All Dolphins

The Takes on the Tua Timeline Keep Coming

Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians was just the latest to give his opinion on when Miami Dolphins first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa should get into the lineup

Alain Poupart

We told you a while back that opinions on when Tua Tagovailoa should take over as the Dolphins' starting quarterback would continue to pop up and probably not stop until it actually happened.

Veteran coach Bruce Arians, who's getting ready for his second season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his first with a prominent quarterback of his own (Tom Brady, in case you didn't know), was among the latest to offer his take.

Arians, who actually had two stints as an assistant at the University of Alabama (Tagovailoa's alma mater) and has been in the NFL since 1998, made his comments during a radio interview with an Alabama radio station.

“I think it all depends on his health; if he's healthy I’m playing him,” Arians told 100.9 FM in Alabama. "I don’t think you learn anything holding a clipboard. You know, I had Peyton Manning his first year, Andrew Luck his first year, Ben (Roethlisberger) was one of those guys that went in by accident because Tommy Maddox got hurt. You miss all the practice reps, you miss the game reps. I don’t know what you learn holding a clipboard watching.”

It should be pointed out that Manning and Luck both were the first overall pick in the draft when Arians coached them in 1998 and 2012, respectively.

The No. 1 overall pick this year was Joe Burrow, and it's pretty much a lock he'll be the opening-day starter for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Content is unavailable

So maybe Roethlisberger, the 11th overall pick in 2004, is a better comparison to Tua. The 2004 Steelers had Maddox as a 33-year-old starting quarterback, but he was injured in Week 2.

As it turned out, it was against the Dolphins that Roethlisberger made his first NFL start and it came in a 13-3 Steelers victory in Miami.

Arians' comments, of course, came a few days after former Patriots (and Dolphins) linebacker Rob Ninkovich said he believed that Brian Flores would take his time with Tagovailoa and have Ryan Fitzpatrick as the opening-day starter, adding that he agreed with that position.

National radio host Doug Gottlieb also favored airing on the side of caution.

RELATED: Applying Analytics to the Tua Timeline Debate

Published
Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

Home/News