You want fiery leadership out of your quarterback?
Try this one on for size:
Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill kicked rookie running back Kalen Ballage out of the huddle and off the field Sunday after Ballage appeared to miss an assignment, leading to a sack by Charles Harris.
But Tannehill did not stop there.
He sought out Ballage on the sidelines during a break for the first-team offense, and scolded Ballage some more.
Tannehill, not surprisingly, had the full support of his head coach.
"He was right today, with what he did," Dolphins head Coac Adam Gase said. "I would have been upset if I were him, because who knows what the result in a game would have been?
"I think he was in the right. He kind of made an example there. When he does things like that, for our offense, that's good."
Ballage, for his part, seemed to take the public dressing down in stride, and he chalked up his mental error to the rookie learning curve.
"He's been in this offense for three, four years," Ballage said. "I've been in it for two months. There's still a lot I've got to learn. Just continuing to grow every day."
Ballage said the criticism was constructive and he has to "just take it all in stride, keep building on it."
Sunday's heated exchange is just the latest example that Tannehill knows he has to be this team's leader, and when the situation warrants, go off on his teammates.
"I think its can be difficult because you're trying to keep the tempo of practice," Gase said. "You can't kick a guy out of the huddle all the time. You can't shut it down all the time. Can't have big discussions.
"For me, it's a feel. Timing. What's the right time? 'You know what? We're not right here. We need someone else in here.' "
Short commute
Robert Williams' NBA career did not get off to the best start.
The day after the former Texas A&M Aggie was selected by the Celtics with the 27th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Williams did not wake up on time for his conference call with the Celtics' beat reporters.
After that, he missed a flight and was was absent for his first practice with the Celtics' summer league team. For a player with lottery-level talent who fell in the draft due to reported concerns about his maturity, he certainly confirmed those suspicions early.
Now it seems he has taken a step in the right direction. During the rookie photo shoot Sunday, Williams said he bought an apartment right next to the Celtics' brand-new practice facility.
Many believed the Celtics' culture would put him in the best position to reach his potential, so living as close as possible to that can only be a good thing.
There's no excuse to be late to practice now.
ESPN reporter Chris Forsberg tweeted that Williams said: "Two-minute walk. Can't be late."
If Williams is truly getting it, the Celtics nabbed one of the steals of the draft.
SPORTS TRIVIA
From what college did the Miami Dolphins draft Kalen Ballage?
ANSWER
He was drafted in the fourth round out of Arizona State.
Sports on 08/13/2018