Eight NFL TV analysts assess Dolphins and Tua. Romo: ‘They’re definitely a playoff team’
What should we expect of the Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa this season?
Feedback from national media:
▪ CBS’ Tony Romo, from a CBS Zoom call on Wednesday:
“Miami has a lot of talent. I think they’re definitely a playoff team. Miami, what they’ve built over these last three, four, five years, to get to this point, you’re seeing a team that had a plan, that had a lot of draft picks. I think they’ve drafted well. I think they have a very good coaching staff. I think [Brian] Flores was a great hire. He really does a good job of creating a culture where a team believes in him and the system. You’re going to get the best out of each player.
“There’s no question [Tagovailoa] has improved. I think you’re going to see him take that step.
“The teams around you matter as well. That division is about to become one of the more dominant divisions in the National Football League. Buffalo, with Josh Allen, is probably the front-runner.
“But I think Bill Belichick — you are going to see the [Patriots] come back very quickly. They’re going to be right there. I’m convinced the Patriots are for real and no one wants to play them. They’re better than people are even realizing.
“I think Zach Wilson, with the Jets.... is going to be in the discussion of one of the top three to five quarterbacks very quickly, within the next couple of years. He’s unbelievable. His ceiling is so high. It’s rare for me to say someone has the ability to get in the stratosphere of a [Patrick] Mahomes, but I think this kid actually has this ability. He can make up for a lot of weaknesses... on a team.”
▪ NBC’s Cris Collinsworth said he “absolutely” considers the Dolphins a playoff contender: “You don’t come off a season where you win 10 and not be that. The other part they have that I love is they are so strong at the cornerback position. They get a chance to make plays on the back end, and now they’re going to add Jaelan Phillips to the front end on the pass rush side of things.
“Tua did not push the ball down the field [last year], whether he was getting settled or uncomfortable with the offense or whatever the case may be. But that hasn’t been the problem so far in the exhibition season and I don’t think it will be because of the speed they’re going to have on the outside, Jaylen Waddle, Will Fuller, Jakeem Grant. Those guys are legit speed players.
“Now the interesting part of what they’re doing on offense, if they get it protected, is can Tua play that style. Can he be that dynamic quarterback that gets the ball down the field. That’s what it’s going to take in this division.”
▪ CBS’ Phil Simms, on Tagovailoa: “He did very well in preseason. I think he’s on a mission. He looks better physically and he’s really tuned into what they’re doing.”
▪ NFL Network analyst and former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew, on why the Dolphins are the biggest threat to Buffalo:
“I love what the Dolphins have done. You put speed around Tua. Jaelan Phillips is a tremendous pass rusher. Then they got [a ball-hawking safety in] Jevon Holland.
“How do you stop the Buffalo Bills? You have to be able to slow down that offense, allow your offense to get on the field and put up points. The Dolphins have done that. You add those pieces along with Xavien Howard. This team has done a phenomenal job.”
▪ ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky on Tagovailoa: “Tua is starting to look like the guy that people were raving about two years ago to tank for. If they protect him and those skill position players continue to develop, all Tua has to do is play to his strengths, ball distribute, pick you apart there. If it’s man coverage, let me get the ball quickly out of my hands to a tailback or Jaylen Waddle or some of those tight ends.
“We’re starting to see what Tua is great at, and that’s playing a very similar style football to Drew Brees. I expect Tua to have a very good year and to play like the guy that everyone was saying two years ago, ‘Tank for Tua.’ I think he’s the best RPO quarterback in football.”
Orlovsky - who predicts the Dolphins will make the playoffs - implored the team’s offensive coaches to emphasize “progression based pass concepts that allow Tua to play sudden and instinctual.”
▪ ESPN’s Marcus Spears: “They go out and draft Jaylen Waddle, a guy that Tua already has rapport with. I think Tua is going to take off. Tua is going to play well for the Dolphins because they have him in his comfort zone.”
▪ ESPN’s Sam Acho, in a peculiar take, predicts that Tagovailoa will be “on a short leash. Miami is trying to win right now. They’ve got Jacoby Brissett, who they believe is a formidable backup. Tua has to be near perfect to continually be the guy for this team. I don’t think he will be.”
▪ ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum on Tagovailoa: “What we’re seeing is physical improvement. He had major hip surgery a year and a half ago. He’s healthier now. I’m encouraged if I’m Miami, but it is the preseason. Those skill players are much better than a year ago. I’m cautiously optimistic, but it is only preseason.”
What constitutes success for Tagovailoa, Tannenbaum said, is “winning 10 or more games, going to the playoffs, especially to show he’s the guy going forward [and that] Jacoby Brissett isn’t even in the conversation. We’ll know when we see it. He’s going to have to show year in and year out he can compete with those other [AFC East] quarterbacks.”
AROUND THE DIAL
Former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who impressed in a fourth-quarter cameo on NBC’s Falcons-Browns preseason game on Sunday, will call Notre Dame home games with Mike Tirico and appear in NBC’s Sunday night football studio alongside Tirico and Tony Dungy.
Maria Taylor, lured from ABC and ESPN, will appear on a secondary studio set with Chris Simms on the network’s Sunday night NFL pre-game show.
▪ Legendary broadcaster Al Michaels, 76, said he doesn’t know his plans after 2021, his 36th year of calling NFL games in prime time.
He’s calling NBC’s Sunday Night games and the Super Bowl; Tirico reportedly will replace him in 2022 alongside Cris Collinsworth, because of a clause in Tirico’s contract.
Thursday night Amazon NFL games have been raised as a possibility for Michaels in 2022.
“If it doesn’t click for me the way it has, I’ll be the first to know,” he said of potentially losing his proverbial fastball, which he hasn’t. “I won’t play out the string to set some sort of record and be a burden on anyone. I feel good physically and mentally.”
▪ ESPN2 won’t hire a play-by-play man for the 10 Monday night games that the Manning brothers announce this season. Peyton and Eli Manning won’t be at game sites and instead will offer observations as they watch the games as fans would.
▪ Both the Dolphins and Canes announcers will resume traveling to games this season after calling games last season from TV monitors in South Florida, due to COVID-19.
▪ WQAM-560 has put together a very good Dolphins postgame show, with former receiver O.J. McDuffie, dolphins.com’s Travis Wingfield and host Seth Levit….
WQAM has tinkered with its UM wrap-around programming. Danny Rabinowitz and former UM punter Brian Monroe will handle the pre-game, and Alex Donno the postgame. Those three give WQAM a solid trio and more measured commentary than during the days Dan Sileo repeatedly ripped everybody after losses.
▪ Inside the NFL, a television institution, is moving from Showtime to CBS’ streaming service, Paramount Plus. Former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman was added to the cast, which also includes James Brown, Phil Simms, Brandon Marshall and occasional appearances from Michael Irvin.
Here’s my Wednesday live blog with tons of Dolphins news, transactions, injury updates and comments from Brian Flores about Tagovailoa and other issues.
Here’s my Wednesday Marlins piece, with Craig Mish, on the team’s 2022 center field and catcher options.
This story was originally published September 1, 2021 at 5:00 PM.
