‘I feel like it’s panic mode after that’ – Colts CB Xavien Howard didn’t hold back on his former teammate Tua Tagovailoa
A mic drop type of statement from a new Colt and former Dolphin
The Indianapolis Colts started the year better than they probably even hoped. The team blew the doors off the Miami Dolphins in a convincing 33-8 win. This win was extra special for multiple reasons, including Jim Irsay’s Ring of Honor induction and the end of their embarrassing 11-year-long Week 1 curse.
For one player, though, there was another reason this win just meant more. That player is longtime former Dolphin Xavien Howard, who took down his former team in his first game with the Colts. After reflecting on the win, he had a lot to say about his former team, especially one former teammate who struggled with Tua Tagovailoa.
Xavien Howard gave a brutally honest analysis of how Tua Tagovailoa played in Week 1
Tua had a rough go of it in Week 1. He began the game with an interception on the opening drive and finished the day completing only 14 of his 23 attempts for 114 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a fumble lost. Howard spent a lot of time with Tua as a teammate on the opposite side of the ball and got to go to battle with him in practice a lot of the years. So it’s safe to assume he knows the QB pretty well.
And he explained that in his reflection on the game.
“Once we take away his first read, I feel like it’s panic mode after that,” is a mic drop type of statement from Howard. He also shared that he helped provide information about his former team and QB to the Colts ahead of the matchup. “I told them, clog up the middle,” said Howard, “and make sure they throw the ball outside… we got two interceptions by clogging the middle.”
Howard is right. Both interceptions came in the middle of the field, the first being Cam Bynum’s off a ball Tua sailed, and the other being Laiatu Latu, who unexpectedly dropped back into coverage and appeared to confuse Tua.
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