It’s Tua Time in Miami — But is it the Right Time?

 

Ladies and gentlemen, Tua time has arrived in South Florida. 

Just before noon on Tuesday, October 20th, Adam Schefter broke the news that the Dolphins have decided to move forward with rookie Tua Tagovailoa as their starting QB.

I don’t know about you, but my stomach did a flip when my phone buzzed excitedly with the notification.

The news counts for much more than just Miami’s week eight game against the Los Angeles Rams following the bye. And it counts for much more than just the end of the season.

When Tua takes the field for the first time as the starting quarterback, a new era of Miami Dolphins football will begin.

The significance of the quarterback change cannot be overstated, and not because of anything Ryan Fitzpatrick has or hasn’t done this season. The change is a seismic one because this leap of faith, this ushering in of a promising new future, has Dolphins fans everywhere excited like they haven’t been since the days of Marino. And it’s all because of Tua.

The anticipation of seeing Tua take the reins has been simmering since the Dolphins scooped him up with the fifth overall selection of the 2020 NFL Draft. Fans everywhere were overcome with happiness. Tua’s jersey immediately topped the sales charts. And optimism soared surrounding a franchise that had already closed out a difficult rebuilding year with a resounding week 17 win against the Patriots in 2019. 

Now, that excitement is exploding.

Expectations for Tua are even higher initially than they were for either Dan Marino or Dwyane Wade when those two towering figures in South Florida sports turned pro. Dolphins radio host and color commentator Joe Rose has said before that he’s never seen anything quite like it. After already signing endorsement deals with huge companies like Adidas and Bose, being featured in a network documentary titled in his name, and getting plenty of screen time during games even as he stood on the sidelines, Tua’s star power is unbelievable. 

In case you’re not convinced — Rick Ross of all people was one of the first to confirm the news that Tua had been named the starter!

And finally regarding how the introduction of Tua as the starting quarterback ushers in a new era of Dolphins football, consider where the team is currently at: Heading into a bye week to get healthy and prep it’s rookie QB, Miami is second in the AFC East and in the thick of the playoff picture with an exploitable schedule on tap the rest of the way. Additionally, through six weeks the team has a point differential of +47 compared to an abhorrent mark of -148 from this time last season. The difference is night and day, and with a 3-3 record things have been looking up in a big way for the Miami Dolphins even before Tua was named the starter.

Now, I’d be remiss to not mention Ryan Fitzpatrick’s contributions to the nascent hope now surrounding the 2020 season and yes, the entire franchise. Ever since the Dolphins drafted Tua, the wily veteran has been nothing but supportive of the rookie and understanding of his own place on the team. He admitted several times that he knew he was merely a “placeholder” for Tua. He could be seen during games mentoring Tua on the sidelines with a tablet in hand after each drive. And he captured the hearts of each coach and player on this team during his six games as a starter.

What’s more, perhaps, is that Fitzpatrick played mostly well through six weeks.

Fitzy struggled in the Seahawks and Patriots games but overall managed to complete 70.1% of his passes for 1,535 yards and a respectable ten touchdowns. His mark of 255.8 passing yards per game ranked him 18th in the league and his passing touchdowns were good for 13th, while he managed to tack on two additional rushing touchdowns. And of course, Fitz was his usual entertaining self as he threw lead blocks for running backs, initiated contact on his runs like no quarterback coach would ever teach, and fired up the rest of the team every time he made a play. His beard was also as glorious as ever.

There was some bad, as he had some struggles on third down and threw seven interceptions (third-most in the league), but overall Fitz was what many expected — Fitzmagic most of the time and Fitztragic at some very inopportune times. 

Whatever happens moving forward with Tua, there’s no denying the type of mentor Ryan Fitzpatrick has been to the rookie. He’s the type of player Brian Flores wants on his squad, a team-first player, and the veteran QB’s reaction to Tua taking the field for the very first time against the Jets is a perfect example of this. 

Fitzpatrick’s solid play thus far into the season does, however, present the million-dollar question: Is this point in the season the right time for Tua time?

Many fans are eager to say “yes! Of course! Get Tua and there and let him ball out!” 

And many national media types forget that the Miami Dolphins are not, in fact, the New York Jets, and argue that the team around Tua is not ready, or that the rookie isn’t ready for live-action.

The answer, however, is that we don’t know. We don’t yet know if now is the right time to start Tua, and we likely won’t until the end of the Dolphins’ season, whether that comes in the postseason or beforehand. 

The reality is that there are arguments on both sides. On the side for Flores’ timing there is the team’s improved performance the past few weeks, the lighter schedule coming up, and of course, the bye week for Tua to prepare. On the side against Flores’ decision to start Tua, there are the facts that Fitz has played well, the first game after the bye pits the Dolphins young O-line against Aaron Donald and a talented Rams defense, and that Tua will still be without his starting left tackle, Austin Jackson, as he must miss at least one more game on IR.

Then there’s the matter of how the team responds to the quarterback change. Reported player reactions have ranged from having “some apprehension” according to the Sun-Sentinel to both surprise and excitement according to the Miami Herald. The always-reliable Barry Jackson of the Herald reported that “two players said Tagovailoa has looked good in practice… one expressed excitement about the transition,” and “one conveyed that Tagovailoa has a cannon for an arm, and it will be interesting to see if the vertical passing game becomes a bigger component of Miami’s attack.”

All in all, this is encouraging stuff given that the players found out on their own through Schefter’s report before coaches informed the team. Flores surely would have preferred to break the news himself, but initial team reactions seem positive enough. And if there’s one thing we know about Fitzpatrick, it’s that he’ll stomach the decision like the class act he is.

As for Tua, expectations couldn’t be higher, which does introduce the possibility of a letdown through the first weeks of his fledgling NFL career. No matter what he does, he’ll be closely scrutinized next to fellow rookies Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert.

Many people, however, believe he’ll rise to the occasion. Count me among those optimistic.

It’s been said often that Tua has IT, whatever that intangible edge is — that rare combination of killer instinct and natural leadership, the ability to lift a team to victory through sheer force of will. 

We’ll soon find out just what IT is, and if Tua shows it in spades, the sky may be the limit for Brian Flores and this ascending Dolphins franchise.

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