Tua Tagovailoa’s route to respect!

Last week in one of our question of the day post I discussed the still lingering doubt surrounding the Miami Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Some fans love Tua and are all in while others are somewhere between sitting on the fence and outright disdain of the young signal caller. I then asked the question, “What would Tua Tagovailoa have to do this upcoming season to get the naysayers to get behind him? Is it tied to his overall play or the team’s overall record?”

Below are some of your answers and thoughts on the question-

Luvs2drnk2.0 believes nothing, not even winning a Superbowl will change some minds.

The truth is, there’s really nothing Tua can do. Even if the guy plays every game, throws for over 5000 yards, over 50 TDs, is top 5 in every passing category, and leads us to a Super Bowl win. There will STILL be doubters who will find any and every excuse possible for the team to replace him. There may be some who will finally give him some credit, but it will be very few of those who have been vocal about replacing Tua. Personally, I just don’t get it. For the first time since Dan Marino (24 years and counting), we finally have a starting QB who has given our team the best chance at winning games consistently. After 24 years of sub-.500 starting QB play, we finally get a guy who wins over 60% of the games he starts and people STILL aren’t happy. Here’s some perspective for you. Only 4 QBs starting for the Miami Dolphins since 2000 (out of 20 or so) have won 60% or better of the games they have started. Jay Fiedler (61%), Gus Frerotte (60%), Chad Pennington (60%), and Tua (62%). Oh, and by the way, Dan Marino only won 61% of the games he started.

holland182.0 is only asking for what would be an undisputed MVP season.

Really I am not asking for that much. I just need to Tua to have a minimum of 52 touchdown passes with no more than 2 interceptions throw for over 5243 yards and rush for no less than 217 yards for the season, while leading the team to, at minimum, a Superbowl appearance. If he accomplishes all of those things I am willing to give him another season to prove he can be the franchise quarterback. I feel like I am being more than reasonable here.

Spok507 is still open to Tua changing his mind. Just show up for the games and win the games!

As one of those labeled ‘naysayers’, I would say that I do truly want Tua to be ‘the guy’. But 4 years in, that is still in question for a huge portion of the fanbase and media, which, right there, tells you he hasn’t done enough to make him ‘the guy.” So what does he need to do? Perform. Simple as that. He needs to have a season where 1) he’s available for every game. He can’t change the narrative if he’s not on the field. And 2) direct this offense to wins. I, for one, am not expecting him to break any records or even be the next Dan Marino. All I want for him to do is play well enough to score points, win games, and get this franchise to the Super Bowl. I’m not expecting him to do it alone. I’m not expecting him to be Mahomes or Burrow or anyone else. He has a skill set that is capable of running the offense. He has the talent around him that can produce points if conducted correctly. He has a coach that believes in him and can play to his strengths. And now he has a defense that can help him out as well. So I’m not expecting him to be Marino and lift the team on his shoulders and do it by himself. If he could play all 17 games (I’d even take 16) and not make mistakes, while protecting the ball, making good decisions, and using the talent surrounding him effectively to get them to the playoffs and beyond, I’d say he would be ‘the guy’ and the Fins could invest in him for the future.

BxBruce gave the same answer as Spok507 but is a ClffsNotes kinda guy!

Win. And play.

sdphinsfan also believes that showing up for the games is key...

Simple. He’s got to play games. He’s got to answer the bell. The talent is there. He’s a sharp kid. But you can’t be “the man” if you only play 8 games, 10 games, or 12 games.

MIAMI235 is just looking for consistent play that doesn’t suck.

Consistency (positive play)

21Dave just wants him to stay off the turf so that he can get better at his profession.

Stay healthy and keep growing as a QB.

USMCFinzFreak is already in but like Dave wants him to stay upright and take this team deep into the postseason.

I am a Tua supporter, but for me, he needs to stay healthy and take us deep into the playoffs.

dedstrk316 wants him to stay off of the injury report, only miss two games or less, and stop trying to be Superman on every play.

Stay healthy. Play 15 games min. Throw the ball away and live to play another down. Continue doing the things he does well. Accuracy, quick release, etc.

daytonadolfan is another in the stay upright and win column.

Stay healthy and win games! Simple huh?

SlayerNation1 is bringing some sarcasm to the discussion. Also, I am still not happy with this particular signing.

The Tua narrative will be a non-issue once we get a glimpse of what Mike White can do… oh, wait, never mind!

BxBruce seems to believe that the organization has set Tua up for failure due to the lack of a solid rushing attack or maybe it's the lack of an offensive line that is able to effectively block or stay healthy.

Ironic that Marino is mentioned. In 17 seasons he never had a running game. As great as a QB as he was, he didn’t win a SB because the offense was all passing and quick scoring, leaving the D on the field forever. Now the Dolphins' brain trust seems to be heading in the same direction, relying on Tua and Tyreek, and Waddle. Had a chance to add a thousand-yard rusher for cheap and they passed. What Tua can do differently actually isn’t up to Tua. It’s Grier and MM giving him a complete set of options, which they have not done as of yet. It’s almost as if they have learned nothing from the Dolphins' history.

glen55 doesn’t get any of the negativity.

The answer to the title question is: “I have no idea.” What the nay-sayers have to say about Tua makes little sense to me. I’ll have to let them speak for themselves.

TheRoo1 believes that it would take Tua returning as Jesus Christ or Superman.

So tonight’s question is what would Tua Tagovailoa have to do this upcoming season to get the naysayers to get behind him? For Tua, it will take a five-step process. 1. Win 20 straight games. 2. Throw for 6000 yards. 3. Rush for 2000 yards. 4. Walk on water. 5. Cure cancer.

Alpha6 thinks that building on what he did previously and some additional come-from-behind wins will do it. I personally prefer the blowout wins but I’m funny like that.

Continue to build on top of last season’s performance. And get more “come-from-behind” wins too...

heatforlife should change his/her screen name to dolphinsforlife when we win the Superbowl. Also, heatforlife’s recipe for respect is similar to most, don’t get hurt and win damn games!

Stay healthy make playoffs win a game or two. If he wins us a sb he will already be the 3rd best qb in fins history. I will never see another Danny in my lifetime maybe youngens might. For all the old farts griese got us 2 rings that speak volumes

PhinsTifosi isn’t asking much!

20-0 in 2023! I suspect that would shift the narrative...

Elzabar1527 wants Tua to clean up his messy play.

Tua just needs to play every game and be his reliable old self. He doesn’t need to take as many chances and extend plays. Let the play calling manifest itself but protect himself by throwing the ball away and continue playing. His dedication to improving himself during the offseason has gone far above what other rookies of his generation have done (Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Hurts, Herbert, Lawrence, Burrows, etc). While everyone else has been relaxing and going on retreats, Tua has been working on his footwork, Judo, Jujutsu, etc. Imagine if Tua didn’t get hurt last year, we might see Tua vs Hurts in the Super Bowl. This year he just needs to continue to be on the field and protect himself from injury. His talent and other players should pick up the slack and continue to make plays. Tyreek has already put down the gauntlet. Don’t focus on yourself (Tua). Allow other players to step up. Just be there to support them. The Bengals are already in a tizzy playing without Burrows. That is exactly what we went through without Tua.

ericfos thinks not missing any plays this season will do it.

Play every snap, and I think a lot of the noise fades. Possible? I hope so! For his health and for our team's shot during this window of roster talent.

sirdolphin doesn't think it's possible and doesn't care.

He obviously can’t, but who cares?

Phinsox thinks sustained success is key and McDaniel learning to adjust to what defenses are doing better will help achieve that goal.

For some, the narrative will shift with sustained success. That narrative was solidified with the injury in Cincinnati in prime time. It wasn’t that he got hurt, it was that he looked like a pedestrian who didn’t belong on a football field. It will take time to escape that. For other doubters, narrative shifting might not be in Tua’s control. If the play calling and clock management problems are not solved, he will be blamed for the losses that result. The Steelers seemed to figure out how to stop the offense last year after getting lit up early. They dropped into deeper coverage to take away the medium to deep routes and MM failed to adjust. The Dolphins hung on to win that game but it will be the same as last year if the play-calling does not change. Other teams followed the Steelers' blueprint, unless it was just obvious, and the off-season adjustments will have every team ready with a plan.

Most of the consensus is focused on Tua’s health and ability to maintain consistency in his level of play. Thank you to everyone that took the time to answer the question and add their thoughts on the subject.

If you would like to join in on the conversations where we highlight some of our favorite comments (and even some that I disagree with) be sure to sign up for a Phinsider account. The questions post will be posted during the week with the follow-up post coming every Saturday evening as well as other random evenings.