Miami is the nexus of cult phenomenons. Warmth Tradition, cryptocurrency, crash diets. Over the past yr and a half, Tua Tagavailoa has additionally develop into a South Seaside cult favourite. Tuanon is essentially the most distinguished group of devoted believers within the Dolphins quarterback. When the Tuanon founder died final yr, Tagovailoa even donated $10,000 to his family’s GoFundMe.
Many cults train their followers that the wrong prophecies, and the collective ache will present a payoff in the long run. The trail to enlightenment entails overlooking the faults of its leaders. Tuanon membership required his believers to reward him as their franchise savior spearheading the Dolphins return to prominence. The opposite factor about cults is that they’re normally led by charlatans. Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel fed the league a invoice of products towards the league’s bottom-shelf golf equipment, however within the gentle of day didn’t come near stacking up.
For the previous two years, I’ve been preventing a battle with anybody who can hear; acquaintances, colleagues, acquaintances of mine from Buffalo Invoice nation that Tagovailoa has the moxy to be that man and for a while he was onto something.
“Pass velocity and mobility are overrated, but you can’t just discount a cat who has the nerves of steel to replace Jalen Hurts in a national title game, flex on UGA’s defense and uncork a deep bomb in overtime that staved off the Bulldogs dynasty for a few more years.”
“He isn’t injury-prone. He’s just operating behind a paper mache offensive line.
“ Replace him with Justin Fields and he’d be late on Tyreek Hill’s open windows on intermediate routes, and donating twice as many turnovers if he had to be a high volume passer.”
The purpose posts have shifted within the final two years although, and Tuanon has remained resolute of their protection. On Friday morning, Tuanon’s defiant believers challenged the standard perception and all the things we’ve seen from the Dolphins quarterback with our eyes.
On Saturday night time, Tagovailoa responded to his first chilly plunge by dropping management over his limbs within the fourth coldest surroundings for a sport in NFL historical past, throwing 39 passes, however finishing solely 20 for 199 yards, one landing, and one interception in a 26-7 loss. The one assertion Tagovailoa made was that he lacks the je ne sais quoi qualities of a quarterback that may get this Dolphins crew over the playoff hump.
Tagovailoa is Jared Goff redux. He’s an excellent quarterback in pristine situations, working an offensive genius’ offensive Maserati, however he’s a boot on Miami’s offense, stopping them from reaching their full potential. Saturday was the second-time this season Tagovailoa has been crushed within the Chiefs’ compactor. On the ultimate drive of their previous matchup in November, he bought so flustered when Steve Spagnuolo despatched a Cowl 0 blitz after him on fourth and lengthy that he fumbled the shotgun snap and dove on high like a dwell grenade on fourth down. Earlier within the aforementioned drive, he overthrew a large open Cedrick Wilson on a play that might have put them in scoring place. It foreshadowed how Tagovailoa slid from MVP convos to the Jared Goff 2.0 kiddie desk.
In equity to Tagovailoa, the quarterback he’s most in comparison with from his draft class, Justin Herbert, has by no means actually gotten it accomplished in January, both. However he will get a move as a result of he’s an enormous arm and prototypical passer whom coaches consider they’ll hone.
Miami’s charlatan led the league in passing however, in a muddy pocket, Tagovailoa evaporated. That was the theme once more on Saturday. When Kansas Metropolis’s fourth-ranked move protection and second-stingiest scoring protection bore down on Tagovailoa, he put the Dolphins in a pine field.
A choose few quarterbacks are in a position to overcome their bodily limitations. Joe Burrow’s arm power has been derided by everybody from City Meyer to draft evaluators, who had him rated the highest quarterback in his class. Tagovailoa isn’t as cool or poised in or exterior the pocket sufficient to be the dynamic arm or explosive runner that Mike McDaniel’s offensive system requires.
Tagovailoa is likely to be a viable reply As the top of a bodily offense that wished to grind the ball and pop a deep ball. However Mike McDaniel’s flag soccer quick-strike system has hit a wall with Tagovailoa behind heart.
The Tua dilemma couldn’t have come at a worse time for all events. Coming into Tagovailoa’s fifth season, GM Chris Grier has to think about the downwind impact of playing on Tagovailoa with long-term franchise quarterback cash. Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey are being paid top-tier cash. Jaylen Waddle might be taking part in for an extension quickly.
In the meantime, the Chiefs are working with a barebones employees at receiver after downsizing as soon as Patrick Mahomes’ extension kicked in. And but, Mahomes left the Dolphins disoriented, throwing via tight home windows to receivers he present in a Salvation Military bin. On the Chiefs’ sideline Sunday, Mahomes regarded like a quarterback whose championship window relies on seeing his personal reflection within the mirror.
Tua Tagovailoa in all probability isn’t the quarterback a contending Miami crew commits to for the lengthy haul, however the one which primes them for his or her franchise savior. After 4 years of investing in Tagovailoa, disillusionment is lastly settling in. The toughest a part of being in a cult is leaving it.
Comply with DJ Dunson on X: @cerebralsportex
