Prior to Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos, Tua Tagovailoa had one moment in his life that did not go his way and he was able to learn from it.
During his time at the Elite 11 quarterback competition with Trent Dilfer, the former Super Bowl champion challenged him to become a better leader and decision maker with the football. He knew Tagovailoa was talented, but Dilfer also saw him as an athlete who is capable of much more. He took the coaching of Dilfer and before he arrived at the University of Alabama as a five-star true freshman in 2017, Tagovailoa was the Most Valuable Player of the competition in 2016.
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As the No. 5 overall pick of the Miami Dolphins, the native Hawaiian faced another challenge this week.
He was benched for Ryan Fitzpatrick after completing 11 of 20 passes for 83 yards with one touchdown, in a 13-20 loss versus the Broncos.
Regardless of him not being as sharp as he was in meetings with Arizona and Los Angeles Chargers, Tagovailoa did not get any protection from his offensive line. The rookie quarterback was sacked six times and Miami could not effectively run the ball.
Although his performance was referred to as “poor,” one former NFL quarterback was not pleased at all with Tagovailoa getting benched.
Dan Orlovsky, a retired 12-year NFL veteran and an analyst for ESPN, saw nothing poor from Tagovailoa’s game.
Rewatching that tape for @MiamiDolphins it’s hard for me to accept @Tua got pulled for his performance….it wasn’t even remotely close to being “poor”
-OL got overwhelmed
-3 drops
-going on 4th qtr drive and 3 OL penalties crush it
-1 miss throw/1 miss read?!?!— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 23, 2020
Obviously, he wanted to produce better numbers yet the Broncos crafted the perfect plan against Tagovailoa.
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Despite the disappointment of Orlovsky, the Dolphins are not moving off the rookie.
According to Cameron Wolfe, a beat reporter for the Dolphins via ESPN, Brian Flores (head coach) and Fitzpatrick both assured Tagovailoa that this is his team.
Brian Flores on Tua Tagovailoa: He’s a talented player. He’s a young player, He’s a developing player. We have a lot of confidence in him. That’s why he’s the starter… He’s got my full support. He’s got the support of the coaching staff and the locker room.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) November 23, 2020
But Brian Flores says there will be no long-term QB changes. Tua Tagovailoa remains the starter. He’s not worried about what this will do to Tua’s confidence.
“He’s healthy… He’s a confident kid. He’s fine.”
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) November 23, 2020
Ryan Fitzpatrick: There’s no controversy. This is Tua’s team.
Fitz said he spoke to Tua on the sidelines and the locker room about how to handle the benching. He said it’s over now, and it’s about how he moves forward.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) November 23, 2020
No one performs better after a teachable moment than Tagovailoa.
He did it at the Elite 11, he bounced back from a sack in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game and fired a game-winning touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith for Alabama, and he is set to turn this situation into a positive one.
RELATED: Tua Tagovailoa sacked six times, gets benched in loss to Broncos
Galu Tagovailoa, Tua’s father, coached him hard as a child. He has taken hard coaching and it’s benefited him throughout his football career.
Dilfer was on him hard and Nick Saban pushed Tagovailoa as well. He will do fine with Flores moving forward.
The main thing for Miami is drafting offensive linemen, running backs and a couple more receiving options for Tagovailoa.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
