Receivers adjusting to new reality with Tua
DAVIE — Here’s a harsh new reality Miami Dolphins receivers must learn to live with as rookie Tua Tagovailoa continues as the team’s starting quarterback:
Most catches will be praised. Every costly drop will be overanalyzed packed with blame. Every ball thrown their way will be heavily scrutinized.
Look at receiver DeVante Parker, who caught Tagovailoa’s first career touchdown pass and is free from scrutiny after securing the catch in the narrowest of windows with a defender fouling him before the football even got within his grasp.
“I was happy for him when he made that first touchdown,” Parker said Friday.
Or second-year Dolphins receiver Preston Williams, who had two drops that may have kept Tagovailoa from getting into a rhythm in first NFL start last week and might not have heard much praise for catching the first completion in that game.
Or tight end Mike Gesicki, who became a reliable downfield target with former starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, after his deep pass from Tagovailoa was contested and broken up by a defensive back.
The Dolphins’ pass-catchers will get used to hearing this sentence with Tagovailoa in shotgun, especially heading into Sunday’s road game against the Arizona Cardinals: They need to do more to help their quarterback.
“You can’t get anything right unless you work at it. Especially with Tua coming in recently, we’ve been working with him since he’s gotten here. We’re not too far off, but there is some fine-tuning to do,” said Dolphins rookie receiver Malcolm Perry, who caught a 10-yard pass in his debut lastweek.
“The reps after practice are extremely important, just as important as the reps in practice. We’ re meeting with him and trying to get things right every day.”
Sure, Tagovailoa and his team mates have been working together since the end of July, but Fitzpatrick was getting the lion share of the first-team snaps during the first seven weeks of the season.
Dolphins receivers say they have been spending anywhere from an extra 5-30minutes after practice catching footballs from Tagovailoa, hoping to create better on-field chemistry with their starting quarterback.
Tagovailoa and Williams have a budding connection that hasn’t found its stride yet, as shown in lastweek’s performance.
Williams skillfully ran a slant route and dove in position to catch an 8-yard pass from Tagovailoa to mark the first completion of the game against the Rams last week. They couldn’t connect one play late rona deep pass down the sideline.
But Williams also had two drops later in the first half, with Miami leading 21-7, that failed to help the Dolphins capitalize after an interception by Eric Rowe.
First, Williams dropped a 6-yard pass, when Williams said he took his eyes off the ball before securing it. The second drop came on a crossing route when Williams said he tried to run before making the catch.
It’s worth noting Tagovailoa should have thrown the second dropped pass to Williams slightly earlier, when Williams was on the left hash mark, so he could turn upfield instead of whenhe threw it to the right hash mark where Williams was met by a defender while making the catch.
“Me dropping a ball isnot helping. I’m harder on myself more than any body can be hard on me,” Williams said this week. “Just being one of the receivers that they count on, I just try to make every play.”
Still, the onus — sometimes unfairly — comes down to the receiver more than the quarter back to make plays when the football is in their vicinity.
Tagovailoa says he needs to do a better job of recognizing pressure and making throws despite of it, especially throws that can give his receivers the opportunity to gain more yards after the catch.
But the Dolphins’ other 10 offensive players know they also need to do their part to help Tagovailoa succeed.
Dolphins right guard Soloman Kindley says the developing offensive line needs to be perfect for Tagovailoa to stay upright, comfortable and healthy.
Jakeem Grant says he and the Dolphins’ others receivers need to be exceptional because the Cardinals have the NFL’s top offense in yards gained and are in the top 10 in scoring.
“The Cardinals put up numbers, and we know that we’ ve got to go out there and execute to the tee,” Grant said. “All of us as receivers, we stayed after practice with Tua just to get our timing right, so we know that we’ve got to go out there and dominate. We can’t have a game like we had last week.”