The quarterback battle in Miami is pretty much set as Tua Tagovailoa is the odds-on favorite to be starter at the beginning of the season for Miami. He comes off of an impressive rookie year in Miami in 2020. He took over for Ryan Fitzpatrick late during a blowout vs the Jets in week 6 of the NFL season. This was the game where he completed his first NFL pass and made his run as the Dolphins starter. Tagovailoa definitely had his ups and downs during his rookie season. Some people say it was a struggle in 2020 for Tagovailoa, but others think he did great in his rookie season. This article will take a look at Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa has a lot of good attributes as a quarterback. He knows how to move around in the pocket and extend plays. He also has a strong arm and is a pretty good passer overall for a rookie. There are many times throughout the 2020 season where Tagovailoa threaded the needle and made some big plays during the 2020 season.
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He can also run with the ball. The Dolphins quarterback has enough speed get out of the pocket and scramble when the play breaks down. He only had 109 rushing yards during the season, but when he did run he made it count. The NFL is a passing league and that is where he needs to excel to be a great NFL quarterback. The Dolphins run a two tight end offense, which plays to a rookie quarterbacks’ advantage. This means play action is available and it will make it easier to find open receivers whether it’s a tight end or a wide receiver. This offense also opens up the run, which is needed to make this type of offense efficient. Tagovailoa seemed to really excel in this offense in the nine games he started as quarterback in Miami.
Tagovailoa performed pretty well for the number of games he started in the 2020 season. He passed for 1,814 yards and had 11 passing touchdowns. Tagovailoa had a 64.1 completion percentage, which isn’t too shabby as a first-year quarterback. The Miami quarterback had some struggles passing as he had five interceptions that year. This is pretty normal as a rookie since he is getting use to playing at a very different level than he did in college. As said above, he had 109 rushing yards, but the upside to that is that he had three rushing touchdowns. These were mostly close to the end-zone. He is strong for a 6-foot quarterback and can be tough to bring down at times. Overall, he had a pretty successful season, as he helped take the Dolphins to a 10-6 record by the end of the season.
The Dolphins have a tough road ahead of them in the 2021 season. Miami is a contender to make the playoffs this coming season. They will most likely be fighting for a wildcard spot, as it will be tough to beat out the the Bills who are possible super bowl contenders. The Dolphins have a chance though, if Tagovailoa can build off his rookie season and make more noise in 2021. In Miami, Tagovailoa is the answer for the Dolphins to be successful. It will be interesting to see if the Dolphins can get a playoff berth with this young rookie quarterback at the end of the 2021 season.
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