By Omar Kelly, Commentary

6:48 p.m. EDT, July 30, 2013

...

Few Dolphins players have been around long enough to remember Chad Pennington's first practice with the team back in training camp of 2008, but those who were won't forget it. Pennington gave the defense that feeling.

Only hours after being released by the Jets and signed by the Dolphins, Pennington got behind the wheel of Miami's seemingly inept offense and surgically dissected the first-team defense in practice. Not for a drill or a series. The entire day. ...

He did that a lot in the '08 season, when Pennington led the Dolphins to an 11-5 record, the AFC East division crown, and the team's last playoff berth. ...

It was unforgettable, a moment I've book marked in my mental Rolodex.

If you were there you'd probably feel the same way, which explains why Ryan Tannehill's three-touchdown performance in Monday night's scrimmage was nice, promising, enticing — but doesn't serve as proof he's made the necessary progress the Dolphins need.

Although Tannehill is clearly practicing better than he did all last season, the biggest concern Dolphins fans should have is whether the improvements will be enough to make Miami a winning franchise.

Three touchdowns during a red-zone drill against the second-string defense doesn't tell us enough about whether Tannehill has improved on third-down throws, red-zone execution and fourth-down efficiency. Those are all critical moments when quarterbacks win and lose games. They are areas that separate the average quarterback from the good, and good from the elites.

They also happen to be areas in which Tannehill struggled last season. ...

When the day comes that I witness a Tannehill practice and the defense looks helpless, it will be a good indicator he's getting there — getting to Pennington's level. ...

Omar Kelly ✔ @OmarKelly
"@pauldavidjr: No fan is saying RT is perfect. But we're also not expecting him to become elite overnight» Wilson, RGIII, Luck & Kaep did.

I really think Dolphins fans have seen so much mediocre QB play the past decade they forgot what upper echelon QB play looks like.

Raise the bar!

Omar Kelly ✔ @OmarKelly

"@Uncle_Chuck13: agree with you but there was a time people said Rodgers couldn't kill either"» you're right. THEN it clicked on exh season.
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2h

✔ @OmarKelly

I vividly remember that exhibition season. I watched 3 Green Bay preseason games and thought..."Man is this Rodgers dude good. he has IT."
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2h

Omar Kelly ✔ @OmarKelly

If your starting quarterback can't put the team on his back and lead them to victory....then you don't have the right quarterback

Omar Kelly ✔ @OmarKelly

"@TheEarl007: so if T-hill lacks IT, can he acquire IT? Is IT something you're born with or a level you can obtain?" » Brees got IT.

How did Eli Manning suck for all those seasons before a lucky catch by David Tyree?

And what about Joe Flacco?

These guys were somehow born with IT I guess... since you can only be born with IT...

But they didn't let us know they were born with IT for a few seasons before they showed IT.

Omar is a joke.

Perspective - it took Pennington a few years to be effective and he also sucked for several seasons. He was okay and on the verge of being relieved by Henne when the Wildcat was introduced. He was the perfect guy to manage a game and work with the Wildcat versus a somewhat soft, Tom Brady-less schedule. He got exposed big time against better defenses and the following year was not making Miami a winning franchise.

I get it, Pennington was smart, efficient and limited by injury. But he wasn't the answer and if he is the barometer for Tannehill then we may as well be looking for a new QB.

I saw Kelly say that Pennington would have this team at 11 wins this year. I call complete BS because he isn't going to outgun other QBs. He doesn't have the Wildcat to pull off big plays and help him position the team for TDs. 2008 was an anomaly for so many reasons.

Yes, take a few exceptions and make it the rule. Was he saying the same things about Brees, E. Manning, Rivers, Rodgers, Stafford, Hasslebeck, etc. etc.?

Unfollowing him on Twitter is simply a relieving feeling. I respect that he works hard and tries to pump out information, but his arrogance and constant glass half empty approach sucks.

He really does lack perspective.

I'll say this about Pennington. He was a very smart QB. He was rarely fooled by defenses. He knew where the best match up would be based on what the defenses showed him. He didn't hold the ball too long or force throws into double coverage. He was fantastic hiding the ball during play action passing. Pennington was limited by a weak arm but threw to the open spots on the fields. The same could be said for Peyton Manning now. If Tannehill learns to consistently recognize the weakness in a defensive scheme, cut down tipped passes, avoid staring down WR's and holding the ball too long, he will have made huge strides.

How did Eli Manning suck for all those seasons before a lucky catch by David Tyree?

And what about Joe Flacco?

These guys were somehow born with IT I guess... since you can only be born with IT...

But they didn't let us know they were born with IT for a few seasons before they showed IT.

Omar is a joke.

Eli was almost let go..I can remember talk about the Dolphins maybe getting him...Which i was all for..

Ryan Tannehill hasn't thrown an interception in more than a week at Dolphins camp.
By most accounts, Tannehill is putting together an extremely strong camp. Although he hasn't gotten on the same page with new burner Mike Wallace yet, he's protecting the ball while showing accuracy. We'll get a look at Tannehill's progress is Sunday's Hall of Fame Game against the Cowboys.

What? When was that?

If Pennington had Henne's arm strength he'd still be the QB of the Dolphins. He limited mistakes and knew where to go with the ball. But he couldn't put a team on his back...regardless of revisionist history.

If Pennington had Henne's arm strength he would still be the QB of the Jets. But you are right he couldn't beat the better teams because he couldn't throw the ball deeper than 25 yards.

I dont think Eli was ever on the trade block. Yes Coughlin was but the Giants went thru to much drafting him with the whole SD thing to give up on him 4 years in. Plus that organization is first rate, they knew the talent was there. The Coughlin thing was more of a player mutiny but Coughlin changed & the rest is history. Patriot fans can attest to that.