The Extra Point: Why Tua Tagovailoa's Preseason Opener Was Better Than Most Realize

Don't look at the numbers for the Miami quarterback, who a year into his career finally played in his first NFL preseason game over the weekend.

Quarterbacks have a tendency to fixate on what didn't right, rather than what was accomplished in a game. 

Case in point was Tua Tagovailoa after Saturday's preseason opener against the Chicago Bears. After the exhibition he was talking about his interception. 

“I was late,” Tagovailoa said. “And in this league you can never be late over the middle in the red area. Like I said, those are recipes for disaster and that’s what happened.”

Overall, Tagovailoa was 8-for-11 for 99 yards with no touchdowns, and a 50-yard completion to tight end Mike Gesicki.

Per All Dolphins, which did a full analysis on his performance, it wasn't even close to his best throw, although the quarterback did do better than his numbers indicated. 

Tagovailoa actually made several big-time throws in his first career preseason game.

However, he didn't connect to first-round draft pick Jaylen Waddle. The rookie was shut out in terms of receptions in his debut but did have a 24-yard punt return. 

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The Extra Point is a regular feature on BamaCentral, and often includes video and other elements from our FanNation partners. Other recent segments include:

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Week 1 of Dolphins Training Camp Was About Tua Tagovailoa

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How Close is Marlon Humphrey to Being the NFL's Best Cornerback?

You Know the Season is Near When Injured Players Starting Ramping it Up

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