More support is coming to Tua Tagovailoa in the form of NFL legends.
Terrell Owens ushered in a league of dominant wide receivers. Owens played with several teams for 16 years (1996-12), earning him a spot on the 2000s All-Decade Team and in the San Francisco 49ers Ring of Honor. He is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his accomplishments. Owens won first-team All-Pro five times and made six Pro Bowls. He led the league in touchdowns during 2001, 2002, and 2006. As a native of Alexander City, Ala., the nine-time 1,000-yard receiver knows excellence.
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He followed O.J. Simpson in vouching for Tagovailoa ahead of his third season.
Owens spoke last week about his time with Tagovailoa as a freshman at Alabama. Brennan Scarlett, a former linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, joined Owens via Getcha Popcorn Ready on Fubo Sports Network. Scarlett wants to see Tagovailoa be the man for the Dolphins. He knows the talent that the native Hawaiian has, but he also saw Tagovailoa’s character in the locker room.
Owens remembered the moment he knew the No. 5 overall pick could make every throw on the field.
“I worked out with him when he was a true freshman,” Owens said of Tagovailoa.
“This was when Calvin Ridley and other guys like Jerry Jeudy were in college. During their junior or senior year, they wanted me to run routes. They were trying to get Jalen Hurts to come out there, but they could not find him. They had just gotten ahold of Tua, and I’m like ‘who?’ They said he was the real deal. They said ‘if Jalen was not here, he would be our starting quarterback right now.’ He came out there, and we were out there for an hour and a half, he did not miss a route. I corrected one adjustment on a bang eight. That was the only correction I made. When he threw it again, I have never seen anything like it as a true freshman.”
Tagovailoa can change speeds and make pro-caliber passes. Mike McDaniel has set his quarterback up to have the last laugh at his critics. As the support for Tagovailoa keeps coming, all eyes will be on him in the coming fall.
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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.
