Random Thoughts: Tua Talk, Shorter Preseason and Kudos to the Dolphins
We'll start with Tua Tagovailoa because, well, he's Tua.
If it's not clear by now that Chris Simms does not like Tua Tagovailoa as a quarterback, you haven't been paying attention.
That said, it clearly should not be surprising to see his take that Jarrett Stidham, the heir apparent to Tom Brady in New England, is more talented than Tagovailoa.
Simms made the comments this past weekend while appearing on Boston radio station WEEI.
Remember, Simms put Tua at number 40 when he ranked NFL quarterbacks in his role with NBC Sports, so he's been consistent with his criticism for a while — even going back before the draft.
And the truth is that no one can argue about the ridiculous talent with which Tagovailoa was surrounded at Alabama.
The four receivers mentioned by Simms included 2020 first-round picks Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III and projected 2021 first-round selections DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle, and the two tackles are 2020 first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr. and projected 2021 first-round selection Alex Leatherwood.
Even if Tagovailoa isn't as sure-fire an NFL star as might some suggest (health issues aside), it's hard to argue for Stidham having more talent.
Let's remember that Stidham's passer rating at Auburn went down each of his final two seasons.
So that one appears to be a stretch.
SHORTER PRESEASON?
Because of everything associated with coronavirus, speculation has begun that the NFL might reduce the preseason in 2020 to perhaps two games.
Speaking purely from a fan standpoint, this truly is good news because the preseason is, let's face it, rather boring.
From a team perspective, let's be honest, how many players really make the roster based on preseason games alone.
Because most teams operate the same way, what we've seen in the past when roster-fringe players shine in the fourth and final preseason game is that they've done so playing against other roster-fringe players. And that hasn't been enough for anybody to earn a roster spot.
Take Dolphins tight end Chris Myarick, for example. He had a big game in the 2019 preseason finale against New Orleans (six catches, 78 yards), but that wasn't enough to earn him a roster spot.
Or take Nate Orchard or Dwayne Hendrix, as other examples. They led the Dolphins with four and three sacks, respectively, last preseason but neither of them made the 53-man roster.
No, what a shortened preseason would mean is that the established players likely would see more action in each game, as opposed to very limited action in the first two preseason games, a half to three quarters in the third game and usually sitting out in the fourth.
In terms of affecting roster decisions, the impact should be minimal.
KUDOS TO THE DOLPHINS
The Dolphins continue to deliver meals at Hard Rock Stadium to low-income families, and now they've teamed up with Miami-Dade County Public Schools to help its food assistance initiative.
Starting this week, M-DCPS is continuing its meal distributions to students at 50 schools around the county. In support of this initiative, the Dolphins have committed to donating 500 chilled, to-go meals every week for an entire year.
The Dolphins also have committed to continuing the food assistance program at Hard Rock for at least a year.
