The Dolphins are hoping the Schwartz will be with them this year. And that has nothing to do with Jim, or Mitchell.
When quarterback Ryan Tannehill was discussing the tempo the Dolphins were practicing at this summer, he made reference to the movie Spaceballs, which premiered the year before he was born.
“I think we have a few different tempos we can play at,” Tannehill said. “We can go in the huddle. We can play on the ball at a normal speed. Or we can go at what we call ‘ludicrous speed,’ where we really press the tempo. I think that’s really going to help us more than it has in the past. Change those tempos up.”
While any quarterback who is conversant in Mel Brooks shows great intelligence and obvious leadership skills, the football application is a valid one.
After coach Adam Gase’s third training camp, they’re working at a faster pace, which means Tannehill is in command of his surroundings. (Kicking a rookie out of the huddle for a missed assignment is another example.)
“There’s just a better feel. With Ryan, this is his third year in the offense,” Gase said. “He’s at mentally, a different level. He’s able to really help so many guys out. I think just a couple of the moving pieces we’ve had, those guys have done a good job picking it up. This, offensively, is not too far off from what Danny [Amendola] has already done.
“... I think Albert [Wilson] has done a really good job of grinding out the plays. Very prideful of making sure he’s not making mistakes on the field. It’s been a very good transition for us.”
That’s good news for the Dolphins, as long as they don’t get into the season and realize they’re surrounded by, well, never mind.