Tua Tagovailoa MVP favorite: ESPN turns back to over-used argument against Dolphins quarterback

The Miami Dolphins have the NFL’s primary whole offense, the primary passing offense, the primary speeding offense, and the primary scoring offense. For sure, they’re performing effectively on offense, and they’re shutting down a number of the analysts who noticed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is weak-armed and can’t full passes down discipline. Lots of them – however not all of them, as ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith demonstrated on Tuesday.

Debating whether or not Tagovailoa is the clear-cut NFL MVP via six weeks of the season – he’s at present the betting favourite at +350 based on DraftKings Sportsbook, with Kansas Metropolis Chiefs quarterback second at +450 – Smith commented that a number of the individuals who assume Tagovailoa ought to win the award are clearly not watching the Dolphins. “All of those passes ain’t for 19-, 20-, 30-, 40-yards,” Smith said. “You’ve simply acquired Tua zipping it two yards to [Hill] and he’s the one taking it to the home.”

After all, he was saying that over video highlights of Tagaovailoa throwing deep passes to Hill, however don’t let the video proof change the argument.

Tagovailoa leads the league with 1,876 passing yards this 12 months, almost 200 greater than Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins second-highest mark at 1,679. Tagovailao’s 9.5 yards per try is sort of a full yard larger than San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s 8.6 yards per try in second place. Tagovailoa leads in passer ranking as effectively, sitting with a 114.1 ranking to date. Purdy has the second-highest ranking at 111.9.

After all, these stats may very well be impacted by a participant taking a two-yard zipped go 40 yards. However what about air yards? Having a look at air yards, Tagovailoa is averaging 5.3 yards per go within the air earlier than it’s being caught. That leads the league, forward of Purdy’s 5.2 yards. Tagovailoa has thrown extra passes over 10 yards than anybody else. He’s second in passes that traveled greater than 20 yards. He’s tied for second in passes that traveled greater than 30 yards. He jumps again into the lead with passes that journey greater than 40 yards down the sector. And he’s tied for the league in passes that journey greater than 50 yards.

Tagovailoa is tied for sixth on common accomplished air yards with a 6.4 yards per catch. Compared, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is final on the checklist with a 3.7 common accomplished air yards via Week 6. Kansas Metropolis Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has the fourth-lowest common at 4.3 yards.

If the argument is to be made that Hill must be the front-runner for the MVP race, that’s an argument that may very well be had. However making the argument that every one Tagovailoa does is throw a two-yard go each play appears to say extra about not watching the Dolphins than it actually says about Tagovailoa’s place because the MVP favourite.