In a rollercoaster rookie campaign, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa faced no shortage of criticism. The 22-year-old enters the NFL offseason with high hopes, and veteran teammate Ryan Fitzpatrick is one of the many rallying behind the incoming second-year QB.
Fitzpatrick, who had to give up his starting gig to Tua Tagovailoa last season, had nothing but praise for his young teammate, who Fitzpatrick firmly believes is in store for a breakout season in 2021:
“Everything is going to be a little more comfortable this year,” Fitzpatrick told Cameron Wolfe of ESPN about Tua Tagovailoa on Thursday afternoon. “Playing in the league is going to be a little more familiar, your routine through the week and on road games. He's no longer trying to figure out where the grocery store is, where he's going to live or what car he's going to drive. All that stuff is figured out. He can solely focus on being an NFL QB.
“To have an offseason, to have repetitions, to have some sense of continuity with [co-offensive coordinators] George Godsey and Eric Studesville in his ear calling the plays and working with him. All that stuff points to him having a much better season this year and continuing to progress as a quarterback. That's the most important thing for him — progression.”
Tua Tagovailoa has also been linked to a move away from Miami in the offseason, with the Dolphins reportedly joining in on the sweepstakes for Houston Texans want-away star Deshaun Watson.
Tua Tagovailoa recently addressed the rumors, saying that right now, he's completely focused on how he can improve for the coming season. Fitzpatrick commended Tagovailoa's current mindset, while also providing some veteran advice for his young teammate:
“I saw Tua's comments from the other day,” Fitzpatrick said. “The advice I would give him and what he's going to do is put your head down, you go to work, you tune all that stuff out and you let your presence, leadership ability and play on the field doing all the talking for you. There's always going to be rumors. There's always going to be haters and doubters. As long as you have the belief in yourself and a team that believes in you because of how you carry yourself every day, that's what matters. It gets harder and harder as social media is such a big part of everybody's life now to tune it out, but that's what he has to do, and that's what I think he's going to do.”
Fitzpatrick has taken Tagovailoa under his wing, serving as a mentor for the highly-promising signal-caller. Fitz has been around long enough to have a full understanding of the ins and outs of the NFL, and he certainly has more than a few things to teach Tua Tagovailoa.
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