Tua Tagovailoa had at least two concussions last season and he considered leaving the game. For some time, many have had Tua has an MVP candidate for his play on the field.
Tua was 23 of 33 for 240 yards and had his streak of 21 consecutive games with a touchdown pass snapped.
This past week, he completed an efficient 21 of 24 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s win over the Jets.
“You beat the lonely, pathetic-playing Jets. And now you want to beat your chest like you’re King Kong on the Empire State Building? Let me tell you how much they wanted Tyreek. And you want to get up here and pretend like you’re the driving force?" Sharpe said.
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Shannon Sharpe GOES OFF on #Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa for defending himself and saying, "He keeps receipts":
"Come on Tua. You had a nice bounce-back game… Don't start pretending like you're a top-three quarterback."pic.twitter.com/SlcA9ic88y https://t.co/nrJeAxaNIY
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 21, 2023
He is having one of the best years of his career as he leads the NFL with 3,921 yards. The Dolphins boast a 10-4 record and are in a position to win the AFC East for the first time since 2008 with three games left in the regular season.
In the most recent edition of “NFL talking head criticizes Tua Tagovailoa for no reason while also being completely off base", Shannon Sharpe believes that Tua should not feel good at all about how he plays.
Shannon Sharpe mad at Tua Tagovailoa for calling out the haters, like Shannon Sharpe. 😂😂😂 #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/exgzL5NKfV
— Big E (@ian693) December 21, 2023
Tua has 50 TDs and 18 INTs over the last two seasons and folks like Shannon Sharpe and others want to act like any guy can do that as long as you have Tyreek Hill.
Tyreek Hill is really good and every quarterback in the league would cut off a toe to have him on their team. But before Tyreek and McDaniel got to Miami Tua went 13-8 with DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, and Jakeem Grant as his receivers so I guess he can win games with worse players around him.
Later, Sharpe mentioned DeVante Adams being the highest-paid receiver and then Miami moved “heaven and Earth" to get Tyreek because they knew Tua needed that kind of help. This guy is only good because of this guy or he didn"t play lights out when he didn"t have this player in the game.
This back-and-forth that happened today between Richard Sherman and Kurt Warner, you know a Hall of Famer and a future Hall of Famer illustrates that point.
If you want to go after Tua for not playing his best when the lights are the brightest, I"ll hear that and agree with you. It"s annoying and I try not to react to daytime contrived sports TV but it"s a slow day today and the holidays are here, so I figured I"d air out this grievance Festivus style.
After Tagovailoa went off on the national narrative that he’s carried by playmakers like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, noting that he "keeps receipts," Sharpe responded with a viral rant of his own. “You beat the lowly, pathetic playing Jets. You hang 30 on them, they get nothing, and now you want to beat your chest like you King Kong on the Empire State Building?"
Sharpe wasn’t done, continuing:
"We remember what you were before Tyreek got there. Davante Adams signed the largest contract in wide receiver history… the Miami Dolphins move heaven and earth to get Tyreek — gave up major compensation — and made him the highest-paid receiver in NFL history."
"You want to get up here and pretend like you the driving force?"
Sharpe questioned, adding that if Tagovailoa is keeping receipts, he’s got some too.
Although Hill is expected to return for the game, Tagovailoa went off on a bit of a tangent on December 20 after explaining that the Dolphins’ mindset doesn’t change no matter which players are available.
Tua Tagovailoa: "I keep receipts."
Dolphins QB responds to the narrative that he only plays well when Tyreek Hill is in the lineup with him.
"Yeah, sure. I am only good with Tyreek in," he said sarcastically in an impassioned answer. pic.twitter.com/zeouf06gPM
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) December 20, 2023
"Everyone wants to make this — I keep saying it — everyone wants to make this about me, about Tyreek,"
Tagovailoa told reporters ahead Week 16.
"Whether I’m the best. "If [Noland] does share it with me — I mean, I keep receipts,"
Tagovailoa admitted, embarking on a long rant about media narratives.
"We all have a way of how we do things, but all the narratives about it, sure. I am only good with Tyreek in. If Jaylen and those guys are out, I’m only as good as Raheem Mostert allows me to be."
"If that’s what the narrative needs to be and we’re able to win games, and we’re able to go where we want to go as a team, I am the worst football player, if that’s what you want,"
he finally concluded.
"I don’t care. I really don’t… I’m just here to do my job and my job is to help our guys win games." 9th-highest % of attempts 15+ AY [air yards]. 4th-best completion % on throws of 20+ AY. All this led Louis-Jacques to assess that "Tua is not pushing the ball downfield at the same rate he did in 2022 + a much higher percentage of his attempts are at/behind the LoS (18.5% vs 29.5%), and his receivers do a lot of work after the catch, BUT he remains one of the most effective downfield passers in the NFL."
Tua Tagovailoa has a shot to lock down the number one seed in the AFC for the first time in his career. However, that didn"t stop Shannon Sharpe from calling out the quarterback for comments made at the podium.
Sharpe continued, dumping credit for the Dolphins offense"s rise onto Tyreek Hill: The Sun Sentinel"s rendition of the comments said by Tagovailoa explains the quarterback"s reaction to the discussion taking place online trying to assign credit.
The career of the Miami Dolphins quarterback can be split equally into two halves. In two of his four years, he has had Tyreek Hill.
Shannon Sharpe mad at Tua Tagovailoa for calling out the haters, like Shannon Sharpe. 😂😂😂 #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/exgzL5NKfV
— Big E (@ian693) December 21, 2023
In 2020 and 2021, Tua Tagovailoa threw for 27 total touchdowns and 15 total interceptions. In 2022 – his first season with Tyreek Hill – he threw for 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
This year, with three games left to go, Tagovailoa has thrown for 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He has also completed a career-high 71% of his passes – a jump of 6.2% from last year. He"s also enjoying a 106-passer rating which ranks highest in his career.
With Tyreek Hill, Tua Tagovailoa has an 18-9 record.
In other words, the wait on Hill vs Tagovailoa won"t be as long and arduous as Bill Belichick vs Tom Brady.
That didn’t sit well with ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe, who noted that Tagovailoa was coming off a zero-touchdown and one-fumble game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14 that the Dolphins lost despite a 27-13 lead with 4:34 left in the game before their 30-0 blowout win over the New York Jets the following week.
Tagovailoa’s Week 14 performance wasn’t great – he threw for just 240 yards, lost a critical fumble in the red zone early in the game and failed to score a touchdown for the first time all season – but the Miami defense was the real culprit for the Dolphins’ defeat.
"You had a nice bounce-back game," Sharpe said Thursday. "… Don’t start pretending like you’re a top-three quarterback."
.@ShannonSharpe SOUNDS OFF on Tua saying he keeps receipts 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZbBJDLTcCb
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 21, 2023
Tagovailoa didn’t just have a bounce back game in Week 15, he crushed a top-five New York Jets defense with a 30-point outing without his start pass-catcher, Tyreek Hill.
So, while some may not rank Tagovailoa among league greats like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Dak Prescott, the Dolphins quarterback has proven on the field he can play above that level in nearly every game – and it’s why the Dolphins are knocking on the door of a division title.
Fans had a lot to express:
He’s not pretending he’s a Top 3 QB… but half of the media was saying he shouldn’t even be in the league 6 months ago.
— Ben (@HowUBenFeller) December 21, 2023
Tua ranks this season:
Rank
Pass Yards 1st
Comp pct 1st
Pass Rating 2nd
Pass TD T-5th
Yards/Att 2nd
Wins T-3rd— Hard Rock Bet (@HardRockBet) December 21, 2023
I’ve been saying this. Tua is not that good. Tyreek is the beast in that offense. Dolphins are the most overrated team in the nfl. They’ve gotten BLOWN OUT by every good team they’ve played this year except the chiefs but they still lost.
— Kyle (@whitemoss53) December 21, 2023
Oh shit… Salty Tua is not a QB other teams want to face.
It’s on now.
And it’s absurd that a guy like Tua has to listen to these narratives. There’s not a nicer, more humble guy in football. Add to it that he’s one of the best slinging the football over the past two seasons…
— TruthoverFeelings (@Dolphins7051) December 20, 2023
Love this guy. So happy they drafted him. Was hoping and praying he would be selected by the dolphins. Fun as hell to watch. I’ll enjoy it as far as this season takes us.
— nypoolster (@NickAttanasio) December 20, 2023
The amount of disrespect Tua gets is absurd. The team's record, his stats speak for themselves. But we know it goes. This week it Dak and Allen. Dakota sucks and Allen is God from one game. Ridiculous. But hey, I'm glad proud Tua is our Qb. A class act and natural talent.
— Elliot Zovighian (@ElliotZovighian) December 20, 2023
I’ve watched football for 45 years and I’ve never seen a player more scrutinized than Tua. If he plays bad it’s because he sucks. If he plays well it’s because of his coach/system. If he plays at an elite level then it’s because of the players around him. Pathetic.
— Mark Sloan (@masque1313) December 21, 2023
The media couldnt bash him since he actually played well without Tyreek against a good Jets defense so they had to pivot to something pathetic like this
— Eddie Crowley (@EddieCrowley54) December 21, 2023
What a bizarre rant. Talk about taking it personally. Tua doesn’t care what he thinks. He’s said that enough times. Tua is unlikely to take criticism from someone he wouldn’t take advice from. So this dude needs to get over himself.
— GottaBigMouth (@GottaBigMouth) December 21, 2023
Did @ShannonSharpe listen to Tua’s full comment? Ofcourse he keeps receipts. He’s an athlete. Everyone’s doubt fuels him. But that’s not the point of what his whole comment was about. Love Shannon but he’s off on this one.
— MiamiPhinatic (@miamiphinatics) December 21, 2023
@danorlovsky7 , a few points on your debate with Shannon. Tua still had pretty good numbers under flores and a winning record with less talent around him and bad offensive coaching. Tyreek’s numbers improved with Tua. Facts.
— ArsenalGreek13 (@ArsenalGreek13) December 21, 2023
Sharpe can't get over the fact that an island kid just skyrocket through the NFL history in a matter of 3 years.
— Jason Winter a.k.a CORNELIUS ECLIPSE (@SandMan99588) December 21, 2023
