Shannon Sharpe calls out Tua Tagovailoa for boasting like he’s “Dan Marino” - “We remember what you were before Tyreek”
Tua Tagovailoa has a shot to lock down the number one seed in the AFC for the first time in his career. This would gibe the Dolphins potentially their best shot at a Super Bowl victory since they lost the Big Game in 1985. However, that didn't stop Shannon Sharpe from calling out the quarterback for comments made at the podium. Here's how Sharpe put it on First Take:
"[00:00:00] He doesn't care, but he spends 90 minutes at the podium telling you that he doesn't care. But where was this attitude after the Tennessee loss? That was your time. ... You beat the lowly pathetic-playing Jets. You hang 30 on them, they get nothing and now you want to beat your chest like you're King Kong on the Empire State Building."
Sharpe continued, dumping credit for the Dolphins offense's rise onto Tyreek Hill:
"You stand up there like you're Dan Marino, stop playing. We remember what you were before Tyreek got there. [00:00:28]"
The Sun Sentinel's rendition of the comments said by Tagovailoa explains the quarterback's reaction to the discussion taking place online trying to assign credit. Here's what the Dolphins star said:
“'Please, keep pushing it to Tyreek. Make it about Tyreek.' I understand that my platform and who I am in this league as a quarterback makes me, if you want, polarizing. Whether I’m the best, whether I’m the worst, I could care less. I don’t listen to it.”
Examining Tua Tagovailoa with and without Tyreek Hill
The career of the Miami Dolphins quarterback can be split equally into two halves. In two of his four years, he has had Tyreek Hill. In the other two years of his career, he has not.
In 2020 and 2021, Tua Tagovailoa threw for 27 total touchdowns and 15 total interceptions. In 2022 - his first season with Tyreek Hill - he threw for 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
This year, with three games left to go, Tagovailoa has thrown for 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He has also completed a career-high 71% of his passes - a jump of 6.2% from last year. He's also enjoying a 106 passer rating which ranks highest in his career.
With Tyreek Hill, Tua Tagovailoa has an 18-9 record. Without the receiver, he has a 12-8 record. In other words, the Dolphins have been better across the board with the receiver. However, Week 15's 30-0 Jets demolishment without Hill leaves questions to be answered.
With Hill set to turn 30 in March, the wait to learn more about Tagovailoa without his number-one wide receiver is closer than one might think. In other words, the wait on Hill vs Tagovailoa won't be as long and arduous as Bill Belichick vs Tom Brady.
If any of the above quotes are used, credit First Take and H/T Sportskeeda.