Any talk about Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa these days sounds more like a heated political debate than traditional sports analysis and commentary.
Opinions on him range so far from one another, and those on opposite ends of that spectrum could never possibly find common ground with their adversaries.
On one side, you have national media pundits, many of which have already deemed Tagovailoa’s career doomed off of two uneven seasons. There are factions of fans that hold the same view, even some Dolphins fans who don’t think he has what it takes and want to fast-forward to the next signal-caller.
Then, you have a group of Dolphins fans that have given Tagovailoa a cult-like following called TuAnon, playing off the far-right conspiracy theory movement, QAnon. Yet, maybe even more willing to go to bat for Tagovailoa than his unwavering fans has been Miami’s new star receiver, Tyreek Hill, hyping up Tagovailoa on his new podcast this summer as a more accurate passer than Patrick Mahomes, arguably the NFL’s top quarterback today.
Of course, national media then had weekslong segments regurgitating the same takes about how Hill has lost his mind for even daring to compare.
Tagovailoa’s impact has been polarizing, a reputation bestowed upon him while he has merely tried to be himself and strived to improve in the light of everything from the staunch support to the harsh criticism, makes him one of the NFL’s most intriguing players entering his third season.
Tagovailoa, throughout the offseason and into training camp, consistently answered questions about his critics like he pays them no mind.
“I eliminate all of that,” he said during training camp. “Don’t hear it. Don’t see it. I go home, go to my family, study, wake up the next day, come back and enjoy football.”
But even then, Tagovailoa still throws the occasional jab at his doubters, the “Twitter warriors,” as he once called them.
Nick Hicks, Tagovailoa’s trainer who sees a more real version of him when the cameras are off, acknowledges that it’s true the left-handed quarterback largely ignores the noise. But there’s also an understanding of why it’s out there, and it does fuel him.
“The criticism that he got last year, there’s a piece of him that thought, ‘OK, you know what? They had every reason to think that way because I didn’t perform that well. I didn’t play to my abilities. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do. We didn’t win games. We didn’t get to the playoffs,’ ” Hicks said in an interview with the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“I think that Tua takes everything with a grain of salt, but he also does understand the expectations of him and he knows there’s going to be haters and doubters, especially since we didn’t accomplish the goals that we set out to last year.”
But as a counter to the criticism that finds Tagovailoa, a movement sprouted in support of him. A portion of the Dolphins fan base during the 2021 season became known as TuAnon, devoting its efforts to advocate for Tagovailoa, even when the criticism reaches new peaks.
The unofficial leader of this division of fans became someone in a dolphin mask using a voice modifier from his garage in California to film creepy, staticky videos to post under the Twitter handle @TheGaluminati, which combines the name of Tua’s father, Galu, and the Illuminati, a secret society from conspiracy theories. TuAnon’s mission: Debunk “fake news” narratives surrounding Tagovailoa.
“The fan base didn’t give him enough of a chance to prove himself through two years, and that’s why I created the account,” the TuAnon account owner told the Sun Sentinel, speaking under the condition of anonymity for the sake of the social media character. “My mission is to spread the good word of Tua Tagovailoa and to stop the haters from endlessly slandering Tua as he makes his way to an MVP season this season.”
How many other players with 50-to-1 MVP odds have fans with that much confidence in them?
One of the reasons why Tagovailoa has his doubters is a belief he doesn’t have the arm strength to make all the throws required of an NFL quarterback. In-game examples of him hitting deep shots down the field are few and far between.
But it was a point of emphasis over the offseason, to add to the skill set already known for Tagovailoa, throwing with accuracy, anticipation and making quick decisions against pressure.
With the major hip injury that cut Tagovailoa’s college career short in November 2019 now nearly three years in the past, Hicks called it a “non-factor” at this point. Beginning to work with him in the 2021 offseason, Hicks said that year was about getting him stronger while this offseason was about taking it to the next level with long toss, off-platform throwing, plyometrics and medicine-ball workouts all among the numerous measures taken.
“He’s got so much more muscle mass,” said Hicks, who also credits what the Dolphins strength staff has accomplished and Tua’s father, Galu, for recommendations of footwork and other quarterback drills. “He’s got a stronger base. His feet are moving faster. He’s ripping the ball out. He’s more confident in his body.”
Tagovailoa now looks more effortless producing throwing power by generating it from his lower half and snapping his hip for a whole-body effort.
Between early March to May, according to Hicks, Tagovailoa’s best square-shoulder throw with feet stationary improved from 40 yards to 57. His top stationary rotational throw, with shoulders away and rotating across the axis of his body, increased from 35 yards to 52. And his rhythm throw went from 50 yards to 71.
The results were evident in training camp, when Tagovailoa connected on numerous deep shots to his pass catchers, most notably one 65-yard touchdown deep over the middle to Hill that traveled 60 air yards effortlessly, hitting Hill perfectly in stride with a tight-spinning spiral.
While new to fans to see Tagovailoa make that kind of pass, the Dolphins coaching staff wasn’t surprised.
“That’s not the first time and it won’t be the last that they’ll connect like that,” new coach Mike McDaniel said.
Said quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell: “From what I had seen up to that point, there’s not going to be any issues with the throws that he’s going to be asked to make, and I think that was just kind of evidence of that.”
Through his first two seasons, Tagovailoa is 13-8 in 21 starts. He has completed 66.2 percent of passes, has thrown 27 touchdowns to 15 interceptions and averages 194.2 yards per game.
They’re not exhilarating numbers, and Tagovailoa’s winning record is largely attributed to the Dolphins defense over the past two seasons. But Tagovailoa has had valid excuses: An incompetent offensive line, pass catchers that can’t stay healthy, his own availability, lack of a running game and a previous coach that he didn’t feel supported him. All those issues have been addressed this offseason, and Tagovailoa has been given everything he needs to find success.
It may be a necessity for his career. A revamped offense and a potent defense that remained intact over the offseason has created one of the best Dolphins rosters in recent memory. If Tagovailoa turns out to be a weak spot, Miami may need to move on from him and find another solution to compete with this talented roster.
Through whatever transpires, Tagovailoa’s critics are sure to minimize the pluses while highlighting the negative. In the meantime, supporters like TuAnon provide the positive angle in it all, even if some find the faction to be irrational with its unwavering praise.
“People can say whatever they want. People can think whatever they want,” the TuAnon leader said. “I won’t be rational when Tua lives up to these expectations.”
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