Getty Images
While Tua Tagovailoa’s rookie year with the Miami Dolphins wasn’t as encouraging as the same other top picks from last year’s class, fellow quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is optimistic about what Tagovailoa may bring to the table in 2021.
According to ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe, Fitzpatrick said he believes Tagovailoa is much better placed for his second season with the Dolphins.
“Everything is going to be a little more comfortable this year,” said Fitzpatrick. “Playing in the league will become a bit more familiar, your routine during the week and at road races. He is no longer trying to find out where the supermarket is, where he is going to live or which car he is going to drive. All that stuff is invented. He can focus solely on being an NFL QB.
“Being out of season, having repetitions, having a sense of continuity [co-offensive coordinators] George Godsey and Eric Studesville in his ear are calling the plays and collaborating with him. All that stuff indicates that he has a much better season this year and continues to develop as a quarterback. That’s the most important thing to him: progression.
‘It is not for nothing that they have placed him in the top five, with his skills and what he can do. There are very few people on this planet who can. To buy them in completely and believe in him, he is going to do the same. He’s going to buy what they coach, and I think good results will come from it. “
Fitzpatrick started the season as the Dolphins starter when Tagovailoa continued to work on last year’s hip injury in Alabama. Tagovailoa eventually took over as starter in October, and Fitzpatrick continued to play occasionally for the rest of the season. In 10 games with nine starts, Tagovailoa completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 1,814 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Tagovailoa’s production lagged behind top pick Joe Burrow with the Cincinnati Bengals and Justin Herbert’s great rookie campaign with the Los Angeles Chargers. But Tagovailoa was prolific during his time in Alabama and would seemingly have room to improve, another year away from his injury and a full off season to prepare for the Miami runway.
“In everything that happens, I can determine what I can control,” said Tagovailoa. “My focus is just to get better with this jump from Year 1 to Year 2, and to be the best version of me I can be for the Miami Dolphins.”