The best thing to do right now as a Miami Dolphins fan is to promise yourself not to ride the roller coaster. With a young rookie quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa on the roster and the weight of expectations coming along with him, it can be easy to get caught up in the day to day results and reports coming out of training camp. For Tagovailoa, Monday was a peak — he enjoyed his best practice to date with the Dolphins.
But the exciting report comes just days after Tagovailoa (and fellow QB Josh Rosen) endured their worst practices since putting on the pads without the presence of Ryan Fitzpatrick on the field — and just further illustrates that this can be a bumpy ride if you commit yourself to emotionally ride highs and lows.
Tagovailoa on Monday tossed a massive bomb downfield to fellow rookie wide receiver Malcolm Perry, which was the highlight of the day — but not his only plus throw on the day.
Great day of practice for Tua Tagovailoa, his best yet. He opened it up a bit and threw 3 pretty TDs 👀
– A 69-yard bomb to Malcolm Perry on a go route, best throw of the day.
– A 25-yarder in traffic over the middle of the field to Ricardo Louis
– Short corner to Gary Jennings pic.twitter.com/HsYgriBhFZ— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 24, 2020
Tomorrow may not be quite as strong of a showing. Even if it isn’t, Tagovailoa is showing progress — and that’s the biggest win of them all at this juncture. Veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick mentioned that during his Monday press availability that progress, not necessarily superficial results, is the biggest point of emphasis in tracking the rookie’s progress.
“(Tua) is doing a great job. For QBs, I like to see progress. Sometimes it’s not necessarily a completion, but the thought process and making sure the ball’s going to the right spot at the right time,” said Fitzpatrick.
“Sometimes things won’t look pretty but it was the right decision.”
