Fair enough.
I would take issue with my attitude being fantasy.
I have defended Tua at times when ppl were off base, IMO, with their assessments. I have also been a critic when I thought warranted, so please don't label me some sort of hater. I do have a preference in the physical attributes of a QB, while also recognizing that is not the whole story.
At this point, though, my "attitude" as you put it also has to factor in that a franchise altering decision, whether or not to sign Tua to a big, long term contract, looms on the horizon, and I'm just not convinced that extending him is a good idea. Are you convinced? We even have some here saying the best thing about giving him a new contract is that it would give us a better cap situation in the short term of this year. I know that is not a good reason to hitch your wagon to a guy for 4 years.
No doubt he has done some applaudable things statistically. On the other hand, he has been hurt. He hasn't won any playoff games. Not that he bears total responsibility, but he hasn't been particularly clutch, or won a single playoff game.
Some say Tua needs more time. Well, that is a valid opinion and option, but it isn't the only one.
Tua has to keep himself healthy. There's no debate about that. The fact that Burrow ended the season on IR for the
2nd time in his 4-year career is proof that it's not just Tua though. If fact, Herbert also went down with injury and ended up on IR as well. It's just brutal in the NFL these days--all the more reason you have to factor that into QBs like Lamar Jackson who run so much. He missed 5 games in '21 and another 5 games in '22. What does that say?
Brees learned to stay healthy which is another thing a pocket QB can do. His sck% was 4-5% early on (which aligns with Tua now). But Brees was able to learn from that pounding he took as well as the significance of his major injury in SD and made it a point of emphasis that he protect himself. Brees got his sck% down to 3% once he got to NO and it led to 15 seasons with only 4 missed games as I pointed out in my earlier post.
Tua protected himself this year and made it through 18 games. Can he do that for 10 more seasons, LOL? We don't know. It's a hope. But he came back from the hip so he can overcome big things. I'm less inclined to overlook the constant ankles, ribs, fingers, etc. but truth is, what we're asking for here is more just basic evolution of becoming a more aware and veteran pocket passer. Eli Manning started with a 5-6% sack rate and got that down to 3-4% in many of his later years. It's just maturity and experience.
If there's a Pat Mahomes available in the draft, go get him. I'm all for it. The Chiefs moved up from around where we are to #10 to make it happen but Mahomes was unique, even as a prospect.
The reality is that Tua has shown way more than most Alex Smith / Jared Goff types who people often compare him to as modest QBs who got replaced so their teams could reach the Super Bowl and win. It may be year #6 or #10 where Tua wins the Super Bowl like Goff might this year. Do we want to be the team that traded him for peanuts? Or maybe Purdy wins and we have to watch a QB who's younger, sloppier and less consistent than Tua hoist the Lombardi knowing we traded Tua for peanuts.
You'e got to have a plan. My plan is bold but I'd look at trading Tyreek while he has value. Give me that money to sign Wilkins and another R1 pick to pair with what I've got so I can draft CB, OL and WR/TE in the first 2 rounds. I'll take that team. Someone else can have the $25M WR.
Tua elevates everyone. He elevated Jeudy and Ruggs at Bama. He's elevated Waddle with the Dolphins. He gave Tyreek 2 massively productive years. He made Hollins and Gesicki look better than they were. He put up a 90-rating throwing to Carroo and Ford. Dude, you've got to trust a pocket passer to produce. He doesn't need the league's leading WR. He's need
good WRs. Save the "great" for the OL.
