Dolphins’ new young quarterback on what the team is getting. And more Tua talk
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Monday:
▪ Before former Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson takes his first snap of Miami Dolphins rookie minicamp on Friday, allow him to explain to you what the Miami Dolphins are getting:
“I feel like first and foremost, I’m a gamer,” he said. “Just being able to make plays off schedule, on time, with my legs, with my arm. I feel like that’s a [summary] of who I am as a player. I’m a guy that wants the ball in his hands when the team needs a big play. And whether if it’s on fourth down, going into the end zone, red zone, whatever the case may be, I want the ball in my hands in those situations.
“And on top of that, being a servant leader. I feel like I make those around me better. I’m going to serve my teammates at all times and put my team before myself and ultimately that’s what leads to success.”
Thompson completed 62.4 percent of his passes in his college career, throwing for 7,134 yards with 42 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also had 26 rushing touchdowns and averaged 3.1 yards per carry on 355 rushing attempts in his career, though his rushing numbers were down last year (48 attempts, for 4 yards, with sacks included).
Last season, he threw 12 touchdowns and four interceptions and completed 69.5 percent of his passes.
Among the areas where he will seek help from coach Mike McDaniel and quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell in the weeks ahead:
“I feel like I have good feet, but there’s always room for improvement and just being more consistent with my feet and really tightening up my stride on some throws,” he said. “And then just my posture. Sometimes I stand up tall a little bit on my throws, and it causes the ball to sail.”
If he makes the Dolphins roster or (more likely) the practice squad, he would be an old rookie at 25.
“I definitely don’t feel any pressure as far as me being older, that my career has to accelerate quicker,” he said. “My age is a benefit to me. I’ve played in a lot of football games. And every type of adversity you can think of that a quarterback could experience, I’ve experienced it. I’ve fought through and I’ve overcome and I’m still standing strong. That’s the biggest asset for me. I’ve been a four-year team captain. All of that is just tools in my toolbox.”
The quarterback that Thompson particularly admires?
Now-retired Drew Brees.
▪ There are some NFL people who say teams should draft a quarterback every year.
Then there are the Dolphins.
Thompson is just the ninth quarterback drafted by the Dolphins in the past 30 drafts (since 1993) and only the second one picked in the seventh round. Miami drafted Brandon Doughty in the seventh round (223rd overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.
▪ The Dolphins must allocate only $3.3 million on their rookie draft class and a bit more to sign a practice squad. They entered the week with $19.9 million in cap space.
▪ During the middle of the network’s draft coverage, ESPN’s Louis Riddick struck back at any suggestion that Tua Tagovailoa can’t throw an effective deep ball.
“In college, Tua was the best deep ball thrower in the NCAA when he was there,” Riddick said. “People are saying he can’t throw the ball down the field. Pull out his Alabama tape. He threw the ball just fine there. Now he needs to do it because they aren’t going to make any more excuses for him.”
Riddick said the Dolphins can’t rely on Tagovailoa simply throwing short and intermediate throws.
“Tua can deliver it to the fastest wide receiver group in the NFL,” Riddick said. “You want them zooming down the field. Between Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, you just don’t want to throw those guys a bunch of rocket screens and tunnel screens. You want them zooming down the field.”
▪ ESPN’s Todd McShay said the Dolphins have “set themselves up perfectly. This gives Tua a fair shot and he deserves it. But if he doesn’t step up, it’s time to move on. I think [he will]. I’m a big Tua believer.”
Riddick agreed, now that the offensive line has been bolstered.
“They addressed the areas they needed to, with Terron Armstead and Connor Williams,” Riddick said. “Any time you saw Miami play, you were saying, ‘What is this? What is happening here?’ There is nothing but pressure all the time in the quarterback’s face.”
▪ One peculiarity about the McDaniel hire — for better or worse — is that none of the other eight teams with coaching openings interviewed McDaniel.
I asked an official involved with one of the other coaching searches why this was the case.
“He wasn’t a play caller,” that official said. “Not that he can’t call plays, but he hasn’t done it for a season. It didn’t register with us to bring him in. I didn’t see anything that we thought would be special. We wanted an offensive-minded head coach with play calling experience.”
That team hired someone who fit that criteria.
The Dolphins saw special qualities in McDaniel, who has made a strong early impression on players.
