National analysts pounce on Tua’s comments, but judge Dolphins QB by actions, not words
When brutally honest, excessively self-critical Tua Tagovailoa mentioned the other day that he “didn’t actually know the playbook, necessarily, really, really good, and that’s no one else’s fault but my fault,” it was inevitable that the former players on network studio shows would dissect those remarks in an unfavorable prism.
And it was predictable that they would criticize the second-year Dolphins quarterback more harshly than probably warranted.
In the wake of Tagovailoa’s latest cathartic, Dr. Phil moment during Wednesday’s Zoom session with local media, ESPN’s Keyshawn Johnson and Tim Hasselbeck quickly pounced.
“What I’ve not heard quarterbacks say is ‘I didn’t know the playbook that great. And you know what, it’s my fault,’” Hasselbeck, the former NFL backup quarterback, said on NFL Live. “That’s the first time I had heard him say it in that way. It kind of bothered me.
“That should never, ever, ever happen with a quarterback, a guy that’s drafted in the first round that’s going to be the guy. I get it. The offseason was weird. But I don’t want to hear Joe Burrow or anybody else say I didn’t learn the playbook. That to me is bad. Anybody that has ever been in the quarterback room with Ryan Fitzpatrick is challenged, but you typically are better. It’s a good environment.”
Johnson, the former three-time Pro Bowl receiver, also was troubled by what he heard.
“I don’t want my quarterback to talk about: He was uncomfortable and he didn’t understand coverages and things of that nature, when you went to a system at Alabama that taught you those sorts of things and you had a veteran quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick in the room with you,” Johnson said. “You also had a veteran offensive coordinator in Chan Gailey in the room with you.
“What are the study habits? Are they bad study habits? Are you not processing the information? I understand you are a rookie: I understand you missed OTAs. No wonder they were flirting around with the possibility of Deshaun Watson. Maybe they know something that we don’t know. I don’t know. It makes me scratch my head. I want my quarterback to know who to throw the damn ball to.”
I agree with the view of ESPN’s Kimberly Martin — the veteran NFL writer — who opined during this ESPN segment that Tagovailoa’s comment “sounds worse than it actually is. It just sounds really bad, but I think he’s just trying to explain he’s ahead of where he was last year and that’s really all you want.”
From our understanding, Tagovailoa was diligent with his study habits last season and wasn’t cavorting around South Beach instead of learning the playbook. He’s mature, conscientious and takes the job seriously.
The full context of his comments, not fully addressed in the ESPN segment, also included this: “Our playcalls were simple when I was in. I didn’t have alerts and checks. Where now, I feel comfortable and I can maneuver my way through these things now.”
He was simply clumsy this week in explaining that he has a better comfort with the offense in Year 2 than he had during a season that was preceded by no offseason program and no preseason games. He understands more is expected from him, and he must go above and beyond with preparation. He understands he must decipher defenses more quickly as plays develop.
Now if Tagovailoa is making similar comments next March, we have a problem.
But for now, cut the young man some slack.
He speaks from the heart, without a filter that others have — a filter that (if he had one) would subconsciously tell him not to be so tough on himself publicly, not to use words that suggest he wasn’t fully prepared.
We have seen this kicking-himself, reflective Tagovailoa multiple times and we should all know better than to pounce on him for one of these I-wasn’t-good-enough stream of consciousness moments to which he is prone.
So judge him by his actions, not his words.
For now, this is a player who works out much of the day and studies his playbook afterward, according to his trainer. This is a player who arranged offseason workouts with his teammates.
And remember what Fitzpatrick said on his way out the door to Washington:
“He’s going to learn through this offseason — he’s going to get continuity with [new offensive coordinators and returning Dolphins assistants George Godsey and Eric Studesville] — where to go with the ball, how to eliminate things presnap to unleash that elite accuracy.
“And he throws with anticipation, and that is something you don’t see with quarterbacks coming from college to the NFL. I’m looking forward to big things from him. As far as being a leader or a guy that people can follow, he has all those qualities. “The guy was a rookie last year and came in and went 6-3. We have to have a little bit of patience. I think he’s going to do great things.”
And as Hasselbeck said, here’s some good advice for Tua: “Sometimes, you don’t have to give everybody all of your information.” Or keep telling everyone you weren’t good enough.
THIS AND THAT
According to a league source, here’s what the Dolphins gave as guarantees to their four undrafted rookie signings: $130,000 to Middle Tennessee State guard/tackle Robert Jones; $20,000 to Indiana defensive tackle Jerome Johnson (including a $10,000 signing bonus); $10,000 to Alabama fullback/tight end Carl Tucker (including a $3,000 signing bonus) and $2,500 to Georgia Tech cornerback/special teams standout Jaytlin Askew (all in the form of a signing bonus).
Jibri Blount, the former North Carolina Central basketball player who’s trying to make the NFL as a tight end, got an $8,000 signing bonus but nothing else guaranteed.
Syracuse rookie cornerback Trill Williams, claimed off waivers by New Orleans, was assured $100,000 guaranteed — including a $15,000 signing bonus.
▪ Lynn Bowden Jr., in this excellent Friday profile from Tyler Dunne, goes in depth on the Raiders giving up on him and makes clear he anticipates big things from himself this season.
“I see stuff before it happens,” he said. “It’s not even a feeling. As I’m running, I see it. I see everything. It’s almost like a slow-down of the map when I’m running. I just see everything.... I just sit back and smile when I think of football and what it’s going to be next year. People don’t even know.”
Bowden said of Tagovailoa: “When he lets it loose and he’s being himself, we’ll win every game. When he’s feeling himself and he’s moving and doing his thing, Tua is one of the best quarterbacks, literally, around. And people don’t know that yet.”
This story was originally published May 28, 2021 at 1:12 PM.
