Sets Stage For New Leadership

By all accounts, Ryan Fitzpatrick in the king of the Miami Dolphins’ locker room. He’s the leader who carried the team out of the abyss late in the year. But was that enough to earn him the starting nod again? No. Another reason the Dolphins selected Tau Tagovailoa was because of the intangibles he will bring the franchise.

To become a winning franchise, the QB must have the ear of the team. When he says move, they move. His play will dictate everything about the team, not only on the offensive side of the ball but on the defensive as well. This is what Fitzpatrick provided the Dolphins in 2019.

With Tagovailoa, he’s like most of the top-rated QB’s coming out of college over the last 30 years. He has won and has done so on a big stage. But what sets him apart has bee his journey. At Alabama, he was under the shadow of Jalen Hurts. As Hurts began to struggle, Tua came in and saved the day with a Championship then lost his starting job back to Hurts.

That normally doesn’t happen to a player of his caliber. But what has stood out the most from that situation was his level of maturity. Not once did he lose it on/off the field. Not once did he rip Nick Saban or the school. But most importantly, he did not say anything negative about Hurts.

When Hurts transferred the 2019 season, Tagovailoa took over and was putting up Heisman-like numbers before his hip injury. During that time, he was rooting on his teammates and when the issues and concerns over his hip arose, he never lost his cool. This is what the Miami Dolphins need the most.