The Miami Dolphins took to a dry field on Wednesday afternoon (and then to the practice bubble) with all eyes on one player; quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
As you may have heard, Tua threw five interceptions at Tuesday’s minicamp—which was played outside in Hurricane-like conditions. This sparked overreaction, unlike anything we’ve ever seen before on Twitter.
It was the talk of the town on ESPN and NFL Network this morning. Fanbases ran wild with it. It sucked, and quite frankly, I hated to see it.
But then we heard from Tua Tagovailoa shortly after practice. He reiterated that the point of these drills is to make everyone better, not just the quarterback. (And again, the rain)
tua: “i think today, the emphasis on the QBs is we wanted to be aggressive. we wanted to see if we could fit throws in. we wanted to see what throws we could make under these conditions. we were just trying to push the ball vertical down the field. pic.twitter.com/lUKHVli6iI
— josh houtz (@houtz) June 15, 2021
Brian Flores confirmed what Tagovailoa said this morning.
HC brian flores on #dolphins QB tua tagovailoa : “i tell him to continue to be aggressive. a lot of the conversations are what we talked about, use this time to practice pushing the ball downfield. then we’ll make adjustments, corrections, and we’ll go at it again the next day.” pic.twitter.com/LGt29z4I9y
— josh houtz (@houtz) June 16, 2021
So with all eyes on the second-year quarterback and a dry practice (one way or a bubble) on the horizon, how would Tua Tagovailoa perform on day two of camp?
EXACTLY AS YOU WOULD HAVE HOPED YOUR SECOND-YEAR QUARTERBACK WOULD RESPOND IN SHELLS AND A HELMET. GUNS BLAZING!!!
Now I know how foolish it is to overreact over 7-on-7 drills in the pouring rain or only two days into a June minicamp. But since the ENTIRE WORLD felt the need to drag the Dolphins quarterback of the future yesterday, I’m inclined to do the opposite.
GET THE GOLD JACKET READY AND HIS POORLY SCULPTED FACE OF GOLD MADE OUT OF SILLY PUTTY READY BECAUSE #TUATOCANTON
Let’s recap today’s remarkable performance, shall we?
Nice catches on post routes by Will Fuller and Robert Foster. And Tua just connected with Jakeem Grant on a nice streak down the sideline, and Allen Hurns in the middle of the field during a hybrid 3-on-3.
— Safid Deen (@Safid_Deen) June 16, 2021
We now have 7-on-7s. Salvon Ahmed just beat Jason McCourty on wheel route that went 20-plus. Great throw by Tua.
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) June 16, 2021
Inside red zone, Tua rolls out to his left and hits Mack Hollins for the touchdown. Hollins celebrated by leaping and laying the football over the field goal post.
— Josh Tolentino (@JCTSports) June 16, 2021
The one thing you can’t question about Tua is his ball placement. It’s usually phenomenal. He places balls where its usually difficult for the defender to get.
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) June 16, 2021
Tua is spending a lot of time during the break/lighter periods talking intensely with his teammates. Following this series, he grabbed DeVante Parker and the two players chatted for several minutes. You can tell the #Dolphins QB cares, even in June. https://t.co/EkM8aNjVpD
— Josh Tolentino (@JCTSports) June 16, 2021
On the very first play of a two-minute drill that started at own 40, Tua completes a pass in stride to Jaylen Waddle on a crossing route and Waddle JETS to the sideline and cuts up towards the end zone, leaving everybody behind him. pic.twitter.com/fGwIA20gI6
— Josh Tolentino (@JCTSports) June 16, 2021
After five interceptions in a monsoon in a June practice Tuesday, #Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa threw zero interceptions Wednesday. While he did struggle in short area work, he finished strong with electric TDs to Jaylen Waddle and DeVante Parker. pic.twitter.com/QUVmYa1YjU
— Safid Deen (@Safid_Deen) June 16, 2021
Tua has now thrown six touchdowns and five interceptions throughout two days of minicamp. Which means ‘a LoT iS rIdInG oN tOmOrRoW’S’ practice.
In all seriousness, it’s a June minicamp when the team is installing a new offensive playbook. Does it hold some merit? Maybe a little. But please understand, NOTHING that happened, GOOD OR BAD, holds ANY merit on how these players will perform moving forward.
With that said, Tagovailoa going out with a six-touchdown, Mr.Perfect Curt Henning type performance truly is special.
I’m excited for the 2021 season and OUR quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.
insert joker ‘and away we go’ GIF here because these comments are going to be fun
