We’re in that post-draft world where we’re all trying to make sense of everything the Dolphins did during the NFL Draft. From the Miami faithful, I’ve mostly have seen positive things said. Not “Oh my God the Dolphins crushed every pick and are the smartest team in the world!” type responses. More like “They had a plan and they executed it.” type of responses. The Dolphins, finally, addressed their gaping hole at the franchise quarterback position by drafting Tua Tagovailoa. I’ve been campaigning for a year plus for Miami to do what was right and acquire Tua and even though they put out alleged “smoke screens” and morons fell for them. I knew they were going to take him. Now, it seems that some folks think Tua should start week one. To that, I say- that idea sucks.
Vegas Odds
Here’s the current odds on Tua starting week 1;
Vegas believes like I do that it is very unlikely that Tua will start week one. Brian Flores even sort of alludes to it in a very boring article written by Safid Dean:
“Look, we haven’t even seen him. Obviously with the pandemic and all that’s going on, our doctors haven’t seen him,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said of the team’s in-person interaction with Tagovailoa since first meeting at the scouting combine in February.
“We have a long way to go before we can say who’s doing what. … I think it’s way too early to speculate on this year and how this is going to go. You guys know we like to take a one-day-at-a-time approach anyway. That’s going to be the approach I’m going to have him take as well.”
Flores’ Approach to Whether we see Tua Start
Expect more of this for the next few months when Flores answers questions about any position battles. He’s not a guy that’s ever going to light up the sound bite machine. With not being able to do too much with players right now, he’s going to be even more of a robot. I’m quite all right with that approach.
Flores is right about the issues facing the Dolphins and their ability to identify which players have the talent to fill all the necessary roles on the team this season. The whole league is dealing with this issue. They are all doing virtual playbook stuff that, in the long run, won’t mean very much. It’s just something all of the teams are doing to create some sense of accomplishment in this tumultuous offseason. As states begin to reopen, that’s when they will be able to send team employees, and even coaches, to guys to be able to work with them directly.
Reasons Why Tua Shouldn’t Start Week One
But Tua should not and will not start week one. It’s pretty easy to understand why.
- Fitzpatrick is still here and he played well in the final 9 games of the year last year. This means that he already has a rapport with the receivers. Tua has exactly none of that.
- Billion-year-old Chan Gailey is the new offensive coordinator and will be installing a new offense. Though the offense will probably be tailored to Tua’s strengths, Fitzpatrick has already played in it.
- Though he’s been cleared by Miami’s doctors due to their covert mission to evaluate him during social distancing, he’s still hasn’t thrown a real pass since having his femur dislodged from the rest of his body. What he needs to ease into it.
- The offensive line is in a state of flux. It’s a nice state of flux because there’s actual talent on the line. But, we have no idea with new arrivals through free agency and the draft along with guys from last year what the starting five will be. That, obviously, needs to be figured out. They need to play with each other so that whoever is the signal-caller can be protected in the best possible way.
This isn’t to say that Tua won’t play in during the 2020 season, whatever it may look like. I’m sure he will. Tua just won’t start the season as QB1. It would be nice to think that Tua will be able to sit for the year and soak up everything from the wise man that is Ryan Fitzpatrick, but how often does that happen? The answer is not very often.
When Will we see Tua Start?
Fitz will get hurt or put together a string of crazy bad games, something he’s done many times during his career that will force Tua to see the field. I firmly believe that the Dolphins can be a sneaky playoff-contending team this season. Especially with the added playoff seed. I can also see them being a six-win team. We’ll get our franchise quarterback leading this team to glory, it just won’t be this year. The 2021 season is where the Dolphins start kicking some names and taking some ass. I realize we all want to see the new exciting player that’s here to make 20+ years of sorry football look like a distant memory. But be patient. A little longer more until the Dolphins start bulldozing the rest of the league is what is required from us the fans.
Now, let’s argue about what number Tua will wear. Seems like a better use of time. Oh, and if you think Tua will be wearing Marino‘s number 13 well then let me tell you that will never happen and you’re a major doofus.
