Socci’s View: As the Pats turn the page, Tua’s quick release makes keeping up with Miami’s speed more challenging
Skip his middle name of Donny and one still can’t spit out the 30-letter, 15-syllable pronunciation of Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa in under three seconds, which is more than a half-second longer than it takes the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback to take a snap, take his drop, take aim and let the football fly from his left hand.
Snap to pass, Tagovailoa’s average release time according to the NFL’s NextGen Stats is 2.43 seconds. Ask Google for an everyday equivalent to the time he needs to throw and AI Overview likens it to the time you or I need to casually turn the page of a book.
A draw as quick as his leaves next to no time for defenders to read and react, much less affect the quarterback.
“(Tua) gets the ball out faster than anybody in the leauge,” says defensive lineman Keion White. “And so the challenge is to, one, pressure him quickly, and then, two, just getting into the throwing lanes and everything like that to try and bat some passes down.”
“It’s very frustrating but you’ve got to keep rushing, you’ve got to keep pushing the pocket,” adds defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, mindful of Tagovailoa’s 6-foot-1 stature. “Knowing that he’s a shorter quarterback, you’ve got to get your hands up. He may throw you one. So, you’ve just gotta keep being disciplined, you’ve got to keep telling yourself that you’re gonna get home, you’re gonna get home.’”
Sunday marks Godchaux’s sixth game facing Tagovailoa since leaving Miami for New England in 2021. He also appeared in the series as Tua’s teammate in 2020 and has seen the Pats occasionally disrupt the Phins QB. In six prior series starts overall, Tagovailoa was sacked 11 times and forced into four interceptions.
Unfortunately, every other number is weighted in Tua’s favor. He’s 6-0 vs. the Patriots, accounting for 10 total touchdowns (seven passing and three rushing) and is coming off a 324-passing yard, 3 TD performance in his last start against Godchaux et al in 2023.
Worse for the Pats, their front, which has failed to sustain pressure, save for nine sacks at Chicago – they have just two sacks in the other four games since Week 8 – is ailing. The team’s co-leaders in sacks, White and Deatrich Wise are questionable for Sunday. White was limited in practice all week by a knee injury and Wise didn’t practice until Friday (limited too) due to a foot problem that forced him to miss last weekend’s loss to the Rams.
While Wise and White have five sacks apiece, Keion has been the Patriots most versatile and effective pass rusher, as the NFL’s only player to log at least 90 snaps at all four edge and interior positions on the defensive line. His 15 quarterback hits are eight more than the next Pat in line (Wise) and his 41 pressures on 270 pass rushes (per NextGen Stats) are nearly twice as many as Anfernee Jennings (21), who’s second on the team. White also has five passes defensed, the most by a non-defensive back.
Meanwhile, Christian Barmore is making only his second appearance of the season following his summer diagnosis of blood clots. He appeared for 21 snaps vs. Los Angeles. The Pats’ other primary interior defenders Godchaux, Daniel Ekuale and Jeremiah Pharms have combined for only two sacks and one pass defensed.
Even at full strength, speed and health, Tagovailoa is tough to reach. As noted above, and documented below.
He’s been pressured on only a fifth (20.3 percent) of his dropbacks in six starts, including a miniscule 5.2 percent rate allowed by Miami’s interior offensive lineman. And since Tua’s activation off injured reserve, following a September concussion, the Dolphins have averaged 27.8 points per game and an NFL-best .604 conversion rate on 3rd down. They scored on 21 of their last 35 possessions and haven’t punted in six quarters.
Armed with a healthy Tagovailoa, head coach Mike McDaniel’s offense is a model of efficacy through efficiency. The lefty QB gets the ball and gets rid of it, sparking a chain reaction of challenges that come at defenses in a hurry.
“One word to describe this team,” New England’s defensive coordinator DeMarcus Convington says of that team in South Florida, “(is) fast.”
“Blazers,” head coach Jerod Mayo calls the Dolphins receivers. He can say the same about their running backs.
Although age and injuries have likely added fractions of seconds to some of the following Dolphins’ 40-yard dash times, consider what Miami’s speediest skill players posted at the NFL Combine or their Pro Days, compliments of The Palm Beach Post: 4.29 seconds (Tyreek Hill), 4.32 (De’Von Achane), 4.34 (Raheem Mostert), 4.37 (Jaylen Waddle), 4.38 (Jaylen Wright), 4.43 (Odell Beckham) and 4.47 (Malik Washington).
“You look at last week, it was more about the size matchup,” says Mayo, alluding to Los Angeles’s 6-foot-2 receiving tandem of Puka Nacua (212 pounds) and Cooper Kupp (207), who caught 13 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns. “This week, it’s about the speed matchup.”
Mayo is speaking of the Dolphins’ fleetness afoot. But what allows their blazers to grab and go is the quarterback who serves them up with a swiftness unmatched in the NFL. With Tua, McDaniel’s play calls have netted Miami 26.7 points a game since 2022. Without Tua, McDaniel has seen his machinations produce half that average – 13.1 points an outing.
Three years ago, McDaniel’s hiring was a turning point for the youthful Tagovailoa, whose confidence was waning from a tumultuous first two years as a pro. More than anything, McDaniel helped Tua change how he saw himself.
The quarterback has since made the bright young coach look a lot smarter, thanks to how he sees the field and spots where the ball needs to go. And, as important, how quickly he gets it there.
Combining Tagovailoa’s rapid release with the speed of Miami’s receivers, shifting into high gear once the ball’s out of his hands and into theirs, two-thirds of the Phins’ passing yards in Weeks 11-12 came after the catch.
Each of those games was a win. First, over the same Rams who won in Foxboro last Sunday. Then, over the Raiders. Now, Miami seeks a third straight victory that would move it within a game of .500, keep its remote playoff hopes alive and complete a season sweep of its AFC East rival.
At the same time, the Pats’ hopes in South Florida hinge defensively on keeping up with the Dolphins’ speed and staying after the guy who gets Miami moving. Regardless of how futile it can feel at times trying to get to him.
“If they’re throwing the short routes, maybe the (defensive backs) can sit on them,” Godchaux says. “We just got to keep our hands up (when he’s) in the pocket, for sure, knowing that the ball’s going to come out fast. And then when (he holds it), you’ve got to come home and take advantage of it.”
Do it enough, and you can return home with the win. Book it.
Bob Socci is in his 12th season calling play-by-play for the Patriots Radio Network on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Follow him at bobsocci.bsky.social.
