Some bad, but still not panic time

[Etuoo33]

I never associated Fitz and cannon for an arm. Acceptable maybe but we saw way too many 50/50 balls thrown high to receivers last year.

 

[Sirspud]

The way people talk about Fitz's arm you would think he's Chad Pennington. That's the only starting QB I've really seen where arm strength was a legit concern. Fitz is fine. It's not about a rocket, it's about touch.

 

[Sirspud]

I never associated Fitz and cannon for an arm. Acceptable maybe but we saw way too many 50/50 balls thrown high to receivers last year.

Didn't we complete a ton of those? Except for a nice stretch from Tannehill in 2016 the only times I can remember us having a vertical offense that was a threat to go deep repeatedly were with Fitz and Matt Moore - guys who had probably the weakest arms of our starters outside of Pennington.

I don't know why some detest 50/50 balls so much when, as evidenced by Parker's breakout season, sometimes that's what you need to generate consistent offense. Besides, I'm not sure what line you saw blocking that gave our QB time to pinpoint aim throws in the first place. What made Fitz amazing down the stretch last year was the ability to quickly release a floating ball for a play downfield even when the line barely slowed the defense.

 

[TheRevoltingBlob]

You are assuming he will fully heal from the hip injury he had. While it is very possible his recovery will allow him to live a normal life until he is older and needs hip replacement surgery. There is still a big question if his hip will allow him to ever have the velocity on the ball he had before the injury or whether his hip will hold up to the pounding he will receive playing in the NFL.

I thought Tua was a great college QB but my greatest concern with the Dolphins drafting him was that the hip injury would prevent him from ever being the QB he could have been prior to the injury, I had no problem with them drafting Tua at 5 and not moving up to draft him. At least if he doesn’t work out it will on have cost them one draft pick.

I certainly hope he has a long and successful career with the Dolphins but I still have my own concerns how his hip will hold up in the NFL.

The fact that he rehabbed and got back playing ball so quickly is a very good sign. Recovery can typically take up to 12 months. And the prognosis is highly dependent on how long the hip is dislocated.

When a hip dislocation occurs, the blood can stop reaching the femur, depriving it of oxygen. Quickly reducing (putting back) the femur in the hip socket can help prevent deterioration of the top of the femur, also called avascular necrosis.

The fact that he suffered a posterior wall fracture of the acetabulum (hip joint) is not great, but these fractures are common in this type of injury.

Unlike Bo Jackson (who showed signs of necrosis a couple months after his injury), they diagnosed the problem and reduced his hip immediately at the stadium. The ideal time to have this done is within six hours of the injury. The Bama medical staff got it done significantly quicker than that. And time is everything with this injury.

It is a serious injury, but he has the best possible chance at a full recovery because of that quick decision making.

I know a decent amount about this because I have a medical background (not to claim I'm an expert) and someone in my family just suffered the same injury, but didn't have it fixed for days. His outlook is much worse. The first thing the doctor said after the procedure was "I wish I could have seen him right when this happened."

So make sure not to simply read about hip dislocations on the internet and worry about how serious the injury can be. How quickly the hip is reduced is so vital and it is part of why there can be such a wide range of outcomes.

But another concern for Tua is the long term development of osteoarthritis. This is extremely common for anyone that suffers this injury. But this does not usually become a problem for years.

So let's not focus about the player he "could have been," because that guy wouldn't have been available at #5. He has as good a chance to recover most, if not all, of his ability as anyone that's suffered his injury.

We knew we were getting damaged goods, and those goods are well worth the risks IMO.

 

[Phinatic8u]

So we still concerned?

 

[Etuoo33]

Didn't we complete a ton of those? Except for a nice stretch from Tannehill in 2016 the only times I can remember us having a vertical offense that was a threat to go deep repeatedly were with Fitz and Matt Moore - guys who had probably the weakest arms of our starters outside of Pennington.

I don't know why some detest 50/50 balls so much when, as evidenced by Parker's breakout season, sometimes that's what you need to generate consistent offense. Besides, I'm not sure what line you saw blocking that gave our QB time to pinpoint aim throws in the first place. What made Fitz amazing down the stretch last year was the ability to quickly release a floating ball for a play downfield even when the line barely slowed the defense.

We did complete a lot of those high throws, and thank God. Fitz putting it up was our offense at the time.