Tua Tagovailoa has been a polarizing figure since he entered the league. He has a cult of fans who would go to war for him called the “Tuaneers,” and you have another part of the media and fans (inside and outside of the Miami Dolphins fanbase) who would go to incredible lengths to discredit him and see him fail no matter what he does. It’s quite confusing why the latter exists, and the former exists to combat the latter. While a war is constantly brewing between the two sides (especially on Twitter), Tua has kept his head down and tried to block out the noise. He’s had his fair share of adversity starting before his NFL career began. Between the gruesome hip injury he suffered in college, the negative reactions he received after being drafted at No. 5 by the Miami Dolphins, not being given the tools to succeed by the coaching staff, being heavily criticized by that said coaching staff, constantly being in trade talks, the horrendous, nationally televised concussion, and the mockery of that concussion from fanbases around the league and even in the fanbase of his team.
Now, other QBs and NFL players have had to overcome challenges, but I’m not sure they have a story as extensive as Tua. He’s received unfair judgment throughout his 4-year career, but much of the criticism isn’t based on logic, and it comes off as pure hate. I’ve tried to figure out where all the hate for him comes from. He’s mild-mannered, humble, and does nothing but work on his shortcomings. Like how can you hate or even dislike the guy? Before I move on, I want to point out that I’m aware of his downfalls with his inability to stay healthy, stay consistent, and his average arm strength. He cannot change his arm strength, but he has actively worked on the first two points. Any criticisms outside of that are usually based on bias, over-analyzation, underanalyzation, and straight hyperbole. I’ll address some of the narratives many fans have tried to use against Tagovailoa and dispel them. But here are the reasons why you guys don’t like Tua Tagovailoa.
- Just the wrong era
I thought long and hard about the QBs that Tua is often compared to. Of course, the QBs in his draft class are Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, & Jordan Love. Then you have the QBs he’s compared to, such as Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes, because of proximity. While all these players have different skill sets and strengths, they either have one of the two things that Tua lacks or both. And that’s alien arm strength or above-average athleticism. Justin Herbert has a rocket launcher of an arm and can use his legs quite well, and Joe Burrow plays with savvy and swag. I’m unsure if Burrow stands out in either of those categories, but he has the ability. Jalen Hurts has used his strength and athleticism to find success in the league while surrounded by a great roster; Jordan Love had the luxury of sitting behind the Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers, for two years in Green Bay, so we’ve yet to see his potential on full display. Still, we know he at least has a stronger arm than Tagovailoa and can extend plays. Josh Allen is a Cam Newton-like player; he’s a Quarterback in a safety’s body with a big arm, and Patrick Mahomes is…well…he’s Patrick Mahomes. These QBs are a sample size of the norm for what the modern QB looks like. QBs who are athletic or can throw the whole field, and Tua doesn’t fit that mold. What Tua does well is no longer appreciated, especially if it comes without those other two skills. Every year, teams are looking for the same QB in a different body from a different college. Tua’s superpower is elite accuracy and anticipation. Boring, right? It doesn’t bring ESPN highlights, and it doesn’t wow the crowd. People want a show, and Tua doesn’t have a play style that excites people unless you’re like me and you like to see passes squeezed to the receiver in tight windows. Tua would have been accepted in the era where QBs like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees reigned supreme. I’m not saying he’s on the same level as those names, but his playstyle would have been appreciated back in the 2000s and 2010s, where athleticism and huge arms were pluses and not requirements, which makes sense since Tua’s comparison has consistently been Drew Brees as long as Tagovailoa is judged based on what those other QBs do well and not what he does. He has limitations, but I guarantee that every other QB does, too–maybe except Patrick Mahomes. One thing I forgot to mention was his “lack of size.” I put that in quotations cause he’s 6’1 and 215 lbs, so I’m not sure I’d considered him small, but in comparison to the “elite size” of QBs like Josh Allen and Justin Herbert, his size isn’t considered ideal. He isn’t the idea of the “prototypical QB.” But it’s okay to believe in something that doesn’t fit what’s ideal.
- Comparison Kills
Although Tua isn’t physically the ideal QB, according to fans and media, he also hasn’t had an ideal start to his career. I won’t talk about the challenges he faced again because it may sound like I’m coddling him, but it’s no secret that his peers had more success than Tua at the beginning of their careers. The QBs that will always be used as a ruler for his career are Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert since they were all drafted in the Top-10 picks of the 2020 draft. While Joe Burrow dealt with injuries in his rookie season, he made up for it with a Super Bowl run in his 2nd year, and Justin Herbert was breaking records out of the gate despite it not producing wins. People were impressed with Burrow’s ability to win and Herbert’s stats and physical intangibles. Compared to those two players, Tua looked mediocre, either because he was injured and didn’t “wow” with his play. I can talk about Tua not having the same tools as Burrow or Herbert, but I won’t because it’ll only be dismissed with cognitive dissonance. But what I want to point out is that Burrow and Herbert are amazing players, and the beginning of their careers was abnormal. Not every young QB comes in and is ready to put up historical numbers like Justin Herbert or go to the Super Bowl in just their 2nd year like Joe Burrow. That speaks to Burrow and Herbert’s ability and not Tua’s inability. Their success being used as an argument against Tua’s lack of success discredits how good they are when trying to prove how bad Tua is. They all had different beginnings in their career. Joe Burrow was the guy from the beginning, but his rookie season ended with ACL & MCL injuries to his left knee. Herbert wasn’t scheduled to be the Chargers starter his rookie year, but after the original starter, Tyrod Taylor, was on the other side of a botched procedure, Justin Herbert found himself on the field. In Tua’s rookie season, he was still rehabbing a hip injury from college. He shouldn’t have seen the field during his rookie season and should’ve sat behind Fitzpatrick that year. Instead, he alternated between being benched and being the starter, and I think his rookie season was mishandled, but that’s neither here nor there. All 3 of these young QBs have different strengths, journeys, and personalities and should not be discredited because of the beginning of their careers. Drew Brees battled injuries at the beginning of his career, and Peyton Manning went 3-13 his rookie season. One thing I loathe about this league is the amount of impatience with young QBs. They’re expected to come onto the team and immediately become the saviors without any development. They’re given two years to prove they’re the next coming of Tom Brady and then told they aren’t the guy. It’s as if coaches don’t want to coach and want finished products. We’ve seen Tua’s growth since McDaniel took over as head coach; now, imagine if he had McDaniel as his coach from the beginning. All QBs need the right soil to blossom; this goes for every young QB, not just Tagovailoa.
- He went to BAMA
This may be the pettiest reason to dislike Tua, but I understand. I don’t watch college football, so I don’t have the same emotional connection to what college guys come from. But apparently, everyone hates Alabama. So I’d understand the widespread hate towards Tua because he probably beat your favorite collegiate team or alumni, and you are just seething about it. With Alabama’s national attention, you probably felt he was overhyped and just waiting for this downfall. He’s a National Champion, National Champion MVP, and Orange Bowl MVP; he holds Alabama & NCAA records for passing yards per attempt, adjusted passing yards per attempt, passing efficiency rating, and total yards per play. He probably lit your favorite team up somewhere along the way. So I could get why you’d want him to fail. It’s the same way I feel about Tom Brady as a Dolphin fan or Dirk Nowitzki as a Heat fan. Tua’s greatness in college made him an easy target for people who weren’t Alabama fans. The adversity he’s faced in the NFL probably brings joy to those who oppose him and gives them a reason to justify their personal feelings toward him. His mishaps and injuries have been lazy talking points to attack him personally and unjustly. Some have even gone to disgusting extremes to attack him personally by attacking his weight, his appearance and wishing injury or death upon him. But I get it now; accept it; you’re a hater. You better hope Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t light your favorite NFL team up, or you’ll really be steaming then.
- His ego is below zero
This point is more so for the Dolphins side of the fanbase that won’t accept that Tua Tagovailoa is your franchise QB. The other points may fit you, too, but this one should hit in right on the head. I made a Twitter post saying, “The reason I love Tua and many don’t like him is the same. He doesn’t play hero ball when he doesn’t have to. He’s a situational QB. He can be a gunslinger, he can check down, he can throw deep, he can manage the game…People want him to make athletic plays and be a gunslinger every game, even if it means hurting the team like other certain QBs. Tua knows how to win. Ofc he makes boneheaded mistakes that are usually magnified. But in comparison, his mistakes are minimal…His play style wins championships. The QBs that most fans in this fanbase slobber over have sexy stats every Sunday and make highlight reels, but they also cost their team’s games. Not to mention, Tua knows how to win games in the clutch.” That may sum up your frustrations with the way Tua Tagovailoa plays. He’s not always lighting up the scoreboard, but he does whatever is needed to win and plays unselfish ball. You can argue his availability, but you can’t argue the fact that Tua is a winner when he plays. He’s 24-13 in his 37 starts, giving him an almost 65% win career percentage. He doesn’t play with an ego, and that doesn’t scratch the itch for those who want to see him making off-balanced throws every Sunday. He’s efficient, even if it isn’t always thrilling to see on the stat sheet. If that’s what you want, you care more about aesthetics than winning.
- He’s just different
My last point is this–he’s just different. Between his playstyle, strengths, reserved personality and lifestyle, and even the culture he comes from. He’s a left-handed Samoan QB. It’s not something you see every day. Not to make this political, but Tua Tagovailoa is the only starting QB of the 32 teams who is not African-American or of the white race. While African Americans have struggled to fight for the right to play the position without being deemed glorified running backs or being told we weren’t smart enough to play the position, there has been progress in the last few years. The point is that people have a problem accepting the differences of others. Tua Tagovaolia couldn’t be more different than the other 31 starting QBs. Some people can accept those differences while others struggle to and use the frustration from being unable to accept change to fuel hate. The very people who have a problem accepting the differences of others usually have a problem accepting themselves. I hope Tua Tagovailoa succeeds with all of his differences and limitations so it can inspire others that you don’t have to fit the status quo, you don’t have to compare your journey to others who also succeed, you don’t have to succumb to those who wish to see you fail and that you continue to be you, unapologetically, and authentically.
“While African Americans have struggled to fight for the right to play the position without being deemed glorified runningbacks or being told we weren’t smart enough to play the position, there has been progress in the last few years.”
This is the narrative I see about Tua in the comment threads. He clearly is not athletic enough to be a glorified runningback, and some people feel that is the only role open to him because they assume he isn’t smart enough to be the traditional “field general” that pocket passers are supposed to be.
I am thrilled to see this much of that conversation in an article. With the political climate the way it is, people cannot have an honest conversation about the way race impacts our perceptions of people.
I’m glad you enjoyed that part of the article, including those types of topics is always risky.
It’s because he’s a Christian. He’s being tebowed.
I don’t think that’s the reason, Tua is open about his faith but doesn’t make it his personality. There are a lot of players and QBs in general who profess Christ. Derek Carr is one of them, and he doesn’t receive the same amount of criticism.
Gunslingers and the “more athletic” QBs???? Really??? So where are these gunslingers and more athletic based on stats and wins/losses. All of dem gunslingers, glorified RBs are way, way, back. Even the king of them all, Mahomes!! Go find a real job. Writing and analyzing is not your forte.
I’m not sure why that triggered you. I do have a real job and I write in my past time. But I actually pointed out that Tua’s play style wins games. I’m a fan of Tua so that wasn’t a dig at him. I actually called Tua a gunslinger but stated the other QBs have stronger arms. Are you going to argue that those other QBs aren’t more athletic than Tua ? Tua’s no slouch but they may have the edge over him. I never said it made them the better QBs. You can disagree but keep your insults to a minimum.
One of, if not the biggest reason, was how obnoxious the militant Tua supporters were when he was struggling. The whole “Tuanon” thing. The arguments were so hyperbolic, closed off and based nearly entirely off theoreticals, even as a Dolphins fan that was pro-Tua I’d find myself arguing against him. Because the truth was somewhere in the middle…Tua wasn’t garbage, but he also hadn’t proven anything to that point and there were legitimate questions.
I always understood why analysts or non-fans would be annoyed when harassed by that fandom and it turn into arguments and vitriol toward Tua.
Either way. It seems to be a moot point…I’ve seen virtually nothing but growing appreciation and love toward Tua, now that he’s earning it…and now there’s a backlash toward others like Herbert, who may have gotten accolades and put on a pedestal prematurely.