Tua Tagovailoa to critics of his deep ball: 'I don't care'
With all the news still spinning out of the Jets season opener, you might’ve missed Tua Tagovailoa providing 466 reasons as to why he can throw deep.
The Dolphins quarterback was playing his first regular season game since he suffered a concussion playing against the Packers on Christmas Day. And the whole arm strength question became a hot topic because Miami was playing the Chargers. Justin Herbert, who now is the second highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, is QB1 for the LA Chargers. The two quarterbacks went fifth and sixth in the 2020 NFL Draft. Four years later, there’s still chatter about whether the Dolphins should’ve picked Herbert instead of Tua because of the arm strength issue.
Tagovailoa threw for 466 yards in leading the Dolphins to a rollicking, 36-34 road win over the Chargers. It turned out to be the fourth-best passing performance in an opener in the history of the NFL. But that detail wasn’t a major news maker with what happened with Aaron Rodgers in his opener with the Jets.
Tua Tagovailoa still was asked about critics of his arm and the perceived lack of strength. Did he silence them?
“I don’t care,” says the Dolphins quarterback. “I mean, I don’t care. 466, that’s what 466 is if I can’t throw deep. Thanks”
Yes, what Tua Tagavoila did was historic. So we’re grabbing some numbers to give you some context. Norm Van Brocklin, aka The Dutchman, threw for 554 yards in the 1951 season opener for the Rams. Tom Brady’s 517 yards in the 2011 opener for the Patriots ranks second. Then come a couple of Dolphins. Dan Marino threw for 473 in 1994. Then came Tua’s 466.
Marcus Spears, a former NFL defensive lineman who now works for ESPN, encouraged the Dolphins quarterback to stand his ground when answering his critics.
Spears said, “Drop the Russell Wilson, Tua. Be hell on wheels, man. When you ball out, tell everybody. Have confidence in what you’re doing. The rest of your team will.”
Tagovailoa earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, the NFL announced Wednesday. It’s the second time the former Alabama standout picked up the award. But it probably meant more this time around given the problems he had with concussions in 2022. The quarterback added 10 pounds so that his body could better handle hits. And he also took martial arts classes to learn how to fall after taking said hit.
Not to be overlooked, Tyreek Hill caught 11 of the passes for 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winner. His outing was the third-best season opener for a receiver in NFL history.
“It was a good team win,” Tua Tagovailoa told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “That’s how I look at it. That’s how I’ll always look at it. Without the guys up front blocking, without the guys outside catching, without our run game going, none of that for me was possible. And without the defense getting that stop against a good offense, I don’t think we’d all be here talking about the win we had and the accomplishments that everyone on our side of the ball had.”