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Ryan Fitzpatrick Backs Tua Tagovailoa to Do ‘Great Things’ with the Dolphins

Published 03/23/2021, 9:20 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The Brian Flores-coached Miami Dolphins ended their 2020 NFL campaign with a 2nd-place finish in the AFC East with a 10-6 record.

They narrowly missed out on a playoff spot last season. Veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick started the year as the first-choice QB ahead of rookie Tua Tagovailoa.

USA Today via Reuters

But the latter was promoted to starter in Week 7 after returning to full fitness and impressing coach Flores. Fitzpatrick admitted that he wasn’t happy with that decision, but continued to play a supporting role for the Dolphins.

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The 38-year-old ultimately moved on to a new franchise this summer, signing a 1-year contract worth up to $12 million. But he had some words of advice for his former Miami Dolphins teammate, Tua Tagovailoa.

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Ryan Fitzpatrick heaps praise on Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa

Latest Washington Football Team quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick made an appearance on The Ross Tucker Podcast earlier this week.

Fitzpatrick heaped praise on former Alabama man Tua Tagovailoa, who is expected to be the Dolphins starter ahead of the 2021 NFL season.

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He said, “Tua, It’s amazing how much criticism has been thrown his way…it is very difficult to play QB in the NFL. And I think we keep forgetting, and I’m a fan too, we keep forgetting as fans that fact.

“Very difficult and the guy was a rookie last year and came in and went 6-3 or whatever he did. The two things that really stick out to me about Tua is I think he has elite accuracy. And that’s very important.

 

“I think he’s gonna learn, you know, from last year, he’s gonna learn from this offseason; he’s got some continuity with George Godsey and Eric Studesville as his coordinators now, where to go with the ball.

“How to eliminate things pre-snap to really be able to unleash that elite accuracy. And then he throws with anticipation and that’s something that is difficult that you don’t see a lot with quarterbacks coming from college to the NFL.

“I think we just need to have a little bit of patience, he was a rookie last year, and I think he’s gonna do great things,” Fitzpatrick said on the podcast.

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Will Tua Tagovailoa start for the Dolphins in 2021?

Tua threw for 1,814 yards with 11 passing TDs against 5 interceptions in 2020. Despite some promising displays, Tagovailoa did not succeed in helping the Dolphins seal a spot in the post-season.

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The AFC East big boys are also reportedly looking at wantaway Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. So only time will tell if Tua can nail down a starting spot in Miami. Let’s hope he gets a chance to prove himself.

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Daniel Arambur

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Daniel Arambur is an NFL writer and content strategist for EssentiallySports.With more than 1,000 articles, he is one of the senior writers in the NFL cohort at ES. A mass media graduate from the University of Mumbai, Daniel has found the perfect blend of vocation and passion in the sports content niche.
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