Miami Dolphins Fans Weigh In On Tua Following Another Season

Last week I asked a question about a player that continues to be the center of much debate among the Miami Dolphins fan base, at least online.

Do you see Tua as a franchise quarterback for the Dolphins and would you like to see them give him the big money deal now? Or…would you like to see the team take their time, and give him another year under center before deciding? Or…is your mind already made up and you think it’s time to cut bait while his stock is still somewhat high, get what we can, and move on?

Below are some of your thoughts on the subject-

seaphinfan didn’t seem to want to get into details but it’s safe to say that he’s out on Tua.

No

Francesco ITA sees Tua as mediocre.

Jim McMahon and Kordell Stewart were mediocre QBs who were “franchise QB” for at least 5 years… A mediocre QB can become a franchise QB (so a QB on which you invest a long contract) for

A) lack of alternatives

B) because he fits the OC schemes

C) because you are scared to change and admit errors.

All the above can apply to the Tua situation. I fear Tua will become our Franchise Qb for at least another 3 year… unfortunately he will never be a very good one.

THEphinz thinks we could do worse.

Yes. You can roll the dice with 100 different guys. People mix up franchise QB with top 5 QB. The real truth is he is better than most. Better than any Miami has had since Marino including RT17 that the Titans decided was also a franchise QB and paid.

TheMiamiUte seems to agree with THEphinz

I don’t view Tua as a “franchise” QB because he needs a lot of things to be just so as to maximize his talent. To me, a “franchise” QB is a guy who, when required, can strap the team on his back and, at times, will them to win. Unfortunately, that’s never going to be Tua. Again, for the thousandth time, Tua’s most accurate comp in the NFL today is a guy like Kirk Cousins. Good to great stats, most times Top 10 in the league, but with too many other, more talented QBs ahead of him.

Trill Treezy thinks Tua is a statue but is not likely to get one…

I wish he weren’t the Dolphins QB. I would prefer any of these 20 QBs over him.

Lamar Jackson

Joe Burrow

Josh Allen

Deshaun Watson

CJ Stroud

Trevor Lawrence

Patrick Mahomes

Justin Herbert

Aaron Rodgers

Dak Prescott

Matthew Stafford

Jordan Love

Jalen Hurts

Brock Purdy

Kyler Murray

Justin Fields

Bryce Young

Jared Goff

Kirk Cousins

Jake Browning

I think Mac Jones would put up similar numbers on the Dolphins. I’d probably take him, Carson Wentz, Geno Smith, and even Russel Wilson over him too. Tua is a statue who can’t move at all, and his floaters are all over the place in Baltimore.

Pat_Certain thinks his current contract situation tells the tale.

Several of the other QBs from Tua’s draft class have already received extensions (Herbert, Burrow, Hurts)… there lies your answer, folks. No matter how much some fans love Tua, if he were good enough, he’d already be signed to an extension. Franchise QBs do not grow on trees, and when you have one, you lock them up as soon as possible. Tua should get the option to play out his 5th year, but if there were a trade partner, I would take it. For a real franchise QB, teams in need would give up the farm (Deshaun Watson/Matthew Stafford) for his services — I doubt any team would do that for Tua. Yes, for one single year, Tua has performed better than most QBs the Dolphins have had, but that’s not saying much.

Unfortunately, this is our beloved Miami Dolphins, so they will probably sign him to an extension, and soon enough we’ll be back to where we were before this failed rebuild. There are some things Tua does well, but I shudder to think how he would perform for a season without Tyreek Hill, and with a roster that has to accommodate the salary of a franchise QB. Once in a generation players like Hill definitely inflate a QB’s stats — Hill even did this for Mahomes. He has a Randy Moss like effect on QBs (look at Tom Brady’s stats the year he had Moss, and of course Culpepper).

If Miami were smart and wanted to build a stable contender, they’d move on from Tua, invest in a rockstar Oline, and try to get McDaniel to focus on the run game with a cheaper option at QB until the opportunity to grab a true franchise QB comes along. Even Goff would be better, but as is often the case, we missed that opportunity.

SlayerNation1 checked the box for “NO”.

I would say more of “ a Quarterback of a franchise” than a “Franchise Quarterback”

phinsatx is in on Tua!

Yes. I think he is a franchise QB and they should extend him. I have questions still, but I think there’s enough to move forward. People forget that this team beat Buffalo and the Ravens in 2022, so it isn’t like Tua has never won a game against playoff teams except for the woeful Cowboys. We even won games against playoff teams before that too with Tua. Whether he can win it all seems like a silly question. You haven’t won it all until you’ve won it all. The rest is a guess or a subjective “it” factor. Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl, and he is a legend still. After all, it remains a team sport that needs everybody to be playing at a high level at the right time. We weren’t doing that in any shape or form at the end of the season (maybe an underutilized run game, but that is a question for Mike McDaniel).

Oldfinfan is not a fan of the prevailing opinion.

I came here for the terrible takes and people did not disappoint.

Csonka thinks the Tua naysayers have it all wrong.

I really don’t know what Tua has done wrong to irk this fanbase. People really have short memories. Last season people wanted him to stay healthy, so he gained a few pounds and is much more solid. Sure he’s not the most mobile of QBs, but then again you know who else moving wasn’t? Dan Marino. Now I am not saying that he is in that league but mobility isn’t all that when the team is firing.

What is a franchise QB? Somebody who leads the team and commands respect? Remember he was voted team captain. Somebody who elevates the team around him? He has done all that but like every QB he isn’t consistent.

You look at his body of work and if you ignore the first two seasons when you could rightly argue he was mismanaged it’s incredibly impressive. There is no way he should have played in his rookie year, he was coming back from injury and needed to sit. Heck, there is an argument that all rookie QBs should sit for a season or two and learn how to be a pro. That’s how it used to be. Jordan Love is a good example. The Packers are masters at getting QBs ready.

There are flaws in his game, no doubt. He is still growing and learning. As much as there is a clamor for other QBs, what else have they done? Allen always bottles it (no SB), Herbert pro typical QB, done now and went 5-12 last season. Lawrence looks like he might be not all he was supposed to be. The list goes on and apart from the true elite you could argue 27 teams could do with an upgrade if you apply th same criticism that Tua gets.

Some of the alternatives mentioned are hilarious….

Write Tua off at your peril. The failures for this season are not just on his back but because certain members of the fanbase already dislike him it just gives them more narrative to attack.

Madbikerinvestr00 says Tua compares very closely to another NFL QB.

Kirk Cousins 2.0

Kirk Cousins scouting report coming out of College…kind of sounds like Tua (with Tua being a notch above):

Strengths

Cousins has all the intangibles necessary for an NFL quarterback and has been a productive three-year starter

The fact that he was a three-year captain will be highly regarded by NFL general managers

He is an accurate and safe thrower who knows how to pick his spots

He is a good athlete who can make plays on the run, but is not going to run past many NFL defenders

A safe pick as a backup option

Weaknesses

Cousins is widely considered to be a game manager type at the next level

He makes good decisions with the ball but has not shown he can make the flash plays to move the offense and win games for his team at the next level

He will need talent around him to succeed, which limits his value

budglo says that we write too many articles on Tua and to build around him.

Lol, another “Tua “ article? Some of the names ppl name as his “ replacement “ Fields , Allen , Herbert have never gone to the SB let alone win. Let Tua continue to develop , build the team around him and let it fly . We don’t want to become the new Browns . Concentrate on being healthy and our defense that gave up a ton of points.

USMCFinzFreak seems to be saying stick with him for now until you can find someone else better.

Well, yes, if the definition of franchise is someone who cannot be replaced due to nobody available that is better than him (and one that the team can afford). The question is, will he get the Dolphins to the SB? It’s possible, but how likely? Mahomes and Jackson make it very likely for their teams to be perennial contenders but finding them (or stumbling upon them) is a crapshoot. Work with what you have and make the team better around him but keep looking as we have been since 2000.

62Lou ends our list with another but no.

NOT a franchise QB. Look – WE ALL WANT him to be the answer, the GUY that can go “head to head” with Mahomes, Herbert, Burrow, and Josh Allen – BUT HE CANT… You want PROOF ?

Tua’s record vs Allen alone – Is now 1-6. This year the AGAIN had two 1,000 yard receivers (and the #! WR in football) AND a 1,000 yd RB – with a very supportive coach -who tailored his entire offense around his one strength (accuracy)…what did we get for this ? a blowout playoff loss. … Sure the defense was beaten (injuries) but TUA COULD DO ALMOST NOTHING WITH THE BALL….all day. One badly underthrown pass to Hill for a TD was all that stopped a shutout.

TRUTH – He cant run (chubby and slow) he cant get thru more than an occasional second read, He doesn’t have good pocket awareness (sliding up or sideways to throw) He “turtles” up very quickly when the play breaks down, when other QBs make plays… his ball velocity his very weak (why he gets sideline out routes jumped often(see jets games)

He is just below “good” on the QB scale…. thats it

I guess I was a bit surprised by this post. Not that some of us would say no to Tua being the man but that it was such a heavy majority. Even the majority of you who said keep him think that we could do better or should at least try to. I tend to lean towards the side that says he is just not getting it done but it would also be the most Miami Dolphins thing in the world for them to trade him away and then see him become all world.

Once again thank you to each and every one of you that took the time to comment on the post last week.

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