AP

As the Dolphins prepare to search for a permanent replacement for coach Joe Philbin, it’s becoming clear that the most important aspect of the interview process will consist of laying out a plan for making the performance of quarterback Ryan Tannehill match his perceived potential.

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald explains that a disconnect currently exists between the front office and the coaching staff. The folks in suits believe Tannehill is one of the best quarterbacks in the league; the guys in headsets treat Tannehill like a run-of-the-mill game manager.

“What I’ve told Ryan is, ‘I don’t need Superman,'” interim coach Dan Campbell recently told Salguero. “I just want to make sure my message to him is don’t try to be someone you’re not. Just manage the game for us. Make the throws that are there, which he will.”

Salguero points out that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor has limited Tannehill’s options for changing the play at the line of scrimmage, restricted to a menu of alternatives given to Tannehill before each play.

Supposedly, the mental shackles come from a desire to see Tannehill play fast. The front office, however, apparently prefers to see him play well enough to justify the thinking that he lands somewhere between No. 8 and No. 15 among all NFL quarterbacks.

The contract given to Tannehill earlier this year speaks volumes about the front office’s view of Tannehill. The failure of the current coaching staff to trust him to try to win games instead of to not lose them says plenty about whether the current coaching staff will be coaching him next year.

And so for 2016 the big question becomes whether there’s a potential head coach who genuinely wants to coach Tannehill, and who has a compelling plan for getting the most out of him. The biggest challenge for the coaching staff could be figuring out how to distinguish the candidates who truly want Tannehill from those who simply want the job and who’ll say whatever they have to say to get it.