Ryan Glasspiegel
Miami Dolphins head coach sat Tua Tagovailoa for veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter of tonight’s game against the Oakland Raiders. Flores made a similar move in benching Tagovailoa for Fitzpatrick during the Dolphins’ Week 11 loss to the Denver Broncos.
While Tagovailoa is the presumptive quarterback of the future for the Dolphins, they are right in the thick of the AFC playoff race and are in position to make it in if they win tonight and in Week 17 against the Bills.
Tagovailoa was 17/22 for 94 yards — just 4.3 yards per attempt — with a touchdown pass tonight before Fitzpatrick came in in relief.
It seems like maybe…JUST MAYBE, Miami is having a modicum of 2nd thoughts in not drafting Herbert. This yo-yo’ing of their top-5 pick isn’t healthy for either of them. Tua plays a bit too much like Mariota (Plays it too safe and ultimately scared to pull the trigger on getting the ball downfield). Herbert’s gonna challenge that secondary downfield whether you like it or not…much like Fitz does.
If the Dolphins do make the playoffs, I just can’t see how Flores starts Tua in a playoff game. They are winning in spite of Tua’s play, not because of him. Their Defense is obviously their meal ticket this year. I can see Fitzpatrick starting the playoff and Tua possibly coming in late, but I don’t think you can start Tua and hope that Fitz can bail them out in a playoff game. Sit Tua the rest of the year and let him start fresh next year.
Tua is like a ballon looking for a needle
It’s very clear that Fitzmagic is the better QB right now. It’s not even close. Tua sometimes looks like he’s throwing a ball with his feet stuck in cement