On Monday, the Atlanta Falcons officially named Tua Tagovailoa their starting quarterback for their season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Sunday afternoon, Tua will get his chance to shine at Acrisure Stadium while Michael Penix Jr. will be a healthy inactive as his rehab process continues.
The belief has been that the Falcons are doing this just to keep the QB1 seat warm until Penix returns, but way too many people are counting Tagovailoa out before ever playing a snap. And if I didn't know any better, I would say it sounds like this fanbase wants to see the veteran crash and burn this year.
There are actually people who are suggesting the Falcons should replace him with Cooper Rush or even undrafted rookie Jack Strand as the starter, which is truly insane. I know the guy isn't who he once was, but he's in line to prove a whole lot of people wrong once he takes the field in Week 1.
Starting Tua Tagovailoa Week 1 is the correct call for the Atlanta Falcons
Let's not forget that between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr., this new regime chose to bring in the former. They're well aware of his status as a former Pro Bowler who took the Dolphins to the playoffs twice and signed him because they actively believe they can help him turn things around.
Too many people are taking stock into a rough preseason and a training camp where he didn't set the world on fire, where it almost sounds like they're rooting for him to fail. Yeah, once Penix is fully healthy he should probably start, but clearly he isn't right now--so you start who gives you the best chance to win.
The other thing to remember here is that the Dirty Birds aren't just going to roll over and tank with Penix sidelined. Starting Strand or Rush might be better for draft position, but Tagovailoa gives them the best chance to win--and contrary to popular belief, that is what most teams strive for on Sundays.
The 28-year-old is a perfect fit for a Kevin Stefanski offense built on timing and accuracy--and let's remember he led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 and completion percentage in 2024. In the right system and a better situation he can easily look like a perennial Pro Bowler again, but NFL fans have the memory have a goldfish and only remember what they saw last year--which wasn't pretty for Tua.
He's going from a Miami offense with no offensive line to a Falcons' offense with Drake London, Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, Zachariah Branch, and the best offensive line of his career. It sounds like the perfect recipe for a bounce-back season as long as he can stay healthy and cut back on turnovers.
Career revivals happen all the time in the NFL--especially at the quarterback position. Look at guys like Daniel Jones, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield. You set QBs up for success and they deliver. Yet it feels like the fanbase is setting him up to fail while the coaching staff still believes in the potential.
Tua Tagovailoa may not be the best quarterback in the NFL anymore, but counting him out before he ever plays a regular season snap with the Atlanta Falcons seems foolish.
Add us as a preferred source on Google