Dolphins have no question Tagovailoa remains the starter, but there are other issues | Opinion

There’s no quarterback controversy for the Miami Dolphins. Let’s get that immediately clear because the Dolphins did a great job late Sunday evening explaining ultimately where the dynamic with Tua Tagovailoa and Ryan Fitzpatrick stands after the rookie was benched in favor of the veteran during a loss to the Denver Broncos:

Tagovailoa was Miami’s starter before this 20-13 loss. Tagovailoa remains the starter afterward.

Brian Flores said as much.

“No changes,” the coach said.

Fitzpatrick is the backup. And he understands that.

“I mean, it’s very clear,” Fitzpatrick said. “This is Tua’s team. And Tua’s going to continue to get better and grow. So for me, my defined role right now is whatever coach Flo and the team needs out of me.

“And today it was different than the last few weeks in that he needed me to go out there and try to move the ball and provide a spark.”

Crystal clear so far. Tagovailoa starts. Fitzpatrick either plays or doesn’t depending on circumstances.

Great.

The small issue with all of that is the situation isn’t as tidy as all that. This isn’t as simple as a yes or no, thumbs up or down.

The Dolphins’ quarterback situation is into nuance territory now, and that’s not because of what might happen going forward. It’s because of what we saw happen in Miami’s disappointing loss in Denver.

So ...

Tagovailoa is the starter. But he’s not necessarily the closer if he’s struggling and the team needs some juice or a late-game comeback — which clearly Flores believes Fitzpatrick is better able to provide.

We saw that this game.

“We just felt it was the best move at that point in the game,” Flores said. “We had to get in the two-minute mode, and we just felt [Fitzpatrick] gave us the best chance to win the game, which we had an opportunity at the end to tie it.”

Again, Tagovailoa is the starter. But the starter might not always be the quarterback Flores believes gives the team a better chance to win.

“When I was in, we really couldn’t get things going,” Tagovailoa lamented. “Coach felt like it was the best decision to put Fitz in, to try to give us a spark. So when I heard that, you know, it’s really what’s best for the team.”

A question: Is this a one-game deal or is this a rule going forward?

There was no time to cover that in a short postgame Zoom press conference. But my guess is Flores is about winning more than anything, and if that means benching Tagovailoa at any future point he feels that Fitzpatrick is better suited to author a comeback win, then we will see Fitzpatrick again.

So, yes, Tagovailoa is the Dolphins starter. But different circumstances might require he step aside again in the future.

Nuance.

And the reason that matters is now the NFL has seen how to address the Dolphins with their promising rookie at quarterback. Denver coach Vic Fangio just put a template for beating the Dolphins with Tagovailoa at quarterback on tape for everyone to see.

“Vic Fangio is one of the top defensive minds in the game,” Flores said. “They pressured us. They mixed the coverages. They have a good scheme. We got to execute better. We had some opportunities and didn’t take advantage of them.

“We played against a good defensive group. They did a good job. They pressured us. They did a good job in the back end from a coverage standpoint. And when that’s going on during the course of the game, you have to do something to create some momentum. That’s why we made the switch.”

Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Cowher, watching the game on the CBS halftime set, put it this way:

“This is what happens when you have a body of work to study,” Cowher said watching Tagovailoa complete only eight passes for 56 yards in the first half of his fourth start. “Coaches are doing work.”

During the broadcast, color analyst Trent Green suggested the Broncos believed Tagovailoa locks on to his first reads and doesn’t come off them quickly enough to avoid pressure.

And Tagovailoa probably did hold the ball too long in some instances.

“I felt I was holding the ball a little too long,” Tagovailoa said. “I just got to get completions and got to get the ball in the hands of our guys to make plays for us.”

The Broncos collected six sacks. All of them came against Tagovailoa. So whatever was working with the rookie making his 20 attempts didn’t work when Fitzpatrick got in the game and threw his 18 passes because Denver didn’t sack him even though they knew Fitzpatrick was going to throw.

“It looked like there was a combination of protection, maybe holding the ball too long, guys not getting open,” Flores said to explain the reason for the six sacks with Tagovailoa in the game. “At the end of the day we weren’t moving the ball effectively and I just felt like we needed to give ourselves a spark.”

There was another issue: Despite the fact Tagovailoa was holding the ball longer than Fitzpatrick, he was getting less mileage out of his throws.

Tagovailoa’s longest completion through three quarters was 13 yards. Fitzpatrick came in and completed passes of 25, 21 and 15 yards.

So Fitzpatrick, no doubt using his years of experience, identified his target faster and got the ball down the field longer.

“A lot of the time I see guys covered, but they’re not necessarily covered, if that makes sense,” Tagovailoa said.

Look, Sunday was a learning experience for Tagovailoa. He and a young offensive line ran up against a much more experienced defensive coach and couldn’t get to their answers quickly enough.

Flores turned to his more experienced quarterback to deliver the quick answers.

The problem is the Dolphins are now going to have to give themselves a new chapter to their offensive playbook. Because everyone will see what the Broncos did in taking a match to Miami’s first chapter.

And everyone will try to copy it against Tagovailoa.

Some teams like the New York Jets next weekend probably won’t be able to execute at a high enough level to make a difference against Miami’s rookie quarterback. But more talented teams might be a different story.

So Tagovailoa and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey will have to come up with something new. They must find something that answers the questions the Broncos posed on Sunday.

Flores believes his rookie will be capable. And the coach believes Sunday’s setback and benching won’t tarnish Tagovailoa’s confidence.

“He’s a confident kid,” Flores said. “He’s dealt with a lot of adversity. I think he’s fine.”