Dolphins Notebook: Will Third Time Be the Charm for Tua? DeVante Deliver, X Talk and More
For the third time in five starts, Tua Tagovailoa is among the nominees for the Pepsi Zero Rookie of the Week award.
Tagovailoa was nominated for his performance in the 19-7 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals when he completed 26 of 39 passes for 296 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
Fans can vote for the award at https://www.nfl.com/voting/rookies/. The winner will be announced late in the week.
Tagovailoa also was nominated for his play in the 34-31 victory at Arizona on Nov. 8 and against the L.A. Chargers on Nov. 15, but lost out to Chargers QB Justin Herbert and Browns OT Jedrick Wills, respectively.
The other nominees this week are Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Jaguars running back James Robinson and Rams running back Cam Akers.
PRACTICE SQUAD MOVES
The Dolphins made their practice squad protections Tuesday and they're the same as usual: QB Reid Sinnett, TE Chris Myarick and LS Rex Sunahara.
Safety Nate Holley, meanwhile, reverted back to the practice squad Monday after making his NFL debut against the Bengals on Sunday.
FORD ON THE WAY
Wide receiver Isaiah Ford did not officially sign with the Dolphins practice squad Tuesday, but ESPN reporter Field Yates reported that it's exactly what will happen.
Ford, you will remember, was released by New England a few days ago after being inactive for each of his three games with the Patriots.
The Dolphins traded Ford to New England for a conditional 2022 sixth-round pick November 3 and Bill Belichick told reporters Monday that the Patriots still would be sending Miami a draft pick.
Ford, who bounced off the Dolphins practice squad the past two seasons before finally getting a shot late last season, had 18 catches for 184 yards in seven games for Miami in 2020.
KUDOS FOR DOLPHINS
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and Vice Chairman Tom Garfinkel were named to the Sports Business Journal "The People Who Influenced Sports Business List in 2020."
This was the statement accompanying the accolade: "Ross and Garfinkel were consistently out front in the past year in response to the pandemic, being among the first team to bring in infectious disease specialists and organize a massive food drive through the team's foundation that had distributed more than 250,000 meals through Thanksgiving weekend. When sports and events shut down, they shifted their focus to offer Hard Rock Stadium for events such as open-air and drive-in movies. Ross also pledged $13 million over the next four years to RISE, the nonprofit organization he founded in 2015 to help fight systemic racism, raising his total commitment to $30 million."
PARKER DELIVERS
Wide receiver DeVante Parker has gotten involved with the Starlight foundation to deliver Uncle Vante hospital gowns to a group of children's hospitals across South Florida.
Uncle Vante, of course, is Parker's alter ego from the series of online cartoons he debuted this year.
A FINE MESS?
After reports that the Dolphins players involved in the altercation in the Cincinnati game might be hit with fines but no suspensions came news that the NFL had suspended Bengals safety Shawn Williams one game for stepping on the back of the leg of rookie guard Solomon Kindley while Kindley was on the ground at the end of a play.
Williams, it should be noted, was ejected as the result of the altercation that followed a second dubious hit by Bengals gunner Mike Thomas on punt returner Jakeem Grant. Williams was on the receiving end of a nasty blindside block by Mack Hollins that helped contribute to the skirmish.
Hollins, who was flagged for the blindside block, was ejected for the Dolphins, as was Parker.
As for why Thomas wasn't ejected after the two questionable hits, it should be noted that while his first hit was penalized for unnecessary roughness, his second was flagged only for "kick catch interference."
LAST WORD
Defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander chimed in on the spectacular season that cornerback Xavien Howard is having, though he stayed away from talk of awards or records: “I don’t know about all that, but I would love for him to just continue to do the special things that he’s been doing this season as far as getting his hands on the football. One of the things that he does so well is put himself in position to give himself that opportunity when they try him. We always talk about when technique and opportunity meet, that’s when splash plays happen. He’s having a special year and we need him to continue to play at this high level that he’s been playing all season.”
