Tua is not the Problem

I didn’t mention stat one in my post. I merely stated the co-coordinator offense lacked any schemes that resulted in any big plays. Where you draw “stats” from that is beyond me.

Last season Tagovailoa was under constant criticism that all he was was a dink and dunk quarterback…that he couldn’t make a big deep ball plays. That was anything but true. All of that dink and dunk passing was the offensive scheme that was was expected to execute. That offense sucked but Tua executed that terrible offense effectively. He did what he was asked to do…he drove the VW Beetle. It wasn’t Tua, it was the Beetle.

This season’s offensive scheme disputed all of the doubters about Tagovailoa’s ability. He was indeed able to make the long throw…he was indeed able to make big plays. The player remained the same. The offense different offense was the determining factor.

 

Warren Moon was pretty dang good.

wonder what happened in 1995 that cause the explosion in 4000 yard passers.

Elway is on the list once. and he was considered one of the best ever.

 

You can see based on the graph below how certain NFL rule changes more or less coincide with increases in 4000+ yard passing seasons:

- 1978: illegal contact rule restricting contact beyond 5 yards downfield, and OL allowed to extend arms and open hands on pass plays
- 1993: not intentional grounding when out of pocket and pass is beyond line of scrimmage even if no receiver in area
- 1995: not allowed to unnecessarily and violently throw down a passer during or just after throwing a pass
- 2006: low hits on QB prohibited when rusher can avoid it
- 2009: defender cannot initiate roll or lunge to hit passer at or below knee area even if he is contacted by another player

There's probably more but this is a slow progression towards flag football, which btw the players say they loved in the Pro Bowl lol.

 

Who was the dude pre 1970 that threw for 4000? Tarkington .

 

Namath in 1967. 4007 yards.

 

Did some of the players actually say that? I watched about three minutes of the game and turned it off- it certainly didn't feel like I was watching NFL football.

 

Yeah.. many players liked it, fans not as much. ESPN even had an article on how it was a "hit" with players lol:
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35596198/flag-football-hit-players-revamped-pro-bowl

btw.. this whole flag football thing was Russell Wilson's idea in case you want someone to blame haha.

 

Great information. While it wasn't necessarily a rule change, I think the biggest factor in recent explosion in passing is how the league started officiating the secondary following Bill Polian's complaints after the 2004 (or 2005?) title game. It's no coincidence we saw Marino's records fall to not just 1, but multiple QBs following the change in officiating. And why veteran QBs like Favre started putting up huge passing numbers in the late stages of his career. And why QBs like Drew Brees and Tom Brady suddenly started making it look like back yard football out there.

It's not to say they're not all great QBs, but they were never as good of passers as guys like Marino. They demolished his records because passing became A LOT easier following that season. It remains that way today, but I did like some of the games I watched this year where they were letting them play in the secondary a bit more. But fans want big passing games, and big name QBs in superbowls so I doubt we ever see a return to pre-2005 officiating in our lifetimes, especially with the growing concern towards player safety.

 

To be honest, a modified flag football that allows for some contact and hand guarding flags would be just as entertaining in many ways. You lose the tackles essentially. ‍♂️‍♂️

 

Only idiot fans. And the problem with the NFL catering to those fans, is that it does a couple things:

1. Cheapens accomplishments and makes big passing games run of the mill
2. Creates a neverending chase to increase passing, which eventually requires disadvantaging the defenses because they've exhausted the other ways of increasing passing.

 

Agree 100%. And I think most of us on this board, young and old fans alike agree. The problem is, we're not most fans. Most fans are the casual idiots we're talking about that only know the QBs, want to see tons of scoring, and spend more time watching the commercials than the game on Superbowl Sunday. These are the fans the NFL is catering too. Why we're seeing nonsense in the NFL like the "Pro Bowl" last weekend. The terrible commercials, the awful coverage, and every other terrible thing that's happened to this sport in the last 20 years.

The NFL is trying too hard to be cool. But in trying to be cool, they're becoming cringe-worthy bad, and the NFL most of us know and love is dying a slow painful death.

But I'm off topic on an old guy rant...where were we?

Oh yeah, Tua!

 

I'm going to predict that this trend is coming to an end. Not that there's any statistical evidence for that happening yet (see the attached graph on league average passer rating — straight line up since the 1978 rule change), but I think there's a point where the NFL is going to say that further disadvantaging the defense is going to hurt their product, i.e., lower the entertainment value. And I think they're now at that point. So my prediction is league average rating will stabilize where it is right now at around 90 for the foreseeable future. We'll see if I'm right (I hope so, because it's going to become ridiculous if they keep this up).

 

It's because the NFL is chasing money, and it's about the money now, NOT about the game.

We all heard the story of the goose that laid golden egg...yet the business world seemingly have heard that story.

 

Exactly. TV shows do it to. Every show on TV whether it's cable or streaming has a choice to make. Make good quality shows and hope fans will watch, or dumbed down TV that appeals to the masses. When they choose the latter, it's usually terriblel. See current season of Yellowstone for a great example...

 

You’re a better man than I am Key. I didn’t even turn the game on. Had absolutely ZERO interest in the Pro “Bowl”.

I remember the days of the Pro BOWL when you literally saw the BEST against the BEST and it was a slug fest for bragging rights.

It’s become a sad affair anymore.

 

I hear you, couldnt watch more than five minutes of that crap.

 

Dude it's everything. Video games. Every. Damn. Thing.

 

And, Hill still got clobbered physically. Thankfully not hurt

 

could you imagine paying for that?

 

Tua is taking judo this off-season to learn how to fall better and protect himself:

https://www.thephinsider.com/platfo...will-be-learning-how-to-fall-in-the-offseason

 

Much props to the poster who said Tua should learn judo.

He's doing it:

 

hitman8 suggested that. Hope it helps.

 

So, we were talking about Tua playing poorly without Hill and Waddle. You are using plays to Hill and Waddle to determine how good Tua is. I don't agree that those big plays were because of Tua. Those big plays were because guys were running wide open. When they were no longer running wide open, the big plays disappeared. So, yeah, I don't think it was about Tua, despite what some of the lofty stats say. And that's ultimately what you are basing it on. If not stats, what then?

 

If your assessment was accurate…that it is was all Hill and Waddle, Bridgewater and Thompson would have had equally monster games and big plays as Tua did.

Can’t have this both ways.

 

I'm gonna have to disagree with you for one reason: Many of Tua's passes to Waddle and Cheetah were made before they were wide open. He was throwing them open, which is a trait elite QBs possess. His timing never returned after he was injured and those plays were fewer in number. I was throwing stuff at the screen when I'd see them breaking with nobody behind them and he would either target somebody else or throw it a half second late. The stats are the stats and suggesting he was not as good as they indicate only works when you also give him a pass for drops and bobbles that led to interceptions. He doesn't get a pass for his receivers' mishaps, so he gets credit for their success. Besides, it's not like he was chucking the ball blindly and letting them run under it.

 

Why, was my assessment that Bridgewater is as good as Tua? There are many reasons why Teddy sucked, the main one being, he didn't seem to care.

I'm not gonna argue with you. I know what I see. And I see a guy who needs massive talent around to be successful.

 

No, he was throwing to spots. This is why later in the season when everything fell apart, that **** wasn't working. I don't think Tua was throwing anyone open.

Certainly wasn't in years 1 and 2. So then we arrive back at, Tua requires significant talent around him to be successful.

 

I'm sure your film studies show different.

 

Great news! That was exactly my suggestion.

 

Wow! Thank God you suggested this! So smart!

 

Sigh. The point was that he recognized an opportunity, and is taking steps to improve an area that will keep him on the field.


Personally, I’m hoping that he’s a quick study and uses judo to throw Matt Milano around like a rag doll next year.

 

I'd just as soon see him learn bullfighting so he can sidestep charging defenders. And also tumbling, so he'll know how to land once contact is inevitable.

 

From espn.com (please click the link to give Marcel support for his reporting):
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35632595/tua-tagovailoa-thankful-dolphins-long-protocol-stint

Tua Tagovailoa 'thankful' to Dolphins for long protocol stint
6:22 PM ET
Marcel Louis-Jacques
ESPN
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa shed light on his 36-dayslong stay in concussion protocol, admitting it was by design.

Speaking to USA Today, Tagovailoa said the Dolphins effectively shut him down after he was placed into concussion protocol Dec. 26 for the second time last season. He missed Miami's final three games of the season, including its playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.

"For concussion protocol, I think the team did me the biggest service throughout that," Tagovailoa said. "They never allowed me to go through protocol normally until the season was done. So that's why it might have seemed like it took forever, but they were just protecting me from myself. And me and my family are very thankful to the Dolphins.

"But it really entailed a lot of exertion, so like running, ocular and vestibular movements, so like balance, proprioception -- things like that. Having went to see a doctor in Pittsburgh, got clear from him and then had to do written test, memorization."

The third-year quarterback was diagnosed with two separate concussions during an otherwise career-best season for him, limiting him to just 12 games. He hit the back of his head on the ground on both occasions.

Tagovailoa said he will practice judo in the offseason in an effort to understand his body better and learn to fall in a more controlled manner. He told Yahoo! that he is tired of being asked about his concussions, although he understands where people are coming from.

"For one, people haven't heard from me in however long after the incident, and I would say another thing is some people are actually genuinely worried about my health," he said. "I hear people telling my ... people that are in my close circle, like, 'Hey, you should retire, hey you should do this.' And I feel like I've heard it all.

"But I think I've had all the information that I need to move forward with the decision that I made with me and my wife and my family, and understanding that you're playing this sport, and understanding and knowing the precautions that these things can happen. It's football, it's a physical sport."

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa will be the team's starting quarterback in 2023. Grier said based on what they've been told by doctors and specialists, the Dolphins don't believe Tagovailoa's recent concussion will leave him more susceptible to them in the future.

The Dolphins face a May 1 deadline to decide whether to exercise Tagovailoa's fifth-year option; no decision has been announced, but Grier told reporters in January that "everything is on the table."

 

Sounds like he's considered the long-term possibilities and thinks it's worth the risk.

Then I hope he's right.

 

I guess we now know Tua reads our posts. Glad he didn't listen to the ones suggesting retirement

 

No kidding, I know I personally did a bit of overreacting after the third concussion against Green Bay. I'm definitely guilty of that. What a rough way to end such a promising season. Hopefully the judo helps him. As a former skateboard enthusiast, we were always telling each other that you have to learn how to fall as crazy as that sounds.

 

Well that remains to be seen. If he ends up with long term problems, then he won't be glad he didn't retire.

 

Tua is making one more run at this. His orthopedic injury history is many. His concussions injuries are multiple.

He's learning Judo to fall better. He's changed agents. He's trying to go on talk shows. He's doing advertisements on these shows. Very clear he's trying to make as money as possible with a future so unsure. No player is going to retire with so much money on the field. He'll keep trying to play for as long as the Dolphins are dumb enough to keep naming him their starting QB.

 

Tua has the 5th best odds for MVP next year.