All Dolphins

Random Thoughts: Tua Talk, Shorter Preseason and Kudos to the Dolphins

Some thoughts on the Miami Dolphins (and every team) possibly playing fewer preseason games, another Tua take, and some good deeds by the organization

Alain Poupart

We'll start with Tua Tagovailoa because, well, he's Tua.

If it's not clear by now that Chris Simms does not like Tua Tagovailoa as a quarterback, you haven't been paying attention.

That said, it clearly should not be surprising to see his take that Jarrett Stidham, the heir apparent to Tom Brady in New England, is more talented than Tagovailoa.

Simms made the comments this past weekend while appearing on Boston radio station WEEI.

“(Stidham is) more talented than Tua,” Simms said. “(Tua) is a creation of Alabama. You don’t think Jarrett Stidham, or like (former Oregon QB) Justin Herbert would have set the world on fire if they got to play with four first-round receivers and two first-round tackles?”

Remember, Simms put Tua at number 40 when he ranked NFL quarterbacks in his role with NBC Sports, so he's been consistent with his criticism for a while — even going back before the draft.

And the truth is that no one can argue about the ridiculous talent with which Tagovailoa was surrounded at Alabama.

The four receivers mentioned by Simms included 2020 first-round picks Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III and projected 2021 first-round selections DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle, and the two tackles are 2020 first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr. and projected 2021 first-round selection Alex Leatherwood.

Even if Tagovailoa isn't as sure-fire an NFL star as might some suggest (health issues aside), it's hard to argue for Stidham having more talent.

Let's remember that Stidham's passer rating at Auburn went down each of his final two seasons.

So that one appears to be a stretch.

SHORTER PRESEASON?

Because of everything associated with coronavirus, speculation has begun that the NFL might reduce the preseason in 2020 to perhaps two games.

Speaking purely from a fan standpoint, this truly is good news because the preseason is, let's face it, rather boring.

From a team perspective, let's be honest, how many players really make the roster based on preseason games alone.

Because most teams operate the same way, what we've seen in the past when roster-fringe players shine in the fourth and final preseason game is that they've done so playing against other roster-fringe players. And that hasn't been enough for anybody to earn a roster spot.

Take Dolphins tight end Chris Myarick, for example. He had a big game in the 2019 preseason finale against New Orleans (six catches, 78 yards), but that wasn't enough to earn him a roster spot.

Or take Nate Orchard or Dwayne Hendrix, as other examples. They led the Dolphins with four and three sacks, respectively, last preseason but neither of them made the 53-man roster.

No, what a shortened preseason would mean is that the established players likely would see more action in each game, as opposed to very limited action in the first two preseason games, a half to three quarters in the third game and usually sitting out in the fourth.

In terms of affecting roster decisions, the impact should be minimal.

KUDOS TO THE DOLPHINS

The Dolphins continue to deliver meals at Hard Rock Stadium to low-income families, and now they've teamed up with Miami-Dade County Public Schools to help its food assistance initiative.

Starting this week, M-DCPS is continuing its meal distributions to students at 50 schools around the county. In support of this initiative, the Dolphins have committed to donating 500 chilled, to-go meals every week for an entire year.

The Dolphins also have committed to continuing the food assistance program at Hard Rock for at least a year.

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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.

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