Dave Hyde: Tua rips Dolphins, underlining why they had to dump him

Dave Hyde:, South Florida Sun Sentinel on Mar 25, 2026

Published in Football

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Repeat after me: He is Atlanta’s problem now. He is Atlanta’s problem now. He is ...

“I don’t want to get too in-depth with things that were going on — more so in terms of players to coaches than it was players to players,” Tua Tagovailoa said about last season with the Miami Dolphins.

He is Atlanta’s problem now.

“It was unique in a sense,” he said of last season during his introductory video call with Atlanta Falcons reporters.

Unique in what way?

“In a lot of ways,” he said, offering a smile that turned into a laugh.

There was little question the new Dolphins regime would extricate themselves from Tagovailoa in their opening days due to his underwhelming play. It’s never good when your biggest contract is your biggest problem.

But Tua’s first comments with the Falcons on Tuesday showed why the Dolphins had to move on for everything beyond his play, too. “Leadership” is an overused term everywhere but the quarterback. His words matter. His personality matters. How he projects himself to coaches, teammates and even the media matters.

“The fifth quarter,” Bernie Kosar used to call a quarterback’s job in talking to the media and delivering the proper message. Tua led the league in interceptions and improper messaging last season. Now he starts in Atlanta in similar fashion.

It seemed, at first, that perhaps he’d learned something. He began with a proper thought to Atlanta media that he had to play better.

“If you’re looking at last year, my play wasn’t up to the standard of the way I’ve been playing football the past, what, three years since the new contract,” Tagovailoa said. “So just got to play better football.

“That’s what that really means. There’s no way to sugarcoat that or go around that.”

Good answer. It suggested a new, self-awareness too often lacking with the Dolphins, especially last season. Remember his comment after throwing a game-ending interception when Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard tricked him in coverage?

“Ten out of ten times, if we’re looking at that same thing, I think I’d still try to work the timing of hitting that spot,” he said. “I think the linebacker made a great play.”

Or his comment after his three-interception game helped the Dolphins fall to 1-5 after a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers?

“We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late, guys not showing up to players-only meetings,” he said.

The odd statements stacked up from listing why Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen was better than him to saying he hasn’t run well since his ankle injuries at Alabama. Maybe they get traced to his “Show-me-the-money” shout to fans at training camp in his first public words after signing that ill-advised four-year, $212 million extension before the 2024 season.

Tua should be eternally grateful an organization was dumb enough to give him that contract. He should send Mike McDaniel a present on its anniversary every year for how the former Dolphins coach resurrected his career and then “pounded the table” as Tua said, to get him the contract.

Instead, Tua did Tua. He was asked the expected question of his last Dolphins season and didn’t do the public-relations punt by saying, “That’s in the past. I’m an Atlanta Falcon now.”

He instead talked of “player-to-coach” issues. He sarcastically framed the season as “unique.” No doubt there were internal fireworks on a team that began 1-7 and ended with mass firings. They’ll come out at some point, as they always do.

Go through the years: Linebacker Zach Thomas challenging coach Nick Saban to a fight in mid-practice; defensive lineman Joey Porter telling off coach Cam Cameron in a team meeting; owner Steve Ross offering coach Brian Flores money to lose more.

So, sure, there were internal issues last season. But Tua was central to those issues due to his poor play and personality. Was he trying to deflect from that by throwing the Dolphins under the bus? Maybe offer an excuse for it?

Imagine if Malik Willis’ first words with the Dolphins involved taking unnecessary shots at his former Green Bay team. Imagine what that would say about Willis more than the Packers — and also about the Dolphins’ investment in him.

There’s no reason to wish Tua anything bad in Atlanta. There’s a starting chance for him there. The NFL has enough comeback stories at quarterback for him to try and become the latest.

Good luck to him.

He is Atlanta’s problem now.

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