Tua Tagovailoa isn’t losing any sleep over who throws the first ball next week. After the Atlanta Falcons beat his old team, the Miami Dolphins, 17-12 in the preseason finale, the new QB made his stance crystal clear. He knows the pressure sits squarely on the coaching staff, not his shoulders. His only job is to go out there and put points on the board for his teammates while the front office handles the drama that’s completely out of his control.
The Job Belongs to the Coaches
Tagovailoa stepped into his first game against Miami and knocked out 7 of 8 passes for 95 yards. Sure, he coughed up a fumble, but he refused to let the boos from the crowd rattle him. When reporters pressed him on whether he’d done enough to secure the starting gig, he didn’t dance around the issue. “I don’t think that’s something I should worry about,” Tagovailoa told reporters, per Yahoo Sports.
He made it clear that the call belongs to the people running the show, not the guy in the pocket. “That’s not my job,” he stated flatly. That’s the mindset of a veteran who’s been through the wringer before and knows exactly where the line is drawn.
Money Talks While Tua Plays
Here’s the weird part: Miami is still handing him a massive paycheck while he’s suiting up for Atlanta. The Dolphins are on the hook for $54 million this season even though he’s wearing a Falcons jersey now. Head coach Kevin Stefanski praised the veteran’s ability to navigate this bizarre situation. “I thought Tua did a nice job operating,” Stefanski noted after the game.
The Falcons seized command early, scoring twice in the opening half to take a lead they never relinquished. But the night wasn’t flawless for the new starter, as Tagovailoa fumbled during his drives, with one error stemming from a handoff exchange involving center Corey Levin. Every pass completion he made that day landed within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.
Penix Is Still The Target
The real battle is against Michael Penix Jr., who is still recovering from ACL surgery. Since getting medical clearance, Penix has only participated in three practices, which is exactly why he sat out Friday night. Ahead of Week 1, Stefanski stated that Penix has performed sufficiently to lock down the starting position.
According to Yahoo Sports, the original plan was for Tua to start, but his actual play made that impossible to execute. “All of which is to say, this is Michael Penix’s job for the taking,” Rapoport argued. Tagovailoa knows he spent six years in Miami and calls them some of the best of his life, admitting he felt “mixed emotions” in the moments surrounding the game. The Falcons need a winner, and right now, the rookie is the one they are betting on to deliver.
