TUA TIME ARRIVES FOR THE DOLPHINS
`FitzMagic' steps aside as Miami starter to make way for future face of franchise
It seems an odd time to be changing quarterbacks, but Tua each his own.
The Miami Dolphins have made rookie Tua Tagovailoa the team's new starting quarterback, supplanting veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, according to the NFL Network and ESPN.
The Dolphins, who didn't immediately confirm or deny the reports, are 3-3 in the AFC East, one game behind the first-place Buffalo Bills (4-2), and just ahead of the New England Patriots (2-3).
Even if they don't wind up winning the division, the Dolphins are in the thick of the hunt for one of three AFC wild card post-season berths, with 10 games to play.
So why swap out the 37-yearold Fitzpatrick now for the raw, 22-year-old rookie, when “FitzMagic” has played quite well so far? And when Fitz has started NFL games for nearly as many teams (eight) as Tagovailoa — after his late-game career debut on Sunday — has career pro passing yards (nine)?
Well, the Dolphins have their bye this week. That gives Tagovailoa nearly two weeks to prepare for his first start, at home on Sunday, Nov. 1, against the Los Angeles Rams.
Furthermore, the Dolphins are playing quite well at the moment, having won three of their last four, including a 24-0 smashing of the Jets this past Sunday and a 43-17 demolition of the host San Francisco 49ers the week before.
This sets up Tagovailoa nicely for success — as opposed, say, to jamming him in as starter following two or three miserable outings from Fitzpatrick, which has tended to happen at previous stops in Fitz's 16-year journeyman career.
Look, everybody knew it was just a matter of time before Tagovailoa would succeed Fitzpatrick as starter. The Dolphins drafted the former University of Alabama standout fifth overall in April's draft for a reason.
That was only five months after he had undergone surgery to repair a fractured and dislocated hip — potentially career-threatening injuries.
It was at the NFL scouting combine in late February when Tagovailoa surprised all the gathered talent evaluators and hundreds of reporters by disclosing he was already close to making a full recovery. Fully 10 hours of tests by league doctors confirmed as much.
Tagovailoa was one of U.S. college football's most dynamic quarterbacks from 2017-19.
Among his peers, Fitz today ranks in the teens in most major statistical categories this season. He had been on track for his most accurate season in the NFL (70.1 per cent completions) and one of his best passer ratings (95).
But he knew the deal. He knew he would soon be handing the ball off to Tagovailoa, the future face of the franchise.
When Fitz was pulled for Tagovailoa late in Sunday's win over the Jets, he not only showed no hint of disappointment, he actually encouraged fans at Hard Rock Stadium to cheer the rookie during his career debut.
Fitz is the ultimate team player at a position notorious for selfish egotists.
He ought to serve Tagovailoa well for the remainder of this season, if not beyond, as a helpful mentor.
Still, if you're the Bills or Patriots, you've got to be privately clapping at this bold decision by Miami head coach Brian Flores. A green-as-grass rookie is unlikely to lead any team to the playoffs after debuting as the starter in Week 8.
Perhaps Flores believes the fleet-footed lefty can open up more of offensive co-ordinator Chan Gailey's playbook. Maybe.
A huge factor going against the six-foot southpaw, however, is that the Miami offensive line ranks 31st among the NFL's 32 teams through Week 6, according to ProFootballFocus.com.
“As a pass-blocking unit, Miami's OL has been better (26th), but still not good,” PFF's Sam Monson tweeted. “Don't measure an OL by sacks allowed. That's something the QB/scheme controls far more than the OL. Which is my point, that Fitz has been helping them a lot. Tua needs to be able to, as well.”
That's a tough task for Tua, fresh out of the box.