ESPN’s Ryan Clark gets last word on Tagovailoa. And more analyst feedback on Dolphins-Chiefs
Tua Tagovailoa previously warned ESPN analyst Ryan Clark not to mention his name again.
Clark is disregarding that request.
When Clark criticized Tagovailoa in August for his weight and work ethic — and compared his figure to a dancer at a strip club — Tagovailoa warned Clark: “I’d appreciate if you kept my name out of your mouth.”
Clark subsequently apologized.
But Clark had the last word, with more measured commentary offered Monday on the social platform X.
“Have to be real about Tua,” Clark said. “He’s struggled in the last two. Proved he could stay healthy, but hasn’t executed at a high level when it counts. When you can’t match up with his weapons they bludgeon you, but he’s been average to below in the biggest moments against the better teams.
“Every time they step up in competition, they lose. Tua hasn’t played well the last couple games.”
On ESPN’s “Get Up” on Friday, Clark said “I don’t think Tua Tagovailoa’s game translates to cold weather... high winds.”
Tagovailoa is 1-4 when playing in temperatures of 50 degrees or less. Kickoff temperature in Kansas City is expected to be in the zero range on Saturday.
More feedback from network analysts heading into Saturday’s playoff game at Kansas City (8 p.m., NBC 6/Peacock):
▪ NBC’s Cris Collinsworth, talking about Miami on a conference call this week: “At their core, this is a running football team. We have seen them be very explosive against good teams running the football and winning games running the football.
“So as strange as it sounds, there’s an argument at least to be made that the burden may be on Patrick Mahomes to have to carry that load in those conditions because the Miami Dolphins, if they are who I think they are in these types of games, will be a running team.”
▪ ESPN’s Marcus Spears expressed this concern about Tagovailoa: “When you disrupt the timing of this offense, who is Tua? Disrupt the timing, and this offense has shown a propensity to have problems and it’s because of their quarterback.
“It’s such a difficult conversation. When you look at the statistics and what Tua has done over this season, you clearly say this dude is one of the high level quarterbacks in the league, based on what they have been able to accomplish.
“But then you look at the critical moments and how we judge how you get to this point of the season, which is always the conversation, I ask myself time and time again, can Tua go above the X’s and O’s?
“And no one in their recent history of the playoffs has tested if your quarterback can go beyond the X’s and O’s more than [Chiefs defensive coordinator] Steve Spagnuolo, whether it be pressure or finding opportunities for [Pro Bowl defensive lineman] Chris Jones or how their corners play physical football.”
▪ ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky showed video of four plays in the Nov. 5 Dolphins-Kansas City game that could have easily gone for Dolphins touchdowns but didn’t.
In one case, Tyreek Hill couldn’t latch onto a deep Tagovailoa throw, and on another, Tagovailoa threw a tad behind him.
On another, Tagovailoa didn’t see an open Jaylen Waddle, who was streaking for what likely would have been a touchdown. On another late in the game, Tagovailoa and Cedrick Wilson Jr. had a miscommunication on a pass that could have been a TD.
“If they lose this game, it will be because of missed opportunities,” Orlovsky said. “Missed opportunities in the playoffs send you home. They lost to the Bills, missed opportunities. How did they lose against Philadelphia? Two dropped touchdowns.
“While you have to credit K.C. defensively, you sit there and go, ‘Can they have those two or three plays that they were just off of in that game connect and it totally swings the outcome of the game.’ I don’t think this is as one sided of a game as a lot of people see it.”
This story was originally published January 12, 2024 at 3:11 PM.
