Miami Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa is getting zero respect and that’s wrong

The Miami Dolphins may or may not want another quarterback but for now, Tua Tagovailoa is their guy. In the media, you would think he was the worst quarterback in the league. Oh, wait, according to one person in the media he is.

Chris Simms, the younger Simms not the successful NFL QB, has Tagovailoa ranked 40th out of 40 current NFL quarterbacks. He is behind Cam Newton, he is behind Carson Wentz, he is behind the other rookies, Dwayne Haskins, and Mitch Trubisky. Even Jarrett Stidham who played sparingly for the Patriots is ranked higher by Simms.

Earlier this week Simms said that Alabama quarterback Mac Jones would be a better prospect than Tagovailoa. This is a continuing line of thought from many in the media who believe that Miami should cut bait after nine games and either draft another QB or trade for Deshaun Watson.

Anyone who has read this site for the last couple of years will know that I was never a fan of Tagovailoa coming out of Alabama. I didn’t want him drafted and would have taken Herbert at five. That being said, once the Dolphins made their choice, there is no looking back.

Tagovailoa showed some signs of what he could be in the NFL and it was nice. His play against the Cardinals was great and the way he handled the Rams game was really good as well.

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Fans and the media simply expected fireworks right from the start but Tagovailoa didn’t have the same off-season that Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert had. He didn’t have the luxury of working out at home during a quarantined off-season. No, he was continuing his rehabilitation. He wasn’t working to get better on the field, he was working to get on the field.

Tagovailoa struggled like a lot of rookie quarterbacks often do but the vitriol that he is dealing with now after nine games is ridiculous. Even the “Tua-Time” lovers who pounded their firsts for him are sitting in the shadows quietly. Do they know or see something others don’t or are they worried they could be wrong?

Tua is a special football player and he has the mindset to get better. His rehab is behind him and he will get full work in this off-season with classwork and mini camps and likely even pre-season games which he had none of last year.

Consider this, the first hit that Tagovailoa took since his hip injury came in his first start against the Rams from Aaron Donald. No bangs in camp or pre-season. Confidence in his body was lacking and his game suffered.

Tagovailoa isn’t the worst quarterback in the league he just plays for the Dolphins and the media doesn’t like the Dolphins. Ryan Tannehill was the worst in the league until he went to the Titans, now, he is ranked 11 by Simms.

Yes, Tagovailoa has a lot of growing and maturing to do at the position but anyone doubting that he can is making a mistake. If the Dolphins trade him away as some in the media believe they should, he will probably excel wherever he lands. This isn’t Josh Rosen.

As someone who wasn’t a fan of Tua, I often look at his situation a little more cynical and a little more under the microscope, and honestly, I’m not concerned about what he will become or what he won’t. I think this is the right guy to lead this team. He needs help but not necessarily all within the structure of players. He needs help from the coaching staff as well.

Say what you want and think what you want about how Ryan Fitzpatrick played with the same players, the play calling was much better when Fitzpatrick was on the field not because Chan Gailey trusted him more, it’s because Gailey knew Fitzpatrick well enough to know what he could and couldn’t do. Tagavailoa got his handheld a little too much last year.

This year, the Dolphins need to pull the wraps off and let Tua play football. Do that and then we will know what kind of quarterback he will or won’t be. I’m pretty confident we will all walk away happy with what we see.