He’s stepping in for his first significant game action (played 5 snaps last week) since being injured last November. Facing a solid defense, playing behind a marginal OL anchored by our favorite draft pick (Flowers) and two rookies. It’s likely that DeVante Parker is back, but otherwise doesn’t have star-studded weapons (though M. Gaskins has saved me in fantasy a bit). What are you gentlemen expecting?
I’m trying to suppress this feeling that we passed on a potential superstar (Tua went #5 this year), who fits the new paradigm of ultra-mobile QBs, in favor of Andrew Thomas. For self-preservation (and so my kids don’t see me walking around blinking/muttering like the inspector chasing Closeau), I’m firmly rooting against him lol. Tua can’t possibly come tearing out of the gates after such a long layoff ... the practice reports about him (which sound eerily like those about Mahomes) must be fluff, right ... right?
To be clear, I was pretty happy with the Andrew Thomas pick, so I’m not trying to pretend I was lobbying for them to pull an Arizona and draft Tua with D Jones there. And I like Jones and am bullish on his future. But ... c’mon Rams D, I’m already drinking too much these days.
That said, i don't think he holds up longterm. Having your college career crushed by injuries likely continues into the NFL. I hope he's over it because he seems like a great kid. But I wouldn't bet on it.
He’ll be the first lefty to complete a pass in the NFL since 2016, kind of a strange stat.
That said, i don't think he holds up longterm. Having your college career crushed by injuries likely continues into the NFL. I hope he's over it because he seems like a great kid. But I wouldn't bet on it.
I tend to agree with you. He’s fast and agile, but not on the Kyler Murray level (who never seems to take a hit). Lazy comparison probably (because he’s a southpaw), but reminds me of a supercharged Mark Brunell. If he blows up though ... oh boy.
Miami at 3-3 was a nice story with Fitz. If Tua can do anything close to what Herbert's doing they may actually have a chance to go to the playoffs.
Miami at 3-3 was a nice story with Fitz. If Tua can do anything close to what Herbert's doing they may actually have a chance to go to the playoffs.
I remain all in on Jones (or maybe that’s Stockholm Syndrome), would have thought drafting a QB over Jones would have been crazy ... but watching Wilson and Murray turn the game into flag football the other night with their ability to dodge the first pass rusher every time (and thus discouraging ears pinned back pass rushes) ... well, it’s got me thinking. (I also picked up the Rams D in fantasy as a voodoo doll).
I had it in my mind that Tua’s injury was more catastrophic ... but I guess he’s been practicing this whole time. The Rams are rolling in with a head of steam, will be interesting.
That said, i don't think he holds up longterm. Having your college career crushed by injuries likely continues into the NFL. I hope he's over it because he seems like a great kid. But I wouldn't bet on it.
That sums it up well.
Beyond the durability problem, which is a significant factor, I have always had the sense Tua may have hit his ceiling in college. Like Tebow.
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I don't think he's the game changer that Murray is but if his accuracy translates to the NFL he will have a good career.
That said, i don't think he holds up longterm. Having your college career crushed by injuries likely continues into the NFL. I hope he's over it because he seems like a great kid. But I wouldn't bet on it.
That sums it up well.
Beyond the durability problem, which is a significant factor, I have always had the sense Tua may have hit his ceiling in college. Like Tebow.
Agreed. Maybe it’s his throwing motion, which seems a little short-arm-ey. But I guess we’ll just have to see.
I don't. Murray had better numbers at Oklahoma than Tua did in his best year at Alabama. Kyler has the better arm. Right now in the NFL Murray is making all the throws so we know what he's doing with his arm is working. I do think he needs to cut down on the INT's but he makes up for it some much on the ground that its negligible for me (and likely gets better with time).
Just read quotes from Tebow saying Tua was the best pure passer he’d ever seen at the college level blah blah. I prefer to whistle past the graveyard these next few days, and assume he will be eaten alive by Aaron Donald and co. after such a long layoff ... self-preservation.
So that's the buzz out of Miami? Tua is lighting it up in practice...?
Well, first he will need several drafts of offensive linemen and more playmakers and blue chip weapons before he starts winning, right? Maybe 2-3 years, right? (The OP nervously types as he pops open his first beer of the day).
On the other hand, they play defense in the SEC. Absolutely no one in the B12 does.
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... that had a tone of “trust us, from what we are seeing, this guy is a phenom” was with Mahomes. It might just be typical fluff, speaking good things into existence. But hmm ....
So that's the buzz out of Miami? Tua is lighting it up in practice...?
I don’t want to exaggerate, but google Tua and read the statements by coaches and teammates who’ve been watching him in practice. More than just the typical optimistic fluff. But still maybe it’s fluff ... I guess we shall see.
Steve Young took some time to adapt to the NFL, and that was also after the trade to SF (perhaps the ultimate example of a trade making or breaking a QB's career).
But back then nobody played the type of spread offenses they do now, so Tua would be up to speed faster in theory.
Young was mostly a tough QB who didn't get injured much, except started to collect concussions later in his career. He suffered a pretty bad one at the end that ended his career at least a year or two early.
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But I think he's a better passer by a good bit
I don't. Murray had better numbers at Oklahoma than Tua did in his best year at Alabama. Kyler has the better arm. Right now in the NFL Murray is making all the throws so we know what he's doing with his arm is working. I do think he needs to cut down on the INT's but he makes up for it some much on the ground that its negligible for me (and likely gets better with time).
The only teams really set up to beat someone like Murray is a team that has a solid push across their dline that stays disciplined. Football is always a game of matchups. I was a big believer in his before the draft, mostly because it annoyed the hell out of me people saying at his size he wasn’t going to stay healthy. Just another example of people spouting opinions without watching a guy play. He just never takes hits and like Eli has good sense when to go down.
Guys like Allen, Big Ben, and Wentz are way more likely to get hurt because they fight physically to create time. Of course the pro there is that they can still beat your from pocket. Arizona uses giant splits to combat this, but it’s hard to blitz linebackers into these gaps with such a bevy of skill players.
Love seeing a coach come in and build his vision for a football team and considering the dearth of talent along the offensive line and glut of good WRs, once they get that defense going I see them lifting their first Lombardi
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Murray had better numbers at Oklahoma than Tua did in his best year at Alabama.
On the other hand, they play defense in the SEC. Absolutely no one in the B12 does.
They play defense in the NFL and Murray has done ok there, no? If that's what your hanging your hat on then he's already dispelled it. Tua hasn't had the opportunity to do so yet but until he does then in no way can I say he's a better passer since he wasn't even the better passer in college (i'd say similar with arguments for/against both, a literal tossup).
Yes, that’s the gospel — and we must continue to use a few more years of draft capital to build the OL and acquire game changing weapons and allow Jones time to grow. For the football gods have ordained that it takes years to rebuild.
I might be crazy, but I thought I saw some zip on the ball when he came in last week.
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do you want the Giants to draft a QB every year in the first round? Stop it. They've got their QB. They are going to give him more than one year to show if he's got the goods or not.
Yes, that’s the gospel — and we must continue to use a few more years of draft capital to build the OL and acquire game changing weapons and allow Jones time to grow. For the football gods have ordained that it takes years to rebuild.
This is the gospel according to Dave, Steve, Chris and John...
Amen already!
Agreed, we have no idea until live bullets. But if he can leap past all of the obstacles in front of him — serious injury, limited practice, no preseason games, shaky OL featuring frickin’ Flowers and two rookies, and a non-All Star cast of weapons — well, I’ll probably be fairly grumpy. Less grumpy of course if Jones lights up TB like last year.
We'll soon find out what Tua has to offer, so it doesn't really matter anyway,
As for Herbert -- he was #1 OA slam dunk the year before if he came out (save for the Klingsbury-Murray connection).
Def curious, but I don't think he was a slam dunk, clear cut, #1 overall over Herbert and Burrow. He is a smaller QB (which is mattering less now) and played on Alabama, which has a similar danger of "every position is loaded so how good is the qb?" that has exposed Haskins.
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I'm curious. Before the injury, he was ranked higher than Burrow and Herbert. I'm expecting a so-so game, given everything.
I don't think Tua would have gone #1 over Burrow even if he stayed healthy by the end of the year.
As for Herbert -- he was #1 OA slam dunk the year before if he came out (save for the Klingsbury-Murray connection).
Def curious, but I don't think he was a slam dunk, clear cut, #1 overall over Herbert and Burrow. He is a smaller QB (which is mattering less now) and played on Alabama, which has a similar danger of "every position is loaded so how good is the qb?" that has exposed Haskins.
Herbert definetly wasn't the slam dunk there you are making him out to be. He did not have a good year that year and looked a lot like a bigger version of Davis Webb with a better arm. Very mechanical in his delivery. He made the right decision to go back to school and I think that stuff about wanting to play with his brother was fluff because he knew he needed another year of seasoning. Maybe he did, but I think that was the major reason.