Matt Moore

Dolphins HC Joe Philbin isn’t trying to motivate Ryan Tannehill, or put Tannehill on notice, or give the Raiders reason to prepare for backup quarterback Matt Moore.

This is a policy issue.

Philbin doesn’t answer questions on injuries. He doesn’t answer questions about players who don’t participate in practice, whatever the reason. The standard answer on those questions is always something along the lines of, “I’ll be glad to discuss any player who participated in today’s practice.”

Philbin doesn’t answer questions who will start. He doesn’t answer questions about who will be on the 46-man gameday active roster. The standard answer to those two questions is always something along the lines of, “We’ll meet Friday night and determine who are the 46 players who give us the best chance to win on Sunday.”

That’s the way it’s been with Philbin for his two-plus seasons as coach. That’s the way it is now with Tannehill.

We believe Tannehill will be under center against the Raiders. As the article illustrates, Philbin's policy is to be evasive when asked questions about injuries, or who will start.