Omar Kelly: Dolphins’ commitment to Tua isn’t unanimous and it could hurt search for coach

History has had a nasty habit of repeating itself with the Miami Dolphins during the past decade, if not two.

No matter how hard the franchise tries to steer a different course, it keeps traveling down the same path, making similar mistakes, and the people who record that history need to take some ownership for this ride on the mediocrity merry-go-round.

At least I do, because not all of Dolphins’ history has been recorded properly, or done in a timely fashion.

For instance, you’ve probably heard whisperers, or internet chatter about the failed coup d’état the 2014 receivers orchestrated at the end of the season to have quarterback Ryan Tannehill replaced by Matt Moore.

As I’ve been told by multiple sources, in December of that season, with a playoff berth on the line, the receiver unit sat down with then-head coach Joe Philbin and asked him to bench Tannehill for Moore, who was a more aggressive passer.

Philbin denied their request, and 7-5 turned into 8-8. Every receiver on that team outside of Jarvis Landry and Rishard Matthews was traded or purged that offseason.

Tannehill survived, got new weapons the next offseason, and Miami’s mediocrity marched on. I never reported about the attempted coup at the time because the receivers didn’t want it out then, since it failed, and it could have hurt their NFL future.

But I’m bringing it up now because I’ve been hearing plenty of locker-room discomfort regarding the franchise’s supposedly unwavering commitment to Tua Tagovailoa, the 2020 first-round pick for whom Miami has gone 13-8 in his starts the past two seasons.

Players aren’t siding with now-removed coach Brian Flores over Tagovailoa. Many of them had issues with Flores’ antics and personality quirks, like Tagovailoa and General Manager Chris Grier did. Their troublesome relationship with Flores contributed to his firing earlier this month.

Now, some players’ issues are with the reports that the Dolphins plan to build around Tagovailoa, who finished the 2021 season with the 19th-highest passer rating (90.1) in the NFL, sandwiched between Atlanta’s Matt Ryan and Tannehill.

Most Dolphins like and respect Tagovailoa, which hasn’t always been the case with Dolphins quarterbacks. See Chad Henne and Tannehill’s career for the most recent examples.

NFL backups are always popular in locker rooms, especially with defenders when the offense struggles, and the Dolphins’ offense has struggled for most of the 21st century.

What I’m sensing, reporting, chronicling, hoping to bring to the light, is that there’s a strained relationship with Tagovailoa and his team. And for the sake of transparency, I’m admitting it is difficult to put a finger on the source.

Most of the players I talk to privately acknowledge that there is some resentment built up because Tagovailoa was hyped up as this franchise’s savior, and “he’s no savior,” as one Dolphins player puts it.

Many players felt Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was the clear-cut leader of the 2020 team that finished 10-6, had his team stolen from him when Fitzpatrick was benched for a then rookie Tagovailoa six games into the season.

Many players felt that decision, which was made by Flores and Dolphins management, hurt the team’s playoff chances that season. Although Tagovailoa didn’t push to become Miami’s starter, it strained some relationships.

His leadership style is constantly compared to Fitzpatrick’s, and that’s a losing battle.

A few players admitted that the Dolphins’ seasonlong flirtation with Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, which excited quite a few of Tagovailoa’s teammates, affected their feelings about Tagovailoa because “Watson’s an elite quarterback now. We’re ready to win,” as one player summed up.

When Tagovailoa’s positives are pointed out — as I often do, as an admitted supporter of Tagovailoa — the rebuttal always centers on the lack of velocity of his throws.

“He can’t make every throw,” one prominent defender said before reminding me he watched Tagovailoa every day, not just on game days. “He’s only going to take us so far. I’m wasting my career here if that’s what we’re doing!”

None of these issues are new revelations or uncharted waters for the Dolphins.

I’ve heard that kind of talk privately for decades about too many quarterbacks, and here we are with two postseason appearances in 20 years.

But it warrants mentioning now because the Dolphins are embarking on a search for the team’s next head coach after seemingly making a public announcement that whoever wants Flores’ job must believe in and build an offense around Tagovailoa.

What if 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel wants to continue coaching Jimmy Garoppolo, who will likely be on the trading block this offseason. His $25 million-a-year contract expires after the 2022 season, and the 49ers traded three first-rounders and a third-rounder to the Dolphins to select Trey Lance with the third pick of last year’s draft.

Or if Dan Quinn, who spent four seasons in Seattle, could find a way to deliver perennial Pro Bowl selection Russell Wilson in a trade with the Seahawks?

Maybe Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, or Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, two more candidates, covet a quarterback in the 2022 draft class.

How about Miami’s decision-makers simply listen to each candidate’s unbiased opinions of Tagovailoa, and their game plan at quarterback before stacking the deck, potentially turning off candidates?

That is why Dolphins players would prefer it be out there that not everyone supports the organization’s stance of unwavering commitment to Tagovailoa, and that the players would prefer that he at least be given legit competition this offseason, and must win the job in a training camp battle, where a new offense is installed.

This isn’t about not believing in Tagovailoa’s future, potential and promise.

This is about ensuring that the franchise’s course, its trajectory, isn’t tied to it, and that a general manager’s desire to prove he was right on his quarterback selection two years ago doesn’t hold a team back for the rest of this decade, like some of the Dolphins’ other unwavering commitments to lackluster quarterbacks.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3IEEVoL