This is a public service announcement for Miami Dolphins fans: take a deep breath and relax.
The deep ball issues between Ryan Tannehill and Mike Wallace have many fans stepping on pins and needles every time the duo attempts to connect and, God forbid, misfire.
When the first Tannehill-to-Wallace deep connection was attempted during the opening practice on Friday, the crowd collectively "ooh"-ed with anticipation while the ball was in the air. When the ball was revealed to be underthrown, and eventually broken up by Will Davis, the crowd let out a groan and half of the attendees grabbed their phones to tweet about how we were in line for the same routine regarding the deep connection.
Later in the day, Tannehill completed a beautiful deep strike to Wallace on the left side of the field. The play was exactly what everyone was looking for -- progress. Almost as important as that, it allowed for the constant negativity and overreactions regarding the deep connection between the two to be given a much-needed break.
Deep balls are a mixed bag which produce touchdowns and, at the very least, chunk yardage. A 50% completion rate on deep passes is something that any offensive coordinator would take.
Tannehill and Wallace have yet to find their timing. In 2013, the excuses were rampant yet valid. Between the offensive line, the lack of chemistry between the two and Wallace's inconsistencies while running routes (which may be the most condemning aspect), it's a miracle that the duo completed as many deep throws as they did.
However, there is hope that the duo will improve due to one very important factor: new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor's demands that the players play at game speed in every practice. This will eliminate any confusion regarding Wallace's real speed and will give Tannehill a newfound confidence on where to throw the ball.
The excuses that bail the duo out, at least in my mind, won't carry as much weight in 2014 with a newly rebuilt (yet still packed with questions) offensive line and a full offseason to work together.
Even so, the overreactions to the issue are worse than the issue itself. If the problem rears it's ugly head during the regular season (and, say, costs the Dolphins a victory), then the reactions will be warranted and the determination that Tannehill and Wallace just can't connect deep will be verified. Until then, let the process play itself about completely. It's called "training" camp for a reason.
The two will need to produce for the Dolphins to make the playoffs, but we won't know whether that will indeed happen until September. Unfortunately, we will get to watch (or read reports) on every deep attempt between the two as the issues are ironed out.
Just remember this public service announcement the next time you read a training camp practice report. Take a deep breath, keep the overreactions to a minimum and let the process play itself out.