Tua Thankful for Fan Support

Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is well aware of what fans expect from him, and he's eager to start trying to live up to those expectations

Brian Flores can try all he wants to manage expectations when it comes to Tua Tagovailoa, though on a large scale he's fighting a losing battle.

Dolphins fans have been waiting for a franchise quarterback for a long time ... say, since Dan Marino retired in March of 2000, and a large majority of them are convinced that Tua is the guy.

Among that group is a subsection who believe Tua will light it up from the start.

It's a lot of pressure on any player, let alone a rookie, though Tua certainly appreciates the vote of confidence.

“I think it's awesome when anyone embraces you,” Tagovailoa told Jarrel Harris of SI.com for a profile on Tua's rising brand. “It shows the kind of fan base that the Dolphins organization has here in Miami. But I think the other thing, too, is I haven't done anything yet. So it's awesome that you get all this love from some of the fans, but you know, before I can get any of this love or before I say I deserve it, I think I got to earn it first.”

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We've talked about Tua's star power before, with all the endorsements he has secured before even playing a down in the NFL.

“My marketing team has worked very hard day in and day out to help me get a lot of these big deals,” Tagovailoa told Harris. “They are very respected in the agency world. I think it makes it pretty easy for them to go out as well and kind of help market me ... I'm the first in my family to go through this process and that’s a reason why I have these guys to help me with marketing, contracts, financial advisors and things like that.”