A somewhat problematic issue for Tua Tagovailoa became a major issue Sunday, when the Dolphins quarterback fumbled three times against Tennessee after fumbling once in each of the two previous games.
The wet, cold weather in Nashville might have contributed to Sunday’s miscues.
That gave Tagovailoa nine fumbles for the season; only seven NFL quarterbacks have fumbled more, led by Dak Prescott’s 14.
And there’s this: Aside from Chicago rookie Justin Fields, no NFL quarterback who has thrown fewer than 370 passes has fumbled more than Tagovailoa this season.
The numbers are surprising, because Tagovailoa fumbled only once as a rookie.
So can this be fixed?
Quarterback coach Charlie Frye suggested it could and gave a thoughtful explanation for why it’s happening.
“When the pocket breaks down and you have to move, sometimes the initial reaction is to separate your hands,” Frye said Tuesday. “You’re getting into [more of a] running position than a passing position. That’s where most of the fumbles happen, breaking the hands. You drill that, but you don’t have the element of live contact” in practice.
When it happens during games, Frye said the quarterback is thinking, “this guy is coming to hurt me, to tackle me. A lot of it is training your mind. When there’s contact, when you feel that coming — putting your body in between ball and defender. You try to drill everything that happens in the game.”
Some have attributed the size of Tagovailoa’s hands as a factor in the fumbles, but the Dolphins aren’t troubled by that. At the NFL Combine, his left (throwing) hand was measured at 10 inches, compared with 9 ⅞ for his right hand. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow’s throwing hand was measured at 9 inches, and he’s playing at an elite level.
By comparison, Burrow has fumbled five times this season and Justin Herbert only once.
Frye said Tagovailoa experimented with wearing a glove last week — in anticipation of cold, wet conditions in Tennessee — but decided not to use it in the game.
The good news? Tagovailoa has lost only one of his nine fumbles.
“Tua is a perfectionist,” Frye said. “He wants everything he does, the product he puts out there, to be perfect. He’s relentless in how he prepares for things that are going to come up in the game.”
THIS AND THAT
In the final assistant coach availability until the summer, offensive line coach Lemuel Jeanpierre made clear that he wasn’t going to assess the play of any of his linemen, most of whom struggled this season.
Overall, he praised his group’s “mental toughness” but said “we have to improve on consistency. Our techniques have been getting better, but we must be consistent in this league.”
Asked if Michael Deiter has displayed enough to convince the Dolphins that he’s a capable NFL center, Jeanpierre said there’s not enough data to answer that question.
He also declined to say whether he believes Austin Jackson will be an effective starting left guard moving forward. And he refused to say why Jackson was replaced by Solomon Kindley for three snaps Sunday.
▪ Among many things the Dolphins must figure out: Whether to move forward with key starters Jaylen Waddle and Jevon Holland as their returners or find a specialist for the role.
Waddle and Holland — who have been standouts at their positions as rookies — were excellent returners in college but their production has been below average in that role in the NFL.
Asked if he hopes if Waddle and Holland get another chance to prove themselves as NFL return men, special teams coordinator Danny Crossman said Tuesday: “I don’t have [an answer] right now. The National Football League roster management, it’s a giant puzzle. How that puzzle fits, we’ll have a long time to figure that out… If you are able to have a dynamic guy back there, you want to have that guy.”
On Sunday, against Tennessee, the Dolphins used Phillip Lindsay — not Holland — on two kickoff returns. Waddle handled a punt return after Tommylee Lewis handled those duties in New Orleans before a season-ending injury.
▪ Neither Jason Sanders nor Michael Palardy has had the type of season that Miami envisioned.
Sanders’ 72.4 field goal percentage (22 for 29) is 27th in the league and ahead of only one other kicker who has attempted at least 20 field goals (Cleveland’s Chase McLaughlin).
“There’s not a doubt in my mind that Jason is going to be fine,” Crossman said. “We expect him to get back to where he’s shown he’s capable.”
Palardy is 22nd in punting average and 18th in net average. Asked to assess Palardy’s play, Crossman said: “We’ve got to be better in everything. We’ve got to be more consistent.”
Next season is the first year of Sanders’ five-year, $22 million extension. Palardy will be an unrestricted free agent in March.
▪ Crossman identified Mack Hollins, Clayton Fejedelem, Duke Riley and Cethan Carter as the Dolphins best special teams players in coverage this season.
▪ The Dolphins removed Preston Williams and John Jenkins from the COVID-19 list, leaving two players on the list: cornerback Noah Igbinoghene and safety Sheldrick Redwine.