For five years, Miami Dolphins fans have waited for Tua Tagovailoa to take a step forward and become the quarterback he was drafted to be. Now in his sixth NFL season, fans are still waiting and patience is wearing thin.
Thursday night was a close game that showcased some of what Tagovailoa does well, but it was also a reminder of his limitations. Since the loss, there has been plenty of noise surrounding the quarterback, and now former tight end Joe Rose is saying what Dolphins fans already knew about Tagovailoa, but didn't want to fully believe.
Joe Rose says the quiet part out loud after another game-ending interception.
The former Dolphins tight end and radio personality isn't someone who makes a deep dive take often. Rose is one of the most optimistic Dolphins' broadcasters who knows a bit about the game. His take on Tagovailoa isn't an emotional response to a game that went bad, but an honest take that many fans would want to cover their ears and go, "La la la la" to avoid hearing.
Rose put it in the simplest way possible. Mike McDaniel's offense is too complicated for Tagovailoa to run.
"Tua can't make all the throws you need to make for what the weapons you have. You got too much horsepower for that guy to drive. He can't drive the car, it's go too much horsepower. He can't handle it."Joe Rose - WQAM radio
What Rose is saying here is that McDaniel's offense is such that Tagovailoa is not capable of running the offense at the level needed. If that is the case, then what exactly is the system McDaniel wants to run? Has he scaled it back to meet the abilities of his quarterback?
Tagovailoa made an interesting comment ahead of the Bills' game on Thursday night. When asked about Josh Allen, Tagovailoa admitted that he "can't do half of what Allen does with a football."
The best quarterbacks will never admit they are less than an opposing player. There is being nice and speaking highly as a competitor, but saying you can't do what they do isn't going to win over fans or your teammates.
Rose's comments are spot on. Tagovailoa has limitations in his game, his game management, and his ability to run McDaniel's offense to its full capabilities.