Dave Hyde: History in the making? The buildup to Tua's start involves 21 preceding QBs.
So this is what it’s going to be like from here — a million video hits when Tua Tagovailoa sits on the field after a game, the lead story on ESPN when he’s named Miami Dolphins starter, a half-dozen radio stations wanting scraps of a columnist’s thoughts leading up to the start and former coach Jimmy Johnson on the line with some advice?
“He should take what they give and don’t hold the ball an extra second trying to make the great play every down,” the Hall of Fame coach said. “If nothing’s there, sometimes you throw it away.”
If the results resemble the buildup, the Tua Era will be a fun run. But this buildup has been building for two decades. The history in Sunday’s making involves 21 failed Dolphins starting quarterbacks after Dan Marino.
Tua doesn’t know this history. He can’t. Nor can coach Brian Flores. Why would he? But anyone who has made this long football pilgrimage to the threshold of Sunday’s latest — and biggest — Dolphins hope knows what it’s been like. And sounded like.
Remember? Listen to the 21 names who have shaped this into the Dolphins biggest moment this millennium:
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1.”I didn’t hear any boos,” Jay Fielder after being booed in pregame introductions before a Dolphins victory in 2000.
2. “I’ll do whatever’s asked, when it’s asked — if it’s asked,” Damon Huard said after his one start during this run in 2000.
3.”In seven years, not one time did I think it possible for one player to lose a game for the other 53 players,” Ray Lucas said after four interceptions and two fumbles in a loss to Buffalo in 2002. “But it is possible. I just proved it.”
4.”We didn’t do anything right,” Brian Griese said after converting 1 of 10 on third downs for the third straight game in 2003 and having nine turnovers in those games.
5. “Twelve years of it gets a little frustrating,” veteran Gus Frerotte, who started 15 games in 2005, about having to prove he was a legitimate starter.
6. “I’m always prepared if they need me,” Sage Rosenfels, after subbing for Frerotte and beating the New York Jets in 2005.
7. “Would you believe it if I said we were arguing about LSU and Florida?” Daunte Culpepper said about his in-practice argument with then-coach Nick Saban, when players had to step between them after Culpepper was benched in 2006.
8. “Joey is the starter and is our quarterback,” Saban said after benching Joey Harrington in favor of Cleo Lemon for the second half of a 2006 loss against Buffalo.
9. One week later, Saban said in benching Harrington for Lemon: “There are guys on your team that you feel confident that they’ve done enough that they deserve the right to play. In Cleo’s case, I think he’s earned the respect of the other players.”
10. “One big hit, and he could be scrambled eggs,” Jason Taylor said in 2007 when the Dolphins signed Trent Green, due to the quarterback’s concussion history. That concussive hit came when in his fifth Dolphins game at Houston, ending Green’s career.
11. “I’ve never had a day like that,” John Beck said after being intercepted three times and fumbling three times in a 40-13 loss to the Jets that dropped the Dolphins to 0-12 in 2007.
12. “You’re the 49th new guy,” first-year coach Tony Sparano greeted quarterback Chad Pennington as he signed his Dolphins contract a couple of weeks before a 2008 season, when Pennington and Sparano took the Dolphins to the playoffs.
13. “I’m not dead yet,” Pennington said after tearing his shoulder labrum early in the 2009 season, an injury that ended his career.
14. “Other than the fact it makes me sick?” Sparano said in reaction to fans chanting “We want (Kyle) Orton!” during a preseason scrimmage in 2011, in hopes the Denver quarterback would replace Chad Henne.
15. “I can’t rule anything out — that’ll be all over the news, but I’m giving you the only answer I can,” Sparano said about possibly acquiring Jets quarterback Brett Favre in 2010 even as they signed Tyler Thigpen, who started one game. “That’ll be all over the news, but I’m giving you the only answer I can give you.”
16. “They say I’m a gunslinger and that sounds right,” Matt Moore said after taking the starting role in 2011.
17. “He’s getting better,” Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said of rookie Ryan Tannehill in 2012.
“He’s coming along,” Philbin said in 2013.
“Ryan is making good steps forward,” Philbin in 2014.
“He’s shown he can win,” coach Adam Gase said when the Dolphins did win with Tannehill to make the playoffs in 2016.
“It sucks,” Gase after Tannehill tore his ACL in the 2017 preseason.
18. “I was happy being retired,” Jay Cutler said upon signing with the Dolphins in 2017, and then playing like he was still retired.
19. “What do you mean we struggled?” Brock Osweiler said in preseason of 2018 after an intrasquad scrimmage in which the offense didn’t score.
20. “It’s settled — (Josh Rosen) is starting,” coach Brian Flores last October about Rosen starting the rest of the season. He didn’t finish the next game before being benched.
21. “My heart just hurt all day,” Ryan Fitzpatrick said on losing his starting job to Tagovailoa.
22. Waiting to be written.
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