A ‘pressure’ debate and how Tua factors in. And analytics site rates Dolphins’ offense
Aside from Aaron Rogers, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson and perhaps Sam Darnold, no quarterback this offseason has generated more discussion on network NFL studio shows than Tua Tagovailoa.
The commentary on ESPN and NFL Network had been generally favorable until a handful of ESPN analysts — Keyshawn Johnson, Ryan Clark, Tim Hasselbeck, Bart Scott and Jeff Saturday — criticized Tagovailoa for his comments that he didn’t know the playbook well enough.
Then ESPN’s Mike Greenberg asked which Alabama quarterback will have the best NFL career. Patriots rookie Mac Jones got two votes from ESPN analysts, Tagovailoa received one (from former NFL defensive end Chris Canty) and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts got one.
Greenberg spends a lot of time on his program, “Get Up,” discussing players under the most pressure, a topic that is largely irrelevant and impossible to measure tangibly but serves the purpose of filling time on a two-hour morning show.
Pro Football Focus did the same exercise recently, debating what player is under the most pressure.
And who was No. 1 on their list? You guessed it — Tagovailoa.
“No second-year player is under as much pressure as Tagovailoa is in Miami,” Sam Monson wrote. “The Dolphins eschewed making a big move for a proven superstar like Deshaun Watson and even moved down in the draft, taking themselves out of the market for a potential upgrade via that avenue.
“Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow both hit the ground running last season, only making Tua look worse by comparison, as did Brian Flores’ decision to repeatedly bench him for Ryan Fitzpatrick in crucial situations when the team really needed some plus play from its quarterback. Tua acknowledged that he didn’t really have a great handle on the offense, given the lack of a real preseason in 2020, and all of these factors combine to put him under huge pressure as the leader of a team that is ready to win now.
“The now second-year quarterback’s 63.9 PFF grade last season wasn’t terrible — though it was more than 10 grading points lower than Herbert’s or Burrow’s — but the real issue was a big-time throw rate of just 2.3%, the single-lowest figure in the NFL. Tua needs to show a big jump this year, or it changes Miami’s entire timetable for contending.”
GRADES IN
Pro Football Focus is ranking teams at every position and slotted the Dolphins 29th at quarterback.
Here’s where the Dolphins were rated at other positions on offense:
▪ Wide receiver: Ninth among the 32 teams.
PFF said: “The Dolphins are suddenly loaded with speed and playmakers after adding Will Fuller in free agency and drafting Jaylen Waddle with the sixth overall pick. Fuller is coming off a career-high 86.2 overall grade, and as one of the best deep threats in the NFL, he’s consistently made his offenses better. Waddle brings similar potential after averaging 18.9 yards per reception in college while averaging a gaudy 9.8 yards after the catch per reception.
“The Fuller/Waddle duo will put defenses in a bind and open things up for DeVante Parker, who adds the size and catch-point skills the speedsters lack. Parker put up the seventh-highest contested-catch percentage in the league over the last two years at 53.1%.... We’ve seen Mike Gesicki emerge as a receiving weapon at tight end since late in 2019, and he had the No. 7 receiving grade among his peers during the regular season last year at 79.4....
“Overall, the Dolphins are much improved at receiver, and they go from one of the weaker groups to playmakers [and] one of the fastest and most dangerous.”
▪ Running back: 31st, ahead of only the Jets.
PFF said: “The Dolphins were another team mentioned as a running back landing spot in either the draft or free agency, but their only additions were Malcolm Brown in free agency and Gerrid Doaks in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft. That puts Myles Gaskin in a position to lead the backfield in 2021.
“Gaskin played relatively well when healthy, earning a 74.5 PFF grade in 453 offensive snaps. It’s still one of the weaker and more unproven running back units across the league, though.”
▪ Offensive line: 30th, ahead of only Carolina and the Giants.
PFF’s comment:
“There is optimism that the youth movement will take another step forward this season. It’s notable that the Dolphins cut back on their sacks last year, but that was driven more by quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tua Tagovailoa getting rid of the ball quicker than any other team.
“First-round left tackle Austin Jackson struggled as a rookie, ranking 80th out of 84 qualifiers in overall grade (52.3). He was one of three rookies to see significant time for the Dolphins last year, with Robert Hunt being the most impressive of the trio. Hunt [now at right guard] graded out at 65.8 overall while playing right tackle….
“Matt Skura is the new starting center, and he’s had an up-and-down NFL career through four seasons. His 68.7 grade in 2019 marked a career-high, but he graded below 61.0 in his other three seasons as a starter. The Dolphins have plenty of question marks heading into 2021, but they have at least three second-year players in the starting lineup. Their development will determine how much this unit improves.”
Here’s a link to Pro Football Focus to check out all their work.
Here’s how PFF rated the Dolphins by position on defense.
Here’s my Thursday piece with news on Dan Le Batard, NFL TV news, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh discussing the Heat, and media notes.
This story was originally published June 10, 2021 at 2:04 PM.
