Tyreek Hill versus Max Verstappen? Who will pick Braxton Berrios in a race?

On By Vaseline

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MIAMI GARDENS – Somehow the home of the NFL’s fastest team just got a lot faster.

Seeing all the Formula 1 cars invading Hard Rock Stadium presented a natural question for Dolphins return specialist/receiver Braxton Berrios on Thursday: What’s the most impressive show of speed? What will we see at Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, or the Dolphins on fall Sundays with the Cheetah (Tyreek Hill) leading the way?

“I mean, they put us in miles per hour,” Berrios said. “I don’t know. That’s pretty tough. I mean, Tyreek against a Ferrari or a Mercedes would be a great race.

It was pointed out to Berrios that Hill would choose Hill in any race, even one against Max Verstappen.

“He would tell him,” Berrios said. “Absolutely. So you know what? We got it on grass. They got it on the sidewalk. Here we go. We’ll set up shop there.”

Berrios was back on the field, serving as a coach for drivers who took turns trying to get kicks out of a Jugs machine. Overall, the drivers did significantly better than could be expected, including Aston Martin driver Jak Crawford who held a football in each hand as he took a third kick.

Berrios prepared for his role by watching a few episodes of Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ series on F1. He was particularly impressed with the precision of the pit crews.

“I mean, that’s a team, right?” Berrios said. “What I’m obviously thinking about is that ultimately the driver is the one who gets the quote-unquote credit, but without that crew they can’t win. And the fact that everyone knows their work, no matter how meticulous or grand it is, and that they do it flawlessly is so cool to see.”

That led to a question-and-answer session in which Berrios made it clear that he is not a magician with a wrench.

Question: When you take your car in for new tires, aren’t you in and out in two seconds?

A: I can’t be in and out in two seconds. I mean, I’ve never changed a tire in my life. Now I know how, but I’ve never done it.

Question: Change the oil?

A: I haven’t.

Question: Do you know much about an engine?

A: I don’t know much about an engine either. I mean, I’m an offering in that category.

Question: You turn a key and it goes.

A: Yes. Press a button. I can find that out.

Linebacker David Long, who also coached the drivers, favored his team’s speed over the drivers, relatively speaking.

“I would say, of course, us,” Long said.

What happened a week ago only strengthened Long’s conviction. In the third round, the Dolphins drafted Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright, who has been clocked at 4.38 in the 40 and, he said, 38.7 mph via GPS. In Long’s eyes, the dolphins managed to become even faster.

“That’s a fact,” Long said. “Much faster. Oooh-ee! I have speed there.”

Long admitted his knowledge of F1 was limited, but when asked if he knew the name Lewis Hamilton, he replied: “Come on, I know. I didn’t want to state the obvious. That was cheating.”

So… Max Verstappen?

“Don’t know that one.”

Dolphin reporter Hal Habib can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.