Will Tua ever prove the doubters/haters wrong? What will it take for him to silence the critics, A superbowl? Few years of playoff contention? Never please anyone??
Lets be honest here. Even If Tua excels this year, haters are still gonna bring up stuff like, "of course he has weapons now", or "that was against the cardinals Defense". Seems to me he is in a lose lose situation. Like, other successful QBs have weapons but dont get the heat like he does... Im just wondering what must he do to gain some love?
Well for starters he can try to be a mediocre QB. Averaging 181 yards per game is pitiful. His QBR was bad. Yeah, he was a rookie, rehabbing from a serious injury ... in a year of social distancing. Yeah he was used to being surrounded by clearly superior talent and overmatching the opposing team in every game by a LOT. He was used to guys getting open instantly and having 15 yards of open. He was spoiled with the riches that Alabama provides on the field. In the NFL, margins are a lot tighter. He took his lumps ... it was to be expected.
But what can he do? That's an easy one. Improve ... a LOT.
He never is going to be the guy with the rocket arm, so he needs to be extremely accurate. His 64% completion percentage needs to improve. He's never going to be the 6'5 stand in the pocket and throw over people or a big strong take a hit guy like Big Ben, so he needs to be mobile. He's never going to be a Cam Newton size/strength guy on the run or a Lamar Jackson speed guy or a Kyler Murray quickness guy, so he needs to be the elusive scrambler with pocket presence and judiciously running to convert 3rd downs and goal line situations like Russell Wilson. His measley YPA is not going to cut it. He needs to stop being a Checkdown Charlie and start pushing the ball downfield, without surrendering turnovers. He needs to stop seeing ghosts and become a fearless thrower, an aggressive attacker with a killer instinct to get the TD and kill off games.
He is already a very good decision maker, so he needs to just continue developing that and avoiding rash mistakes and turnovers. Jamies Winston had everything except decision making and was a flop. So, that's an area where Tua can continue to excel. He's a solid leader ... but the college rah rah isn't going to work in a locker room of grown men ... Tua needs to prove himself to them through production before they will be willing to be led by him. But he can, and likely will, so the sooner he earns their respect the better it is for him and the Dolphins.
Tua needs to get over his shell-shock of even competition, develop his ruthless mentality and trust his accuracy and decision making. Obviously, like every young QB, he's going to make some mistakes ... and some games a lot of them, but that's part of the learning curve, and we as fans need to accept that. Talk of him being the next Marino are not only farcical, but they did Tua a supreme disservice, and Tua should never listen to those hype-monster people, because it's only going to derail him. We're not hoping, asking, or expecting him to be an All-Pro QB. We'll be extremely pleased if he can become a Pro Bowl type QB. But the fist step is to become an average QB, and with this defense and all the weapons/support Grier has put around him, that'll be enough to easily put us in the playoffs with a realistic expectation of progressing.
Don't try to be someone else Tua ... just be a harder working and more confident version of yourself and it will work out. Organizing off-season throwing with your receivers is a solid first step ... keep it up. Get a rhythm with your guys, trust them and trust what you see and just let it rip. Eventually it'll become second nature and your muscle memory will work for you. Keep grinding in the film room and learn to identify tendencies and weaknesses until you become a good pre-snap read guy, because you can, despite the silly Wonderlich. Keep using your mobility to escape the pocket and run just enough to keep the threat alive in the minds of DC's and LB's. Develop chemistry and a symbiosis with your OL, take them to dinner, defend them in the press, praise them when there is no reason, and make them want to lay down their lives for you. Give the spotlight to your receivers and let their diva-moments shower them with glory ... you're bound to get more than your share anyway, because QB's always do.
But whatever you do, don't quit, don't doubt, and don't capitulate. Polite is nice for the cameras and press conferences, but on the field this game is for rage, rebellion and rivalry, and any player that doesn't bring those 3 R's isn't going to succeed, and damn sure isn't going to lead others into the jaws of hell and back again victorious.
