The Extra Point: Week 1 of Dolphins Training Camp Was About Tua Tagovailoa

Former Alabama quarterback made an all-pro move last week, but it wasn't on the field while preparing for Miami's upcoming season.

It should surprise no one that Tua Tagovailoa has been the primary focus of the Miami Dolphins training camp thus far. 

That's pretty normal for quarterbacks, especially young ones. Moreover, last year the former Alabama quarterback really didn't have the benefit of having an opportunity to fully prepare for his rookie season while coming back from a major hip injury that required surgery. 

So the Dolphins have been focusing on the things Tagovailoa needs to focus upon the most, including familiarity with his receivers and being comfortable with the downfield passing game. 

That takes time, which he didn't have the benefit of having in 2020 — while fans had unreal expectation of the No. 5 draft pick looking like the next Dan Marino from day one

"We've placed an emphasis on not pushing the ball downfield, but taking advantage of those opportunities if they're there," Dolphins coach Brian Flores told team reporters. "We want to have good fundamentals, good techniques, good mechanics, go through his progression; and if it's there and it's open, or we can throw him open, then take a shot.

"We're not going to make them if we don't throw them. So I think he's taking more shots downfield and hopefully, he's gaining more confidence and can make some of those throws."

Tagovailoa says he's "very comfortable" with the offense and added that “being able to get with the guys throughout the offseason has helped me tremendously.” 

Per Dolphins Maven, though, even he knows that the steps he and the offense are taking now are not necessarily indicative of what kind of plays the offense will run when the regular season gets under way. 

This part of training camp is about taking the necessary steps that will lead to later success 

“I’m not looking at the things I do right, but most of the things I don’t do right. It will keep coming back to that,” he said.

Flores added that Tagovailoa has 'gotten off to good start,' but that's really all it is, a start.

However, Tagovailoa and his family did make an all-star move last week when the Tua Foundation announced a donation of $93,000 to Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch in the aftermath of a deadly crash that claimed the lives of eight of its members.

At his first "Luau With Tua" at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa in late June, Tagovailoa helped raised $46,500 for the cause and he announced that night he personally would match that total.

The money will be used to cover funeral expenses for the victims, aged from 4 to 17, as well as provide counseling to other girls at the ranch.

Now that's a Hall-of-Fame-type move. 

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