Welcome back to the All-22 review Dolphins’ fans. This week Miami was able to taste sweet victory against the dreaded Patriots eliminating them from playoff contention. Miami allowed New England to punch them in the gut back in week one, leading to a loss. 

However, this week, Miami pulled out the reverse Uno card as they beat up the Patriots in the running game. This meant our beloved franchise QB took more of a back seat in the gameplan. Instead of #LetTuaCook we got a bit of reversion to earlier gameplans as we saw against the Rams and Chargers. 

I know that has a negative connotation but make no mistake, I fully approved their decision to lean on the running game. Miami was without all three of their best-receiving threats, and the OL has consistently struggled in pass protection recently (didn’t improve in this one either). 

Despite not being asked to do much, there is plenty to breakdown from this week’s All-22.

One thing which continues to impress me about Tua is how sound he is with beating zone coverages. He’s great at throwing with anticipation into layered windows, something many young QBs struggle with. 

This play isn’t a layered window, but he does make a nice anticipatory throw against zone coverage. First, a lot of credit should go to Durham Smythe because he runs a great route. He creates separation with physicality at the top of his stem and then sits himself down in the soft spot right at the marker. 

As for Tua, he sees the gap and fires the ball before Smythe finishes his route, allowing him to catch the first down. Nothing crazy, but Tua showing a consistent ability to beat zone coverage will come in handy next season when teams start throwing it at him more often. 

Every week it feels like Tua is getting more and more comfortable making plays outside the pocket. I think the game is starting to slow down a little bit for him, and he’s starting to get more confident in his abilities. 

Miami got backed up after a sack where Salvon Ahmed forgot how to pass block and a penalty. Tua’s first read appears to be the backside over-route to Adam Shaheen. He doesn’t like what he sees, and pressure forces him to scramble. 

Shaheen does a nice job moving with his QB in the scramble drill to come across the field. Tua throws an absolute dart on the run into a tight window. The ball placement is pretty much perfect too. Most QBs don’t attempt this throw, but Tua will let his inner gunslinger come alive once in a while. 

Sadly, Shaheen cannot hold on to the pass as it goes right off his hands. This was probably Tua’s best play of the day, too, in what is yet another example of why box score scouting isn’t good practice. This play won’t show up in the box score, but it’s perfect process and execution by Tua. 

This play combines the last two concepts we’ve talked about pretty well. The Patriots show two high safeties pre-snap but motion into cover-3 post-snap. Mack Hollins is running an over route right in between the deep safety and underneath corner. 

Tua reads the post-snap coverage and throws a dart into Hollins, wide open in the soft spot of the defense. Great pre-snap read, post-snap read, accuracy, and anticipation from Tua. Once again, the ball is dropped, this time by Hollins. 

I know it is common knowledge at this point, but WR is the Dolphins’ biggest need as we get into the offseason. I’ve seen many different names thrown around in free agency, such as Allen Robinson and Juju Smith-Schuster. 

Personally, I prefer the route of drafting my WRs instead of paying top money to a free agent. I’m a draft guy, though, so take my opinion with a grain of salt if you want. Dolphins fans should be asking themselves about any potential WR is: Can they create natural separation? 

If the answer is yes, then you’re good. If the answer is no, then you need to keep looking. 

If you read this column every week, I am sure you expected me to talk about Tua’s INT. Unlike the one he threw last week, this INT is 100 percent Tua’s fault. There are many cardinal sins of QB play, and one of them is throwing late to the flat, which is exactly what Tua did in this play. 

The play call is a good one and generates an open WR. The two receivers on the right run over routes across the field to draw the eyes of the zone defenders and allow the RB to slip into the flat. 

When Tua’s back foot hits, Ahmed is open for a touchdown. He hasn’t turned around yet, but if Tua throws it with anticipation to the pylon, they likely score. However, Tua doesn’t let it rip, giving JC Jackson time to recover. 

Once Tua does decide to throw it, he’s getting hit and dragged to the ground, which takes all the velocity off his throw anyway. He’s trying to do too much on this play. When you miss the timing on an out route like this, you have to take the sack. 

This is apart of the growing pains of being a rookie. It’s a pretty common mistake and nothing to get overly worried about. 

This play serves as another example of Tua trying to do much. This isn’t a one-off either; Tua tends to take a couple of bad sacks per game. This is par for the course with a mobile QB who has a playmaking mentality. Miami is going to have to live with a certain level of volatility in his game. His sack rate is just over seven percent, which is a tad high but not too bad. 

Now, Tua’s WRs don’t exactly do him any favors on this play. Miami has trips to Tua’s left, and they are running a similar concept to the end zone INT. Two guys run the crossers to draw eyes and open up the flat. 

One of them is supposed to be a corner route, while the other one is an actual crosser. However, they get jammed up in their stems, which throws off the timing and spacing of the concept. 

As for the other side, you’ve got three Patriots’ defenders covering two Dolphins’ players, which goes about exactly as you would expect; nobody is open. 

Tua bails out to his left, trying to make something happen, but there is still nobody open. He’s in the two-minute drill, so at a certain point, you have to give up on this play. Taking a sack almost cost the Dolphins three-points (Sanders missed, but that’s not the point). Tua is still learning when to give up on plays and when to create. 

 

Conclusion: 

There isn’t much to conclude this week. The one overarching point I think is worth mentioning is Tua consistently does what is asked of him. Whether he’s asked to lead a game-winning drive against the Cardinals, lead a comeback against the Super Bowl Champs, or turn around and hand the ball to Salvon Ahmed 20 times, Tua does it and does it well. 

He executes gameplans, and although his play can be a little volatile at times, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to lose Miami many games. Now, the question becomes, can he win the Dolphins games? I think the answer is yes, given his performances in the second half of games with poor weapons. 

With that said, there is still plenty of development and growth needed to confirm his ceiling.Â