The first week of the NFL’s 105th season was a smashing success for the league and its broadcasting partners. Fox Sports announced that it netted a benchmark 17.9 million viewers for their Sunday singleheader. But not everyone was happy that day.
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For the Miami Dolphins and their star quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, the day was nothing short of a disaster. The Indianapolis Colts pummelled them early in their game, claiming a 20-0 lead at halftime. They eventually won 33-8.
Tagovailoa was responsible for not one but two interceptions on the day. He mustered up a measly total of 114 passing yards and 14 pass completions. The poor performance prompted NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe to comment that it’s time to call up some receipts… Not just for Tua, but for Tyreek Hill as well.
“Remember when Tyreek Hill said that Tua is better than Mahomes? You’d really say that after the guy has won two MVPs? You would literally say, ‘Tua is better than Mahomes.’ The guy has had a 5,000-yard season, a 50-touchdown season,” Shannon said.
It’s not what many had hoped for or expected of Tua before the contest. But now that this Week 1 performance has been added to his rather extensive blooper reel, many more are beginning to wonder if Tua is even as good as he was initially advertised to be. Sharpe is also part of that growing list of skeptics.
The former Denver Bronco even went as far as to suggest that teams are more than aware of Tagovailoa’s flaws. So much so that they are now beginning to script their game plans around them.
“When defensive guys watch tape, they know,” Sharpe suggested. “Here’s a guy that wants to get the ball out quick. He doesn’t want to take a lot of excess hits. So even if we don’t sack him, or we don’t get him, let’s hit him… He doesn’t like contact. Let’s get a little handsy with the guy, let’s put hands on him… That’s what the tape tells us.”
Thankfully, for both Tua and the rest of the Dolphins’ roster, it’s just Week 1. There’s plenty of time left to recover from a slow start to the season. Both the front office and the coaching staff are aware of that.
Unlike their fan base, the organization isn’t ready to do away with the current face of their team just yet. After all, they did grant him the 12th most valuable quarterback contract in the league, with a total value of $212,400,000.
Miami will be renewing its storied rivalry with the New England Patriots in Week 2. The matchup has an interesting, albeit rumored, subplot. It’s happening at a time when rumors are doing the rounds that the Chiefs are trying to strike a deal with the Dolphins to get Tyreek on board, after their WRs face injury blows.
Nonetheless, the game, which comes with the added fanfare a home opener provides, should be enough to pep up a team that certainly needs some encouragement.
Of course, that enthusiasm is also prone to souring, especially if Tagovailoa has a repeat performance.
