Tua Tagovailoa Is Left Handed Russell Wilson, Except Better

Every few years the NFL gets a quarterback that is going to change the landscape forever. College football gave us Andrew Luck in 2012. 6-foot-4, 240, a rocket arm, Stanford smart, and a no nonsense attitude. Finally, he’s been giving some help and the Colts are one of the scariest teams to watch in 2019. College football gave us Carson Wentz in 2016 and the Eagles have already won a Super Bowl because of him… but the NFL changes every few years.

Recently, the NFL has become more spread oriented. Mobility at the quarterback position is no longer optional, it’s imperative. Quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson are changing the way the position is played. Terrible offensive line? No problem. Both Wilson and Watson are winning despite zero protection. Something the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Andrew Luck couldn’t even overcome. Both Wilson and Watson can make plays outside of the pocket and more importantly look to throw instead of run first. However, Wilson and Watson may just be the beginning of something special. Alabama signal caller, Tua Tagovailoa is about to change the NFL forever.

If you don’t have a franchise quarterback in the NFL, it’s almost impossible to win a Super Bowl. Plus, if you’re not first, you’re last. Every team falls into a certain category. Indianapolis, Houston, Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle are really that only teams that don’t need to draft a quarterback anytime in the near future. That doesn’t include Arizona, Buffalo, Cleveland, or the NY Jets where it’s far too early to suggest their rookie QB’s have what it takes to win a carry a team to a title. Think about that. Just 6 teams are set. Brady, Rodgers, Rivers, Roethlisberger, Brees, are aging and can’t be counted out to play another 3-5 years. Then you have the Rams, Bears, Cowboys, Ravens, and others playing with fools gold because they have a quarterback playing on a rookie contract. I’m not even going to try to defend Cam Newton or Kirk Cousins because I can’t. Those situations get bad quickly when cap resources go to average quarterbacks.

Look, it’s hard to find a quarterback. There’s a good chance that 2019 provides none. Dwayne Haskins is our only shot and he seems like a coin flip at best. What you can bank on is Tua Tagovailoa. If you’re not tanking for Tua Tagovailoa, then you probably should rethink your strategy as an organization.

I don’t see the issue with tanking. NBA teams get away with it all the time. Do you think Philly regrets stinking for Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons? Do you think Boston regrets refusing to be sentimental and cashing in on Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, and Jaylen Brown? You know who has refused to tank? Detroit, Miami, and Memphis are in the pit of nowhere. Being the Bengals sucks. I’ll take being the Raiders over Cincinnati any day of the week. Tanking for Tua is the right call.

Tua Tagovailoa is a transcendent talent. If you’re going to watch him for the first time during the college football semi final, prepare to be overwhelmed (if healthy from his ankle injury, of course). Tua is the total package and already is a member of my fantasy team. Mobility? Check. Arm strength? Check. But what separates, Tua? It’s his ability to read his progressions at an elite level. Something that I’ve truly never seen before.

The way Tua manipulates the safety as a true Sophomore in college is special. This isn’t normal. There are a lot of NFL quarterbacks that can’t go beyond one read. Tua doesn’t just go through his reads to complete the pass. He’s looking deep down the field constantly. The level he completes third and fourth reads for scores is unheard of. I haven’t shown his running ability or his scrambling techniques that just put him on a different level. This is just the damage he does in the pocket.

What Tua is doing does not happen. You also may have noticed that he’s left-handed. I’m sure a lot of the NFL idiots will try to spin zone this into a bad thing. The old heads who are stuck in the past. Tagovailoa is going to be difficult to prepare for. NFL defenses are going to have to do everything backward. The offensive lines shift. The defensive lines will have to counter. The linebackers will have to shade to a entirely different direction. It’s a big reason why I believe college defenses give up 4-5 wide open throws per game because he’s totally different then what you’re used to preparing for. Being left-handed will prove to be a difficult challenge. Almost like a left-handed Chris Sale that’s impossible to hit except he is the only one that exists.

You can find hundreds of plays just like this. Multiple reads, 20 plus yards throw with ease. There are too many things for defenses to prepare for. All of the looks I’ve shown come out of the shotgun in obvious passing spots. That doesn’t include the multiple read option looks have been used often at Alabama. The Tide haven’t put him in many play-action bootlegs that can really keep defenses stumbling. Sure, Tua’s weapons at Alabama top notch but guys like A.J. McCarron, Jalen Hurts, Greg McElroy, and others never had this type of success.

I can’t say Tua’s success is too surprising. He lit up the Elite 11 easily winning that competition in high school. At Bama, Tagovailoa is completing almost 68 percent of his throws at over 11 yards per attempt. That’s insanity. 37 touchdowns and 4 interceptions are nothing to take lightly either, especially in the SEC. At 20 years old, Tua is just scratching the surface. Tagovailoa has the best passer rating in the country under a clean pocket (147.9). Use any metric you want, what Tagovailoa does at this stage of his playing career can’t be described.

I can’t describe enough how many plays I could show. Numerous reads, playing with safeties, and launching deep down field strikes that are converted at an alarmingly high rate. Tua thrives is chaos. Tua thrives in structure. Tua thrives under any situation because he makes you cover every blade of grass whether it’s a run or pass. Tagovailoa is just different. Unlike anything the NFL has ever seen. Forget Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson. I would be shocked if Tagovailoa doesn’t turn out better. When watching the college football playoff this weekend, don’t expect anything less than fireworks because Tua doesn’t expect anything less from himself.