Breaking Down Willis' First Spring in Miami, Tua Talk, and Hype Videos

As the Miami Dolphins continue to progress through their offseason program, they continue to offer their fans a glimpse at what's going on at the Baptist Health Training Complex through videos posted on the team's social media accounts.
It's a springtime tradition not only for the Dolphins, but for every team around the league, and the purpose is simple, to generate some excitement for the upcoming season.
Another way to put it is to call those promotional videos, meant to sell fans on the idea their team is about to have a big season or, in the case of the Dolphins, surpass expectations.
But another tradition is for fans to go crazy over those videos and start making judgments based on them.
It's understandable, though, like fans want to get jacked up about their team and for the Dolphins that starts with quarterback Malik Willis, who is taking over the most important position on the team.
So the Dolphins absolutely are going to feed the fans shots of Willis slinging the ball, something he can do very well.
There's also something artistic about some of those videos, the way they're slowed down to we can truly see the rotation on the ball and it arriving into the arms of a receiver.
Personally, we prefer those mic'ed-up segments, like the one the Dolphins offered of head coach Jeff Hafley and most recently of linebacker Jordyn Brooks.
Those offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse at some of the things that are said, though we need to understand that the Dolphins — like every team in the league — will be controlling the message they put out.
In the final analysis, it's just a fun touch to add for the offseason program ... as long as not too much is made of them.
TUA TALK
Speaking of that, we can't help but notice on social media the commentary that goes related to social media posts by the Atlanta Falcons showing passes by Tua Tagovailoa, who Dolphins fans might remember as their starting quarterback (kidding).
And it begs the question of whether Dolphins fans should care what he's doing now that he's with another team, and the answer from here is a resounding yes.
For one thing, there always will be the question of whether the Dolphins would have been better off keeping him on the roster as a backup to save themselves from having to eat $54 million of cap space this year and another $45 million next year.
And the other factor is that Tagovailoa was the team's starting quarterback for five-plus seasons and he did help the team achieve its biggest success on offense since Dan Marino retired, so it's not like he doesn't have a place in Dolphins history.
It's kind of like when Ryan Tannehill went to the Tennessee Titans in 2019 after being traded that offseason. Again, here was the team's starting quarterback for six seasons, so there naturally was some interest in seeing how he was doing.
Just like it was when he was with the Dolphins, every mention or video of Tua brings about strong opinions from both sides, his strongest supporters against his harshest critics.
The passes the Falcons highlight in their videos either are works of art or wobbly floaters behind the receivers.
As always with Tua, there is no middle ground.
WILLIS ON THE WAY
To be sure, Malik Willis throws with a lot more zip on the ball than Tagovailoa, though in a practice setting he's probably not as accurate.
Still, the early returns with Willis are about as good as they can be for this time of year.
The testimonials about Willis' personality and his leadership skills have been impressive and the athletic ability was obvious in the first OTA that was open to the media.
That doesn't necessarily mean that Willis will deliver and become that franchise-type quarterback. It means so far so good, and as much as he can do right now, everything has been positive.
That's all the Dolphins and their fans can ask for at this time.

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.
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