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When FS1 gets into their primetime programming in the morning, it starts off with Undisputed, but they’ve been on hiatus since Shannon Sharpe exited the show. They’ve yet to find Sharpe’s replacement, so the show running in that slot is the Craig Carton Show. It’s the early morning show that ran before Undisputed, so they just pulled it back a few hours. I honestly don’t have much interest in the show due to Carton’s super pro-Jets, anti-Dolphins views, but that’s expected. He loves the Dolphins' most hated enemy, so I’m naturally not going to like his show. I did give it a glance yesterday and caught this Tua Tagovailoa rant.
Can the Miami Dolphins contend for a Super Bowl with a healthy Tua Tagovailoa?
— The Carton Show (@TheCartonShow) July 11, 2023
“He’s the best worst quarterback I’ve ever seen in the NFL. I do not think he’s a guy that’s gonna lead a team to a Super Bowl.” — @craigcartonlive pic.twitter.com/KhZHcIDuMh
Now the essence of what he’s saying is that since Tua doesn’t have a quote-on-quote “rocket arm,” he can’t lead a team to a Superbowl. I’m not going to sit here and act like Tua has a top-10 NFL arm, but despite that, he’s actually one of the best deep-ball throwers in the game. He doesn’t rely on arm power but uses anticipation and timing to hit those deep bombs to Reek & Waddle. May see some Robbie Chosen this year too.
Next Gen Stats ranked Tua as the #2 deep ball passer in the NFL for 2022.
Deep attempts: 27-of-50, 891 yards, 10:2 TD-INT, 122.1 passer rating
Deep comp: 54%
Deep xComp: 43.6%
Deep CPOE: +10.4%
Not only do the numbers favor Tua’s deep passing ability, but he’s also got the highlights to back it up. Granted, some of the bombs to Reek have been wide open, but beyond that, Tua has completed a bunch of big-time deep passes. From the comeback against Baltimore, the Waddle pass in Miami against the Bills, or the bomb to Reek late in the year in Buffalo. Last year was filled with offense. First time in a long time too. Go ahead, and enjoy Tuas top plays with Waddle, and tell me he doesn’t have enough arm.
Where’s Waddle?
— NFL (@NFL) July 2, 2023
Probably near the end zone @D1__JW pic.twitter.com/IMa0or83mD
I’m not too sure why there’s still this national narrative against Tua’s deep passing ability, but the numbers show he’s elite. No, he doesn’t have a rocket arm, but he makes it works with the other tools at his disposal. It may just be that Jets fans naturally have to dog Tua, but I think that everyone who watched that rant knew he was just hating. At the end of the day, we know Tua is the guy, and Jets media guys are going to hate on the Dolphins.
Let us know what you think about Tua’s Next Gen Stats ranking for deep ball passing and Craig Carton’s take yesterday in the comments.
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