Brian Flores says Tua Tagovailoa isn’t ready which brings more questions
By Brian Miller
Tua Tagovailoa isn’t ready, so says Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.
Miami Dolphins fans have been wondering when Tua Tagovailoa will play but Brian Flores has told the media that he just isn’t ready.
O.k. that’s cool right? Did anyone really think he would play in 2020? Of course not. Most believed this would be his year to rehab and be ready to roll in 2021. The surprise came when Miami released Josh Rosen and named Tagovailoa the back-up. In theory, Tua is one hit away from playing in an NFL game.
Ryan Fitzpatrick has been erratic through four games so far. He played poorly in the first week, a lot better statistically the next two, and then was back to his inconsistencies once again last week. Naturally, fans want to see Tua.
The Bengals and the Chargers both are getting good looks at their rookie quarterbacks and both QBs are playing well. This makes Dolphins fans green with envy but at the same time, it’s all good, let Tua wait.
Several arguments contine to shape this discussion. One is that he should play now but at the same time should wait until the offensive line is better. Others think he needs to play now so that he gets his licks and takes some hits. He needs to get in to get better. Still, some point out that the NFL’s golden boy, Patrick Mahommes didn’t play a game until the final week of his rookie season.
That is all well and fine but it circles back to why does Brian Flores think that Tua Tagovailoa isn’t ready?
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Earlier this week, Flores pointed out that if Tua was his kid, with the kind of injury that he suffered, he would hope that his coach wouldn’t rush him to the field. O.k., good point but does that mean you are concerned about his injury?
Another point of view could be that Tua isn’t looking good in practice. Remember, these sessions are not always open to the media and the portions that are can’t be discussed publicly per NFL rules. So is Tua having bad practice work? Making a lot of mistakes? Is that the reason he is “not ready”. Well, we won’t know the answer to that one because there is no way in hell that Brian Flores is going to say that to the media.
Perhaps, it is simply nothing more than Flores believing that the best chance for his club to win is to stick with Fitzpatrick. This is actually a likely case and probably the smartest one if we are being honest.
If the Dolphins make the switch to Tagovailoa, they can’t really go back to Fitzpatrick unless Tua gets injured. Unlike with Josh Rosen, once Miami makes the switch, it’s over with and the future is Tua. This is a reason that Brian Flores may be hiding behind the “he’s not ready” mantra and if that is the case, I wouldn’t blame him.
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We all know that Fitzpatrick isn’t the answer but will Tua lead us to the post-season in 2020? No. He could play like vintage Dan Marino but there are still holes on both sides of the ball. Perhaps Miami is taking the best step with their rookie regardless of the reasons why they are keeping on the sidelines.
Truth be said, nothing is going to matter at all if come 2021 and beyond, Tua Tagovailoa is one of the top QBs in the league. No one is going to care how many reps he got in his rookie season and to put more butter on that bread, how many have ever said that a QB didn’t develop because they didn’t get enough reps in their rookie year? I would gather not many if any at all. I do know that many have said QBs have been ruined by playing too soon. I guess with Tua, we will have to see.