The Extra Point: Tua Tagovailoa's Development on Display in Miami
The difference was immediately apparent.
Earlier this week, the Miami Dolphins opened training camp and held their first practice of the 2021 season, and Tua Tagovailoa was leading the offense.
Remember back a year ago, he was coming off hip injury and Ryan Fitzpatrick was still considered the starter. There was even talk that the Dolphins should essentially "redshirt" the former Alabama quarterback who was the No. 5-overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Now there's no doubt that it's his offense, and at minimum he’s showing a different level of maturity.
“Just being able to talk to the guys and tell the guys not always what they want to hear but what they need to hear and how we need to kind of build on that, and where we need to be from there," he said via AllDolphins.com.
"After practice, I got to get everyone together and talked to the entire offense and just talked about our evaluation of the day — how we started, how we looked throughout the middle of practice and then how we finished. I think overall we did pretty good. Obviously there’s always going to be things we need to brush up on and clean up, but it’s the first day of camp.”
Tagovailoa told reporters he wasn't interested in making any comparisons to a year ago, but his body language and mannerisms said enough.
Although the second-year pro is still learning and developing, he's clearly more confident and has more poise.
“I think last year he was building on that and now he feels comfortable and now it’s his show," tight end Mike Gesicki said. "I’m happy that he’s in that position and comfortable enough to pull the whole offense together after practice and give his whole evaluation. It was just a good day.”
Also on display this week were some of Miami's offseason acquisitions, including former Crimson Tide wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in the draft.
The key now is for Tagovailoa to get in sync with his receivers.
“I think one of the most exciting things is when everyone is on the same page," he said. "When you know where your guy is going to be, when the line knows what they’re supposed to do. That’s a great feeling, when everyone is working together to accomplish what we need to accomplish on that play.”
The Extra Point is a regular weekday feature on BamaCentral, and often includes video and other elements from our FanNation partners. Other recent segments include:
With NIL, Manning Could be College Football's Golden Arch
Kareem Jackson's Return Could be Crucial for Broncos
Following Julio Jones Trade, Who Becomes the Leader of the Falcons?
Lack of Effort? Are We Talking About the Same Amari Cooper?
From Denial to Acceptance, Why Texas A&M Felt it All Last Week
