Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had an amazing Week 1 performance against the Chargers. He completed 28 of 45 passes for 466 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception. It was good enough to be named the AFC’s offensive player of the week.
On Wednesday, Tua was asked by reporters whether he thinks anyone is still saying he can’t throw the ball deep.
“I don’t care,” he said with a laugh. “I mean, I don’t care. 466 is — that’s what 466 is. If I can’t throw deep, thanks.”
Deep or intermediate or short, it doesn’t matter. Tua knows how to run the Miami offense under coach Mike McDaniel. It wasn’t an issue last year, and it’s definitely not an issue this year.
The issue is whether he can do it on a regular basis. Not throw for 466 yards or something close to it, but suit up and play. Can he play every game this year? If so, his numbers should be more than impressive. If so, he will be an MVP candidate.
But can he stay healthy? He’s determined to do so. History is not on his side. He’s determined to change history this year, one week at a time.
And that’s how he needs to approach it. One game, one series, one snap at a time. Minimize the hits he takes. Fall in a way that keeps his helmet from striking the turf.
Against the Chargers, it was spectacular. We know what he can do. We don’t know — and he doesn’t know — whether he can do it 16 more times.
If he can, the Dolphins will thrive. If he can, he’ll become one of the best players in the league. If he can, he might not have to wait until the offseason for the Dolphins to make him one of the highest-paid players in football.
The next challenge comes on Sunday night, against the Patriots. He’ll be the center of the NFL’s attention for three hours in prime time on NBC. And if he plays like he did on Sunday, he’ll continue to erase any and all doubts that anyone ever had about him.
Including those in his own building who wanted to supplant him first with Deshaun Watson and then with Tom Brady.