NFL Fact or Fiction: Foul Move by Tua Tagovailoa to Criticize Brian Flores

Plus, is there a dark horse candidate for Offensive Player of the Year? And what's going on with the Patriots' quarterback competition?

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa talks to reporters during a press conference after training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Some didn’t like that Tua Tagovailoa decided to air out some dirty laundry when discussing his past working relationship with former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores. 

But, hey, it at least made for great content for the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz. And now that I think about it, we should get Tagovailoa, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and Patriots coach Jerod Mayo together for a podcast, because those two coaches proved recently they aren’t afraid to provide a jolt to the NFL news cycle.

Mayo has gone back and forth with his assessment of rookie quarterback Drake Maye before his looming quarterback decision. As for Harbaugh, he just delivered many of the classic quotes only he could say when sharing details about the Chargers players who were stuck in an elevator last week. 

Alright, let’s get to this week’s Fact or Fiction before Mayo names a starter. 

Foul move by Tua Tagovailoa to criticize Brian Flores 

Manzano’s view: Fiction  

There’s an argument to be made that Tagovailoa should have chosen his words better when asked about his former coach Flores to avoid creating the kind of story this turned into weeks before the start of the regular season. 

But while it may be a distraction for the team, you can’t knock the Dolphins’ star signal-caller for answering truthfully and providing examples of why it didn’t work with Flores over their two seasons together. The Dolphins didn’t make the playoffs under Flores and there were concerns about Tagovailoa not developing into a franchise quarterback. With Mike McDaniel as head coach, the Dolphins have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and Tagovailoa played well enough to be locked in as Miami’s longterm quarterback. 

So of course people want to know the difference between Flores and McDaniel. Tagovailoa answered. Nothing wrong with that. I don’t like that we only have his version of the story, but Flores, now the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator, does talk to the media once a week. 

Flores could have defended himself during his news conference last week. Instead, Flores took the high road and wished Tagovailoa the best. That’s fine, too. Not every quarterback-coach relationship goes well, as evidenced by the constant turnover at both positions in this league. 

And for those saying Tagovailoa can’t handle tough love, the Alabama product was coached by Nick Saban for a few seasons. We can squash that. Now that Tagovailoa has answered with details on his version of things and Flores declined to share his side, we can perhaps move on from this story. 

Bijan Robinson will win Offensive Player of the Year

Manzano’s view: Fact 

I threw this one in here because I’ve received a lot of questions about Bijan Robinson this week, mainly from those seeking fantasy football advice before their respective leagues draft.

To put it clearly, I’m predicting the Atlanta Falcons’ star running back will win Offensive Player of the Year. I’m not sure if that’s a hot take, but there hasn’t been enough chatter about Robinson this offseason, which might be understandable after somewhat of a quiet rookie season based on the high expectations that were placed on him last year.

Robinson didn’t reach 1,000 rushing yards, but he got close with 976 and added 58 catches for 487 yards, along with eight total touchdowns. For context, he did that with Desmond Ridder as his starting quarterback and a stagnant offense that struggled throughout the Arthur Smith era. 

Robinson totaled 1,463 yards from scrimmage during his rookie season with eight touchdowns. / Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

Now, Robinson has Kirk Cousins and offensive play caller Zac Robinson, who had plenty of success working with Rams coach Sean McVay the past few years. So did new head coach Raheem Morris, the former defensive coordinator in Los Angeles. 

Go ahead and take Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill or CeeDee Lamb for this award category. I’m banking on a monster Year 2 for Robinson. 

Patriots should name Jacoby Brissett starting QB

Manzano’s view: Fiction 

Mayo might be trying to throw off people when it comes to his looming quarterback decision.

It appeared veteran Jacoby Brissett was the leading candidate when Mayo said Maye has been the second-best quarterback on the roster on Sunday after New England’s preseason finale against the Washington Commanders. But then Mayo said Monday morning that Maye outplayed Brissett through this point of preseason and training camp. 

Taken together, the two comments are confusing to say the least. Also, it wouldn’t make sense to provide an assessment of Maye being better and then deciding to start the season with Brissett, who sustained a shoulder injury in the preseason finale. Maybe Mayo learned more about the extent of Brissett’s injury and this is his way of talking up his rookie QB. 

If Maye is tabbed as the starter, he’s going to have the daunting task of playing behind a suspect offensive line that struggled in the preseason and a group of skill players that could use more help.

This is a tough decision for Mayo, but Maye was drafted third overall for his vast skill set. The New York Giants and a few other teams were willing to give up plenty of assets to move up in the draft to select Maye. Let him show off those skills and learn from his mistakes. 

You know what you’re getting in Brissett, and we can safely say that the Patriots aren’t playoff contenders with Brissett starting for this roster. Even if Maye loses games, if he shows flashes of being the real deal, that creates buzz for next year and could lure more players to want to play in New England after a few rough seasons. 

Jim Harbaugh likes to say strange things in interviews

Manzano’s view: Fact

I’ve attended a couple of Jim Harbaugh pressers since he got hired by the Los Angeles Chargers in January. They can be dull at times with plenty of coachspeak, but Harbaugh’s facial expressions can be very entertaining, and he occasionally delivers strange responses that you don’t question until you’ve digested them after the news conference.

Harbaugh had a few memorable lines when asked about the Chargers players, including Justin Herbert, who were trapped in the elevator of a Dallas hotel for about two hours before being helped by the local fire department. 

After Harbaugh said he wished he was stuck on the elevator with his players and turned it into a motivational speech about the test of wills, he delivered his family motto, “Who’s got it better than those guys that were on the elevator?!” Nobody, of course! 

Do yourself a favor and be locked in on Harbaugh’s pressers this season. 

the quotes from jim harbaugh about the chargers getting trapped in an elevator are the most jim harbaugh quotes that have ever existed. just complete bangers. pic.twitter.com/yCjyt2b3mx

— The Smoking Musket (@smokingmusket) August 25, 2024

The blank faces he gives the local media when asking about injury updates are starting to become must-watch. Shoutout to the Chargers beat reporters who are tasked with getting information from those fierce eyes. You better have strong follow-ups because there will be many short answers or long-winded prepared statements.

It’s also fascinating to see Harbaugh occasionally go off script. You can see his face saying, Screw it, I’m going with this. It’s gold content!

SI jinxed the Lions by putting them on the cover of the NFL preview issue

Manzano’s view: Not sure …

I’m sure some Lions fans are worried about the Sports Illustrated cover jinx, but you gotta admit it was a great photo of Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell, who was in the driver’s seat of a 1957 Ford Fairlane.

Yes, I’m here to plug the NFL season preview issue my colleagues and myself put plenty of time and effort into. It turned out great. Embrace the spotlight, Lions fans. It’s well deserved with all the success the Lions have had since coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes arrived. 

The Lions truly have the look of a Super Bowl contender heading into this season. So enjoy the ride, with Sewell, St. Brown and Goff leading the way.