'Know when the journey is over' — Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young has strong comments for Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa regarding his health
The Miami Dolphins struggled offensively in 2024, but they were particularly inept with QB Tua Tagovailoa on the sideline. Miami's franchise quarterback missed six games last year due to injury – four on injured reserve with a concussion and the final two weeks due to a hip injury. Tua's availability – or lack thereof at […]
The Miami Dolphins struggled offensively in 2024, but they were particularly inept with QB Tua Tagovailoa on the sideline. Miami's franchise quarterback missed six games last year due to injury – four on injured reserve with a concussion and the final two weeks due to a hip injury.
Tua's availability – or lack thereof at times over the years – has drawn comments from both pundits and NFL personnel alike, including Miami GM Chris Grier, who's called on his QB to be more available moving forward.
That's a sentiment that Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young shares. Young was a guest on the Rich Eisen Show and he talked about the tough balance that Tua has to tightrope to protect himself but also deliver the plays needed for Miami to take a leap forward.
"Emmitt Smith said it the best – know when the journey is over. There's a real talent, sophistication, and maturity. You can attack, you can still make plays. You're going to have to end it earlier. He's gotten in trouble when you try to be heroic. Josh Allen has stayed healthy while trying to be heroic. You've just got to be smarter as you age, trying to figure it out, but if you're not going to attack the line of scrimmage, if you're not going to give that threat, you will not be in the Super Bowl. And so he has to figure out a way to present that threat without putting himself at greater risk.
"It's football. You put the helmet on, you've got to go out and play. So, no matter what happens, you're at risk. So that's just a fact. So how can you reduce the risks to not spoke? That's where the maturity is. How do you do that? You can and you can't. It's the game, and that's why people love football. Nobody cares about what they're getting paid the moment of impact. It's a game that draws out the truth. And in many ways, Tua's in a really tight spot. That's a fundamental truth, he's in a super tight spot. To be able to play the game the way it needs to be played, and make sure I remain available. It's a hard spot for him." Steve Young, the Rich Eisen Show
It's interesting how Young is explaining just how fine a line it is that Tua must walk in order to stay healthy and succeed. He mentioned knowing when the journey is over, and that appears to be a message as far as knowing your limits on a play-to-play basis. But he's also saying Tua can't take it completely easy and avoid all contact and risk because there has to be some level of that to create plays the Dolphins need to find another gear and take the Dolphins beyond the opening game of the playoffs.
Young also mentioned Josh Allen being heroic and being able to stay on the field, but Allen is built like a tank and can absorb far more contact than Tua has been and is able to take.
The bottom line is that Tua simply has to be smarter and more reserved about being willing and able to take on contact that he can avoid. The Dolphins hope their offense will be closer to the 2023 version than 2024 and thus can make more impact and splash plays to make up for incomplete passes and slides for short yardage.
Simply put: they don't need hero ball from Tua. Not if they don't want another possible repeat of 2024 with injured reserve trips, a broken offense, and another season without a playoff win.
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