Veteran Teammate Preaches Patience with Tua

Miami Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy pointed out that rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's development will be "a process"

Tua Tagovailoa's first NFL start didn't produce impressive numbers, but that wasn't needed because the Miami Dolphins put together a complete team effort to defeat the Los Angeles Rams at Hard Rock Stadium.

That Tagovailoa didn't light it up in his first start after replacing veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick might have been disappointing for some fans, but linebacker Kyle Van Noy believes everybody needs to show some patience with the prize first-round pick from the University of Alabama.

“He’s a rookie at the end of the day,” Van Noy told SI NFL writer Albert Breer for his Monday Morning Quarterback column. “Obviously, we all want it to just happen overnight, but it’s a process. And he knows that, defense knows that, special teams know that. And we’re there for him. It’s a situation where we feel like whoever’s there, we’re going to have a good chance to win. Fitz is really good. Tua’s really good. We know we’ve just got to take it one game at a time.

“We did that today. Clearly, we showed it by scoring in every single phase. Obviously, we can’t rely on that each and every week. They know that (on offense), and they’re going to get better and better and better. And we’re going to get better and better ourselves. We’re going to take it one week at a time. We got a W.”

Tagovailoa completed 12 of 22 passes for 93 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions against the Rams.

The Dolphins recorded their third consecutive victory thanks to a defense that produced four takeaways and a touchdown as well as Jakeem Grant's punt return for another score.

After building a 28-10 halftime lead, the Dolphins made sure not to take unnecessary chances in the second half, which certainly didn't help Tagovailoa's stat line.

There will come a time when the Dolphins need more production from the quarterback position, but not on a day when the defense and special teams are so dominant.

Van Noy contributed to the victory when he returned a fumble caused by Shaq Lawson's blindside sack 28 yards to the 1-yard line, setting up the Myes Gaskin touchdown run that made it 28-7.

Of course, Van Noy was upset he didn't score the touchdown himself.

“Hell yeah I’m pissed," Van Noy told Breer. "I need to get back to work and get my body right so I can run faster.”)

On this day, though, it was tough for anybody on the Dolphins to be upset.

The team is on a roll, with a defense playing as well as any in the league (or close to it) and an offense that figures to get better with each Tagovailoa start.

As Van Noy told Breer after a laugh, "Let’s keep it moving. It’s Tua Time, let’s go.”