The Chase is Over: Smith becomes commit #22 for Canes

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Despite a majority of Miami’s current recruiting class hailing from South Florida, Canes coaches are fully aware that talent exists outside of the area, even though they didn’t have to go that far for their next commitment.

 

On Thursday afternoon, Miami received a commitment from four-star athlete Chase Smith. Smith hails from Bayside High School in Palm Bay, FL and is ranked as the 14th-best athlete in the country, 260th-overall according to the 247Sports Composite. He chose the Canes over a multitude of Power 5 schools. LBs coach Jonathan Patke and defensive coordinator Blake Baker will receive credit for his commitment.

 

 

The reason Smith is considered an “athlete” is because he plays and excels on both sides of the ball for Bayside. At 6’3”, 190 lbs., he caught 50 passes for 716 yards as a receiver in 2019 while playing a good amount on defense. He even ran track in his sophomore year. However, Smith will ultimately suit up at either linebacker or striker for defensive coordinator Blake Baker and the Canes. 

 

247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins considers Smith “one of the most versatile players in the country” and notes that “he can blitz off the edge as well as drop back in coverage…has a safety frame but a linebacker skill set.” That versatility would be a big help for the linebacker position and actually caters to the striker position for Miami so this sounds like a match made in heaven for both parties. 

 

A big pull for Smith that ultimately led to choosing Miami was his family ties. His father Willie was an All-American tight end for the Canes in the mid-80s while his mother and brother also attended Miami. 

 

Smith is commit #22 for Manny Diaz in this class and the third commit at linebacker, joining Tyler Johnson and Deshawn Troutman. Miami’s class now ranks 8th in the nation with two open spots left. 

 

Stay tuned to @5ReasonsSports and @5ReasonsCanes for the latest in Miami Hurricanes coverage.

 

Miami Dolphins trade Kalen Ballage to New York Jets

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In what is a little bit of a twist from what was originally reported, the Miami Dolphins are trading running back Kalen Ballage to the New York Jets for a conditional late-round pick. Miami had wanted to release him initially, but the Jets decided that they wanted to take a flyer on him.

Last season, Ballage rushed the ball 74 times for 135 yards and three touchdowns. He struggled in the running game at times last year, and it showed statistically.

Ballage was a fourth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins back in 2018. This move also reunites him with head coach Adam Gase. It will be interesting to see just from a production perspective how Ballage does with the Jets.

Miami Dolphins finally have depth in 2020

Miami is much better at the running back position this year than they were at this time last year. Matt Rita should be able to carry the load offensively. He was a huge part of Miami’s offseason overall. Hopefully, he will be able to provide them with the stability that they have been lacking at the position, and give the dolphins another area of production offensively.

As much as last season was underwhelming for Ballage, maybe reuniting with Gase will produce good results for the running back.

At the very least, the Miami Dolphins got a draft pick in return, that can be used to solidify future depth. It will be interesting to see what they do with the pick, or if it ever amounts to anything. This this is a trade that could work out for both sides, particularly as New York needs running back depth. This may not have been in Earth-shattering move, but it was one that both sides needed to make. There is no doubt that Ballage needs a fresh start moving forward. The Jets could be the team that helps them get on the right track.

Marlins Lose to Mets, 5-4

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The Miami Marlins have struggled versus perennial all-star Jacob deGrom throughout his career and last night was no different. deGrom struck out 14 Marlins through 7 innings of work, while only allowing 2 hits and 1 run.

The Fish rallied late in the 8th inning after deGrom’s departure, tying the game 4-4, before eventually falling to the Mets 5-4.

Elieser Hernández went 4 innings for the Marlins, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 2 home runs. The bullpen of Leibrandt, Tinoco, and Vincent combined to pitch 4 innings, giving up only 1 run. The pitching remains relatively strong, but when put head to head versus the best pitcher in the National League, giving up 5 runs may have been a little too much to overcome for the offense.

Until the 8th inning, the hitting was relatively quiet against deGrom. The Marlins put together 2 hits in his 7 innings of work, and managed a run off of Matt Joyce’s leadoff double in combo with Corey Dickerson’s RBI groundout.

Once the 8th inning hit, the Marlins’ bats thawed as they managed 4 hits, a few walks, and 3 runs to tie the game. The tie ball game was short-lived due to the Mets taking the lead in the bottom half on a WIlson Ramos RBI single, but it goes to show the Marlins 2020 mentality. The Marlins are scrappy, willing to fight to the end, and “riding the wave.”

The Marlins (14-12) go head to head with the Mets (13-16) today in the final game of the 4 game series at Citi Field. Sixto Sánchez (1-0, 5.40 ERA) gets his second big league start for the Marlins. The Mets are yet to announce their starter.

5 Top Storylines for UFC Vegas 8: Smith, Rakic, Lawler, more

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Where to watch: Saturday, August 29, 2020, UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, Available on ESPN, ESPN+

With UFC Vegas 8 just around the corner, the UFC keeps the ball rolling with another phenomenal card. Regardless of face value, almost every fight card has exceeded expectations. With up and coming talent wanting to make a name for themselves, seasoned fighters competing to keep themselves relevant, or ranked contenders looking for a path to the title, there’s an abundance of stories to look out for this weekend. Here are five storylines to pay attention to during UFC Vegas 8. 

 

Contender or Pretender? 

 

After running off 6 wins in 7 fights, finishing every one of those fights impressively, #5 Ranked light heavyweight Anthony “Lionheart” Smith has now lost 2 of his last 3. That includes coming up short in his Title shot vs Jon Jones and a brutal beatdown which had much controversy over a late stoppage vs #4 Ranked light heavyweight Glover Texiera. With Jon Jones relinquishing his title to move up to heavyweight, now is the time to see if Smith can make the climb back to the top of the mountain. If he wins here in dominating fashion, it might only take 1 more win to get himself another title shot. If he fails to secure a win, with all the fresh blood in the Light Heavyweight division, Smith will likely be put in the role of Gatekeeper, where he’s fighting guys at the bottom of the rankings just to keep a number next to his name. This weekend is make or break for Anthony Smith’s Title hopes, and we will see what he is made of. 

 

Pick: Rakic by KO

 

Hop back on the Hype train?

 

#8 Aleksander “Rocket” Rakic had won 12 straight including 9 knockouts before a tough split decision loss to Volkan Oezdemir. Most thought he won that fight so he could very well be on a 13 fight win streak at this point. Still, entering his prime age of only 28 he has a far way to grow. After breaking into the rankings with this devastating head kick knockout (which you can watch here for free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKXBgeS-Jpk ) he was well on his way to title contention. Rakic offers an explosive fighting style with the ability to put his opponent to sleep in a split second. Combine that with good takedown ability and one of the lowest strike absorption rates, Rakic is still very much a threat in this division. He faces his toughest challenge yet in former championship contender Anthony Smith and if he’s able to put him away, hop back on the hype train because this man has all the makings of a future title challenger. His nickname isn’t rocket for no reason

 

Pick: Rakic by KO

 

Is Robbie Lawler still RUTHLESS?

 

Former Welterweight Champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler has been one of the UFC’s staples for 18 (!!) years. Since his debut in 2002, he has put on epic fights every time he steps in the ring. Now past his prime, the question becomes is Robbie still a top contender in this division?  Since his Title defense in 2016, he has now lost 4 of his last 5 including his title to Tyron Woodley. No longer are the days of Robbie getting into these wars with his opponents. Now we see him continually get taken down and held there and he doesn’t seem to have the explosiveness as before. That narrative can be put to bed with an opponent like Neil “The Haitian Sensation” Magny. While Magny does have the ability to mix it up and take it to the ground, he’s more likely to stand and bang with Robbie rather than guys like Colby Covington or Ben Askren. Will Robbie be able to give a performance of old, or will Neil Magny break him down and potentially knock him out of the rankings? We will find out on Saturday. 

 

Pick: Lawler via decision 

 

Bad Blood Rematch

 

At the beginning of their last fight, Ankalaev and Cutelaba had to get pulled apart before the match even started! ( Watch here: https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1298319731829739520 ). Unfortunately for everyone who wanted to see this fight go to the bitter end, the ref stopped the fight way too early after Cutelaba seemingly was out on his feet after some solid punches from Ankalaev. Immediately after the stoppage, Cutelaba protested repeatedly claiming he was fine. Now, half a year later, we finally get to see these two go at it. There’s no doubt these guys resent each other, and both of them will be looking to end each other. 

 

Pick: Magomed Ankalaev via decision 

 

Can Grasso reestablish herself as a contender?

 

After starting her career 9-0, #14 Ranked Strawweight Alexa Grasso was seemingly on her way as one of the best prospects in the division. After alternating wins and losses in her UFC career, she now is 1 loss away from being on the outside looking in. On the bright side, she still is young and should be able to use what she learned in her losses to help propel her career forward. She’s a good striker, and if she can put away Ji Yeon Kim, look for her to try to build some momentum and work her way up the ranks. If she loses, that number next to her name will belong to Ji Yeon and this might be the last time we hear about the boxer from Mexico. 

 

Pick: Grasso via Decision 

You can follow Johnathan Ramlakhan on Twitter at @ThreePieceCombo

5 Post-Practice Comments from Spoelstra and Iguodala

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The Miami Heat talked with media after practice again today, but there wasn’t much talk about basketball. Both Erik Spoelstra and Andre Iguodala spoke on the recent incident involving a police officer and Jacob Blake, which they discussed trying to reform police training. Here’s what was said…

Post-Practice Comment #1:

Andre Iguodala spent all of his time with media speaking on the recent shooting involving a police officer and Jacob Blake. Andre just kept reiterating the fact that people have become senseless to police violence. He also mentioned the recent notion of the Black Lives Matter movement losing steam, saying “We’re going to continue the good fight.” This is coming from the union’s vice president, which is why this is such valuable information. He lastly mentions that their platform in the bubble is “one of the largest platforms in the world,” which is why he will continue to shed light and deliver the much needed messages on these issues.

Post-Practice Comment #2:

Andre Iguodala also touched on the recent talk upon a potential boycott for the playoffs. He said, “I don’t think that’s something that’s agreed upon.” These talks were said to be between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors, but Andre Iguodala was very active in these discussions with them. There’s also been some talk of some players possibly leaving the bubble, since they are mentally traumatized. Andre said, “We haven’t spoken about it openly, but I’m sure guys have had those thoughts.” While the Heat players are focused on approaching the situation by using their platforms, other players feel they can impact it more by not playing.

Post-Practice Comment #3:

Erik Spoelstra touched on the actual video involving Jacob Blake. He started off saying that he made himself watch it multiple times since he didn’t want to allow himself to avoid it. He then said, “It’s pretty heavy. It’s pretty raw. It’s on all of our minds for sure.” He made this point to make sure everyone understands how much this weighs on the minds of the guys in their locker room, and across the league. He also said, “If you really take the time to watch that video over and over, it’s incredibly horrible and discouraging to see that still happening.”

Post-Practice Comment #4:

Erik Spoelstra got asked about today’s firing of Nate McMillan of the Indiana Pacers. Spo said, “It’s ridiculous. It seems like you’re talking out of both sides of your mouth.” This is because they just gave him an extension two weeks ago, then fired him. It seems as if they used him as the scapegoat, when truly there was no reason to. He took that team to the 4 seed, and was left with no Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo who wasn’t 100%. And though they got swept, they battled to the end in each and every game against Miami. As Spo said, it truly seems “totally ridiculous.”

Post-Practice Comment #5:

Erik Spoelstra ended the media session on the talk of the possible boycott, which Andre Iguodala touched on prior. He said, “I’m just going to observe and see what’s going to happen over the next 24 hours.” It was said that the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors will have another meet up tonight to discuss it further, which is why Spoelstra said he will wait 24 hours. He will of course get the news first since Andre Iguodala will be at the front-line of those talks, which Spo said “Andre gives us the update with what was discussed. From our end, there hasn’t been any discussions of that.”

Marlins sweep Mets

Marlins Sweep Doubleheader versus Mets

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On Tuesday, the Marlins upped their record in double-headers to 6-1 by winning both games against the New York Mets. These two seven-inning contests were decided off of the Marlins’ stellar pitching in combination with timely hitting. The Marlins won game one 4-0 and game two 3-0. This Marlins sweep of the Mets moved the Fish to 14-11, now only 0.5 games out of first place.

Daniel Castano led the charge in game 1, throwing 4 ⅔ shutout innings on 6 hits and 3 walks. Bleier picked up the win out of the pen, whereas Boxberger and Kintzler sealed the deal in the 6th and 7th innings respectively. The pitching continues to look strong after the rest day at home before this road trip started.

Miguel Rojas picked up where he left off, smashing an early two-run single that turned out to be all the Marlins would need. Brian Anderson recorded his first two doubles of the year. This points to a bigger Marlins trend of reliance on pitching.

Looking past the anomalies of their 11-8 win against Washington and their 14-11 win against Toronto, the Marlins have struggled to win games when their pitching isn’t lights out. This team has struggled to consistently put 5 or more runs on the board, and on nights when the pitching runs out of steam, there is cause for concern.

Trevor Rogers made his MLB debut in game 2 of the double-header, he pitched 4 shutout innings, allowing only 1 hit and 5 walks. Josh A. Smith and Nick Vincent closed the door with 3 shutout innings out of the bullpen to cap off 14 innings of shutout baseball. Brain Anderson’s 2-RBI double gave them the lead, and Jon Berti’s stealing home sealed the deal.

Another set of games decided heavily on whether the Marlins bullpen is on or off. For both games, they pulled through, but it is evident that as more time without rest passes for the bullpen, the Marlins could be susceptible to another skid similar to the 5-game one they ended in D.C. The Marlins next day off is September 3rd.

Looking ahead, the Marlins bring Elieser Hernandez (1-0, 2.29 ERA) to the mound tomorrow in game 3 of the 4 game series versus Jacob deGrom (2-0, 1.93 ERA). The Marlins struggled versus deGrom earlier in the season and have heavily struggled against him throughout his entire career.

Trevor Rogers

Meet the Marlins: Trevor Rogers

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The Miami Marlins roster shuffle continued throughout the weekend as the team made a number of moves. Miami has made 89 roster moves since the season began on July 24. The Marlins currently have 22 players on the Injured List (including 17 pitchers) and only have 11 players who have spent the entire season on the active roster. The latest move, though, is the additional of left-handed pitching prospect Trevor Rogers to the active roster.

Before Monday’s series finally against the Washington Nationals, a game the Marlins won 11-8, the team made several moves. Miami designated RHP Sterling Sharp for assignment, reinstated INF Eddy Alvarez from Paternity List and optioned him to the Alternate Training Site in Jupiter. LHP Brandon Leibrandt was also optioned to Jupiter. LHP Stephen Tarpley was placed on the 10-day IL (retro to 8/22) with right oblique strain, and the club recalled INF Lewin Díaz, RHP Jorge Guzman and RHP Jesús Tinoco from the ATS.

MLB altered Miami’s schedule in the wake of last week’s postponed with the New York Mets. The league scheduled a doubleheader for the Marlins and Mets Tuesday. This means the Marlins are now scheduled to play seven doubleheaders in this abbreviated season, including four over a 10-day stretch from 9/11-20. The Marlins have never played more than four doubleheaders in a single season (2011) and played a total of seven doubleheaders combined over the previous six seasons (2014-19).

One of the new rules this season allows for an expanded roster during doubleheaders, and LHP Josh D. Smith will serve in that role. Trevor Rogers will be added to the roster between games and will start Game 2.

Meet the Marlins: Trevor Rogers

Originally a 2017 first round pick by Miami, Trevor Rogers stands as the No. 9 overall prospect in the Marlins system according to MLBPipeline. Rogers’ spot on the 40-man roster came about when the team designated Sharp.

At 6-foot-6, Rogers is a lean lefty on the hill. He’s worked to add strength and velocity over the last few seasons. His fastball clocks in from 90-93 mph and tops out at 96 mph. His length aids him in that the delivery gets the ball on the hitters quickly. He has a changeup and slider in his arsenal as well, and has tried developing a cutter and slurve.

Rogers made five starts for Double-A Jacksonville in 2019. He went 1-2 and posted a 4.50 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched. Over his 136.1 IP in all of 2019, between Double-A and High-A Jupiter, Rogers posted a 2.90 ERA and 150 strikeouts with only 33 walks.

Rogers is the cousin of former Marlins outfielder Cody Ross. He’s arriving at the Major League level a full year ahead of his expected promotion. While Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Sixto Sanchez will be a fixture in the rotation moving forward, that’s unlikely for Rogers.

Marlins Nationals

5 Takeaways from Marlins Series Win over Nationals

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The Miami Marlins entered their five-game, four-day wrap around series versus the Washington Nationals having lost five straight. The Marlins arrived in D.C. struggling at the plate, particularly with runners-in-scoring-position. While starting pitching had been the team’s strength thus far, there were a few hiccups with that, too.

However, the Marlins ended their five-game skid and took the series versus the Nationals 3-2. The series win marked Miami’s first in D.C. since 2018, and the team’s first five-game series win since 2004.

Here’s a look at five takeaways from the Marlins series win over the Nationals.

Offense Finally Opening Up

After huge struggles with runners-in-scoring-position during the losing streak, the Marlins offense broke out during this series. On Monday, the team batted around in the fourth inning, seeing eight baserunners and getting six hits.

An inning after leaving the bases loaded (something the team has struggled with this season), the Marlins plated six runs, including four with two outs. Nine of the team’s 11 runs on Monday came with two outs.

All told, the Marlins offense posted 5.2 runs-per-game during the series played in D.C. That’s after managing just 2.2 runs-per-game during the losing skid. With runners-in-scoring-position, Miami went 12-for-37 (.324), versus just 7-for-38 (.184) during the losing streak. Those five extra hits made the difference between winning the series and continuing the slide.

Returns of Alfaro and Rojas Are Key

Its well-trodden territory talking about the COVID-19 outbreak for the Marlins, but versus the Nationals, Miami finally saw some important returns.

Miguel Rojas signaled his return in a loud way. The unofficial captain of the team, who’d been live tweeting games while in quarantine and rehab, connected on a 3-run home run in his first at-bat back. He turned on a 2-0 offering from Patrick Corbin and immediately injected life into the lineup. In the series, Rojas went 3-for-13, with four RBI, three walks and three runs scored.

Jorge Alfaro, meanwhile, made his season debut during this series. Lost prior to Opening Day to COVID-19, Alfaro started as DH on Friday, then took over catching duties once Francisco Cervelli was lost to a concussion. Alfaro’s arrival couldn’t have come at a better time.

Alfaro singled in his first at-bat. He turned on the first pitch he saw and punched it into left field, later scoring on Rojas’s homer. Alfaro also went 3-for-13 in the series and registered his first RBI of the season yesterday.

Big Time Debuts in Marlins and Nationals Series

The Marlins have had 14 players make their MLB debut this season: INF Eddy Alvarez, LHP Daniel Castano, INF Lewin Díaz, RHP Jorge Guzman, OF Monte Harrison, RHP Jordan Holloway, LHP Brandon Leibrandt, RHP Humberto Mejía, C Brian Navaretto, RHP Nick Neidert, OF Jesus Sanchez, RHP Sixto Sanchez, RHP Sterling Sharp and LHP Alex Vesia.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 14 debuts matches St Louis for most in the Majors this season. Entering 2020, no team in MLB history had as many debuts over a team’s first 25 games. Elias also notes that the 14 MLB debuts matches the second-most for a single-season in Franchise history (14 in 1998 and 16 in 2010). More debuts are to come.

Sixto Sanchez’s debut came with particular fanfare and the team’s top prospect did not disappoint. Sanchez earned the win in his debut in the nightcap of the doubleheader over the weekend. He threw five innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs and two homers. He posted four strikeouts and did not walk a batter.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Sanchez will be a fixture in the rotation moving forward.

“He’s gonna pitch every fifth day,” Mattingly said yesterday. “Right now, he’s in this rotation and we don’t plan on him going anywhere.”

Jesus Sanchez also made his much-awaited Marlins debut versus the Nationals. Although Sanchez has yet to break out (1-for-15), he’s demonstrating good patience at the plate. He sees 4.2 pitches-per-plate-appearance and has drawn four walks. He’s only struck out five times thus far, 26 percent of his plate appearances. Harrison, who Sanchez replaced in the lineup, has a strikeout rate of 54 percent.

Bullpen Needs Reinforcements

While the lineup has started to see players return, the bullpen remains threadbare. The Marlins bullpen has the 10th-worst ERA in MLB (5.09) and a negative-1.1 WAR (29th). Since the team’s restart after the outbreak, the bullpen’s ERA is 5.13 (8th-highest).

The biggest problem for the bullpen has been walks. Since August 4th, Miami’s bullpen issues walks at a rate of 4.5 BB/9. They’ve also allowed 1.67 HR/9, 19 in total this season. Justin Shafer has allowed the most runs out of the ‘pen (8), with Stephen Tarpley and Sharp trailing right behind (7).

Brandon Kintzler, though, has been solid as the closer, converting all six of his save opportunities.

With the starters pitching well, it’s important that the bullpen maintain leads moving forward. Kintzler has stabilized the back end, but the bridges from starter to closer need to be sturdier. Nick Vincent, Brad Boxberger and James Hoyt have all had a measure of success, and that will need to continue, especially with Tarpley landing on the IL.

The Marlins expect Yimi Garcia, Ryne Stanek, Vesia and others back soon.

Roster Shuffle Continues

With those bullpen arms waiting in the wings, many of those players lost to the IL due to COVID are near their return. Sandy Alcantara nearly made the trip to Washington, and Jose Urena and Caleb Smith are both readying themselves as well.

The Marlins designated Sharp for assignment after the young reliever’s recent troubles. His Rule-5 designation means he’ll be returned to the Nationals. Richard Bleier returned from the IL, but several other relievers remain unavailable.

Miami elected to recall Lewin Diaz for this week’s series versus the New York Mets, as well as relievers Guzman and Jesús Tinoco. The team reinstated Alvarez from Paternity List and optioned him to the Alternate Training Site in Jupiter. Leibrandt was also optioned after a successful MLB debut.

These moves have been made to prepare the Marlins for a key series versus the Mets. With four games in three days, the Marlins are looking to maintain their hold on a playoff spot while they await the return of the other players on the IL.

Who is the Miami Heat’s True Key Piece for their Second Round Match-up?

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The Miami Heat are moving on to the second round, which will most likely be against the first seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee has struggled with Miami all season, for a multitude of reasons. But who will need to step up to beat this Bucks team 4 out of 7 times?

Many think the reason Milwaukee struggles with Miami is that the Heat have so many bodies to throw at Giannis, which consequently led to some of Giannis’ worst games of the season. Jae Crowder will most likely get the first shot at Giannis early on the defensive side. Although Bam Adebayo has proved to be Giannis’ kryptonite, there is no need to risk getting Bam in foul trouble early, which has been a problem during some games in the bubble.

This means that Bam will most likely guard Giannis in the fourth quarters throughout the series. And Miami still has guys like Andre Iguodala and Derrick Jones Jr to try and stop Giannis. But is Derrick Jones Jr’s offensive package good enough to play extended minutes against the Bucks?

Since Milwaukee’s defense revolves around a drop scheme which allows a bunch of threes, it favors Miami. But with DJJ’s inability to stretch the floor, this may mean that Kendrick Nunn replaces him in the 9 man rotation in this series. Kendrick Nunn clearly isn’t the most efficient three point shooter, but he definitely is a threat.

This leads right into Miami’s true key pieces for the series. Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, and Kelly Olynyk can all play major roles in this series with their ability to stretch the floor, but the true X-factor is Miami’s second year man Duncan Robinson.

A hand in his face can’t even slow him down at times, which is why teams have continued to try and blanket Duncan and let other players on this Heat team beat them. This is something the Bucks won’t do. They will continue to use their defensive sets, which will mean even more Duncan and Bam dribble hand offs. Duncan went 11-21 from beyond the arc in their three regular season games this year against Milwaukee. And since they pack the paint, it will limit Bam’s offensive numbers some. But since he does so many other things well, this won’t hurt their offense one bit.

Although it’s evident that Duncan is pretty much the x-factor in every game they play, since their offense basically revolves around him, it’s even more true in this series. If the Bucks continue to allow this to happen in this series, Miami will make them pay, which makes this series so interesting.

Tua impresses as second week of Dolphins training camp begins

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Rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa impresses with three touchdown passes to start the second week of Miami Dolphins training camp. As you would expect, the first week of NFL training camp has been a bit of a roller coaster ride, especially for the younger players. And although every player is sure to have it’s up and down moments, none gets more attention than those playing the most critical position on the roster–the quarterbacks.

After the first week of practice, we heard various reports on the 2020 5th-overall pick.

 

Towards the end of last week, a majority of the fanbase took an all-too-familiar stance. The Sky Is Falling.

Sure, it was only the 4th-padded practice.

And who cares about the horrific injury Tua suffered eight months ago.

Fans wanted results. They wanted to hear the same rave reviews that Joe Burrow was getting in Cincinnati.

Hell, some went as far as to question whether or not Tua was a unique talent.

With a weekend to regroup and a Sunday walk-through to help give the younger guys a sense of what’s to come in the next few weeks, Dolphins fans got exactly what they had hoped.

According to every beat writer in attendance for today’s practice, rookie QB had the best practice of his young NFL career.

 

Tua starting to turn heads

One play that has received the most attention from Monday’s practice is a 69-yard (nice) touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Malcolm Perry. Here’s a look at the play, which shows off Tagovailoa’s accuracy and showcases Perry’s abilities as a pass-catcher. Perfect throw and catch. https://twitter.com/MiamiDolphins/status/1297975843789168642?s=20

All other reports suggest that Mack Hollins was the recipient of not one, but TUA Tagovailoa touchdown passes. Which may spell the beginning of the end of the ridiculous ‘tUa Is oNlY goOd bEcAuSe oF hIs FiRSt RoUnD aLaBAmA wIdE ReCiEvErs” narrative.

Nevertheless, today is precisely what you want to hear about the rookie QB. The same QB that many of us have already concluded as the savior. But for Ryan Fitzpatrick–one of Tua’s most knowledgeable advisors, sometimes it’s just about getting better day in and day out. Here’s what Miami’s veteran signal-caller had to say about the promising young rookie.

“Yeah, he’s doing a great job and I know it’s your guys’ job to look at and evaluate every single day and every throw; but it’s something for us as quarterbacks and for me, I just like to see progress and sometimes it’s not necessarily a completion, but it’s the thought process and making sure the ball is going to the right spot at the right time. Sometimes there’s not going to be – some things are not going to look pretty, but it’s the right decision and that’s, for me, a step in the right direction.

#InTuaWeTrust

I know it’s easier said than done, but fans need to be extra patient with Tagovailoa. He is eight months removed from a devastating injury, and he’s going to take time to get acclimated to the NFL game. 2020 will be a season, unlike anything we’ve ever witnessed. So, let Ryan Fitzpatrick start week 1 vs New England.

Because soon enough, Tua Tagovailoa will be the Miami Dolphins starting QB. And there won’t be any turning back from there.