The shift to being a Tua Tagovailoa fan is creeping in ever so slowly
By Brian Miller
The NFL Draft is at the end of April. Free agency starts on March 18th. The Miami Dolphins still want a QB and Tua Tagovailoa is still the popular choice. Not for me.
Tua Tagovailo is the talk of the Miami Dolphins fan base. You either love him, or you are ostracized the Tua masses. Depending on what social media site you frequent or forum you hang out in, sometimes, it can get ugly.
Admittedly, I am not a fan of Tua Tagovailoa. I don’t dislike him but I’m not one of those “Oh my God we have to do everything we can to get him” fans. In fact, I’m far from it. I wouldn’t trade up for him. Not to number two, three, or even four. If he is there at five, I would take him, depending on who else is there. As you can see, I don’t love Tua Tagovailoa. That being said, there is a shift inside me that is occurring. A shift in my mental process. A slow-moving thought in the deep reaches of my brain that is snaking its way through my aging synapses.
In 2018, I was all in on Justin Herbert and while 2019 didn’t shake out the way I thought it would, I’m not off that wagon entirely. My luggage is still there despite the fact I hopped over early in 2019 to the Joe Burrow wagon. Yes, I was on the Burrow watch long before he became the darling of the college world in 2019. Back when he was with Ohio State I had an eye on him, mainly because my dad is an OSU fan, I’m not.
I have always like LSU, yes even when Nick Saban was there but admittedly I’m not a “die-hard Tiger” fan and never really was but enough of one to watch on occasion. There was something that stood out to me about Burrow. A stature and poise that he had that reminded me of a traditional pocket passer. That is what I like. I’m not a Lamar Jackson type of QB fan, I like the Rivers’ and the Manning’s, and the Marino’s of the NFL world. I see that in Burrow more than I do in Tagovailoa. I see that more in Herbert than I do in Tagovailoa.
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Lately somethings changed and it’s hard to define, (Rick Springfield’s Jesse’s Girl just came to mind and now I want to puke). While I am still not sold on Tagovailo on the field, I am becoming a fan off the field.
I can see the draw on the field with Tagovailoa. He is a very accurate QB and his size isn’t something that turns me off. He has a leadership quality that is impressive and an attitude that is positive. What it is, well, I can’t my finger on it. Either way, my opinion is changing.
Lately, there has been something that isn’t sitting well with me in regards to Joe Burrow. Something in his attitude. There was a humbleness about him at the Heisman ceremony but that humbleness seems to have waned. Comments about playing for whoever wants to pay him comes across as someone who might be looking for money. To be fair, he did say he wants to play for a team that wants to win Super Bowls.
Tagovailoa, on the other hand, hit the Super Bowl circuit out of the park and not just because he said he loves Miami. There was something genuine about him, something pure. He came across like a leader sending a message to any team that drafts him, that he will be there to work hard and prove he can succeed at the next level. Over the last years, it’s a quality that isn’t seen often.
I may never fully be on the Tagovailoa bandwagon and I haven’t jumped off Burrow’s yet but I am contemplating it and that is something that I didn’t think would happen so soon.