As you know, in the weeks leading up to the draft, I was hoping we’d draft Tua. And I obviously got my wish. I think his upside is tremendous, and that counteracts his risk of injury. He’s exciting and young, and I think that is what we needed.
But… this isn’t really a “but” at this point, but rather a few things I’ve noticed recently that MAY start to be cause for concern.
First, Tua already has endorsement deals in place, and he’s already promoting Muscle Milk drinks. That is clearly his right and it takes nothing away from his athletic skills. But in the back of my mind, I have fleeting thoughts about his commitment. For the past two years, we’ve heard nothing except how this kid eats, breathes, and lives football. But somewhere along the line, his agent got to him and already has him endorsing products before he’s even in the league.
Second, Tua choosing Number One for his uniform strikes me as a bit egotistical. 13 and 12 are unavailable, but there are plenty of others. I would have preferred if he picked a more low-key number. His jersey is already a top seller at NFL.com, which is great for him and for the league and for Stephen Ross, who of course believes that popularity and goodwill are more important than winning.
Third, Tua bought his mom a car. I get it. All NFL rookies do this for their parents, and he’s entitled to spend his millions any way he sees fit. Somehow (not a shock), the media found out about this gift and it was all over the news.
So why does any of this concern me? My answer is that I feel it puts a target on Tua’s back. It gives opponents a little more motivation to go sack him. A little more umph in their step to show this cocky rookie that he’s not all that. It’s very early, and Tua certainly is not overdoing anything. But, he is raising some eyebrows. Choosing to wear #1 on his back sends a bit of an insulting message to other teams.
He’s attracting far more attention than any other draft pick. Again, that is outstanding for Stephen Ross’s main goal (public relations), but it doesn’t help win games.
So, like everything, we just have to wait and see how he does on the field. I have no problem with the kid having an ego (and quite frankly, we probably need that), but after two years of hearing how humble he is, it seems a bit perplexing to see the opposite. Let’s just hope his skills override all of my concerns.
We’ll definitely have to follow this but at this point I’m not worried. I’d be more concerned if he pushed for 13! I think one has more to do with first round.
Well someone has to take #1 …Cam Newton did …I didn’t like the pick at first but I have accepted him as our new franchise qb …his height bothers me but his quick feet make up for it ….so Phins up and looking forward to see what he has got ….I say he will start after the bye .
Just hope they wait until the O-line gets up to speed.
It’s also possible that Tua never starts any games this season, behind Fitz and Rosen.
If that were to happen, than I think a lot of the things mentioned above, would be lessened by quite a bit, due to the length of time before he starts, thus diminishing the memories of all of the above concerns.
I agree. The Dolphins will want to protect their future franchise quarterback for the long term. Aside from limited action in preseason, he may not even take the field in 2020.
@Admin, what happened to reader Jay who always used to ask” In what century do we get a franchise quarterback?” 😃
I think all of your observations are possible credible but are only red flags if Tua does not put in the work. We all know that anyone who has ever achieved legendary status in any sport has an obsessive behavior toward becoming and staying great. We have to hope that these behaviors are not indicators that Tua has other interests outside of becoming a great QB.