of Pouncey would help the offense and so would limiting the running back rotation to one or two players - it's something Gase will be focusing on moving forward.

With Hurricane Mathew threatening South Florida, Gase said he's sticking to focusing on football and is letting Executive V.P. of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum and General Manager Chris Grier focus on weather-related contingency plans.