Richie Incognito Critiques Tua Tagovailoa After Rough Start

Richie Incognito, a former offensive lineman for the Dolphins, didn’t hold back on his thoughts regarding Tua Tagovailoa after Miami’s disappointing loss in week one.

Incognito, who spent four out of his thirteen NFL seasons with the Dolphins, criticized Tagovailoa’s performance after the team suffered a significant defeat—33-8 against the Colts, with Daniel Jones leading the charge.

In the game, Tagovailoa struggled, getting sacked three times and completing 14 out of his 23 passes for just 14 yards, and throwing two interceptions. The Dolphins didn’t manage to get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter while the Colts built an impressive lead.

“Tua is the butt,” Incognito remarked during his appearance on the Arena Show. “He looks bad. I mean, he’s just bad.”

He observed that there was a noticeable lack of rhythm and timing in the offense; further, Tagovailoa didn’t attempt any deep passes to Tyreek Hill, who ended up with only four catches for 48 yards. Likewise, he struggled to connect with fellow receiver Jalen, who also had four catches but for just 30 yards.

As Incognito noted, “They run all these crazy offensive plays, but nothing seems to work.”

What frustrated Incognito even more was the potential he believed Tagovailoa possesses. Fans know he has shown elite-level play under head coach Mike McDaniel, as evidenced by his performance in the previous season.

In 2023, Tagovailoa led the Dolphins to an 11-6 record and earned a Pro Bowl selection after throwing for a career-high 4,624 yards, alongside 29 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions, making for a passer rating of 101.1.

“Tua couldn’t live up to half that,” Incognito critiqued. “When Tua proved in 2023 that he could do it with this genius, McDaniel, he won’t do it now.”

He acknowledged Tagovailoa’s serious health concerns, specifically noting that the quarterback has suffered at least three documented concussions during his career. Additionally, he pointed out that the Dolphins face other systemic issues in their locker room. Even so, Tagovailoa had shown promise last season, finishing 6-5 with 2,867 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

Unfortunately, his performance in the first week of the new season fell far short of expectations.

“I think quarterbacks tend to play less than they would want,” McDaniel commented during media availability. “Tua absolutely knows… he’s a captain, a franchise quarterback, and everyone has been through something similar. He understands… it’s the first time for a four-quarter group in a few months. You’re not in top form.”

Former Dolphin and current Colts cornerback Xavien Howard mentioned that the key to disrupting Tagovailoa’s game was creating uncomfortable situations for him.

“We knew he typically pulls the ball out pretty quickly,” Howard shared with reporters. “When we took away his first read, it seemed to send him into panic mode. We demonstrated that yesterday. We drove him to rush his throws.”