NBC’s Chris Simms: Jarrett Stidham “is more talented than Tua”

Excuse me?

NBC’s Chris Simms says that New England Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham is more talented than Miami Dolphins rookie Tua Tagovailoa. There’s no more appropriate reaction to this absolutely ludicrous take than...

Now listen... before I go about bashing Chris Simms, let me say that I’ve never played in the NFL. I’ve never coached in the NFL. I’ve never scouted for an NFL team. That said, anyone that has a pair of functional eyes and has ever watched a football game can confidently say that Simms’ opinion is not only misguided, but just flat out wrong. Has he seen both quarterbacks play?

According to Miami Herald writer Isaish Smalls II, Simms’ backed up his opinion by saying, “Tua is a creation of Alabama. You don’t think Jarrett Stidham, or like Justin Herbert, would have set the world on fire if they got to play with four first-round receivers and two first-round tackles?”

For some context, Simms was discussing his recently released quarterback rankings in which he placed Tagovailoa at no. 40 and Stidham at no. 35. Further analyzing, Simms went on, “I could be off on Stidham. He could be way greater than what I say, way off. I am not saying my list is in stone, but my list has been pretty good the last few years, and I certainly like the potential of Jarrett Stidham, what I saw in college and he was very impressive in the preseason. The fact that New England likes him, makes me like him, too.”

Could Stidham go on to have a better NFL career than Tagovailoa? Sure. It’s possible. Does that mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that Stidham, a 4th-round pick who’s played just 15 more regular season snaps than Tua, is more talented than one of the most successful college quarterbacks of all time?

Heck no.

Did Tagovailoa have an excellent support cast at Alabama? Absolutely. Does that diminish the stellar praise he has received and the impact of his success on the college football record books? Not at all. Am I asking too many rhetorical questions? Probably.

There’s no argument here. As it currently stands, in the summer of 2020, Tua Tagovailoa is more talented than Jarrett Stidham. Period.