Former Dolphin Says Tua Was in “Panic Mode” against Colts
The Indianapolis Colts throttled the Miami Dolphins at home on Sunday 33-8. But, the game wasn’t even that close. The Dolphins didn’t score until there was 6:21 left in the fourth quarter and they were already down 30-0.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was a mess in just about every aspect. He was 14-23 passing for 114 yards, two interceptions and a fumble lost. How many games can you possibly win with passing numbers like this? It’s not the 1970s and Bob Griese shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame. There, I said it.
Cornerback Xavien Howard signed with the Colts last month, 18 months after he was released by the Dolphins. Even though it was a long time off, the bottom line is that he’s familiar with Tua.
“We knew the guy, he gets the ball out pretty quick,” Howard said. “And once we take away his first read, I feel like it’s panic mode after that. And it showed yesterday. We took away his first read and he was trying to get rid of the ball real quick.”
Xavien Howard was amped up for the Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa
Howard was out of football in 2024 with a Lisfranc injury, but he led the NFL in interceptions in 2018 (seven) and 2020 (10). He was extremely excited to face the team that released him after the 2023 season.
“I barely could sleep the night before the game because I was just thinking about, like, how I’m going to feel playing against my former team,” he said. “And I went out there, [put] my feelings to the side and kept it about the business, and we took care of business.”
Howard played 32 snaps in the game and recovered Tua’s fumble. You better believe it was important to him to go out and play well.
“I wanted to put that out there,” he said. “But as a team, we got the [win]. We definitely didn’t want them to [score] any points, but they got eight points. We definitely wanted a shutout.”
You know the schadenfreude is strong.
Tua Tagovailoa thinks others around him need to play better
It’s tough to argue with Howard because Tua sure did look flustered out there. One of his two interceptions was to a defensive end for crying out loud. Tua didn’t notice Laiatu Latu had dropped into zone coverage, so he decided to throw him the ball.
“You could just tell with the big eyes and him getting flustered,” Latu said of Tagovailoa.
For what it’s worth, Tua didn’t exactly fall on the sword after the game. I know Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd said that the only thing he likes about the entire Dolphins team is Tua’s character, but his response after the game on Sunday was hardly leader talk.
“I’m definitely curious to see, ‘I came in on Tuesday, I seen these guys on Tuesday last week. I want to see if the same guys are watching film on Tuesday’, I want to see how everyone goes about their process,” Tagovailoa said.
Tua and the Dolphins are a mess right now. It’s only Week 1, but the opposing defenders saw fear in the quarterback’s eyes. Well, Miami, this can go one of two ways from here.
Eagles Make Shocking Deal For ‘Underrated, Underused’ AFC South RB
For much of the offseason we’ve wondered what Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was going to do with a war chest of draft picks accumulated over the last few years.
The answer has been — pretty much anything he wants.
Roseman’s wheeling and dealing stayed at an electric pace following Philadelphia’s Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys, with the Eagles sending a 2025 fifth round pick and 2025 sixth round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for third year running back Tank Bigsby.
“Trade: Jaguars are sending RB Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for 2026 fifth- and sixth-round picks, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on September 8.
Bigsby creates a crowded running backs room in Philadelphia with reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley, A.J. Dillon and Will Shipley already on the roster.
Bigsby was a grossly underrated and underused weapon last season in Jacksonville with 820 yards of total offense and 7 touchdowns in 16 games with just 1 start while playing behind Travis Etienne.
‘Underrated’ RB Shined During SEC Days
Bigsby, 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2020 with 918 yards of total offense and 5 touchdowns for Auburn. He earned All-SEC honors each of the next 2 seasons as he racked up over 1,100 yards of offense each year and 10 touchdowns in both 2021 and 2022.
Bigsby finished his college career with an impressive 3,354 yards of total offense and 25 touchdowns in 3 seasons before leaving school early for the NFL. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds at the NFL scouting combine and the Jaguars selected him in the third round (No. 88 overall) in the 2023 NFL draft.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein actually predicted Bigsby might shine in a “Dynamic Duo” sort of backfield in the NFL in his pre-draft evaluation.
“Fumbling has been a concern in the past, and he might not be much help on third downs or special teams,” Zierlein wrote in 2023. “His size, creativity and quickness could create an opportunity for teams to pair Bigsby with another back to form an effective tandem in a zone-scheme rushing attack.”
Eagles Backfield Could Be Moveable Object
Shipley was effective in a backup role to Barkley against the Cowboys with 3 carries for 26 yards but was forced to leave the game with a rib injury — he might not be right physically to play in Week 2 against the Chiefs.
Dillon, a free agent signee, wasn’t effective awhen he had the ball with 3 carries for 10 yards — he just might not be the right fight.
Enter Bigsby, who could thrive in his first chance playing for a competent NFL franchise. The Jaguars were 13-21 over his first 2 seasons, including a 4-13 record in 2024.
“The eagles running back room has to be the best in the league right?” X user Malibu wrote on his official account following the trade.
“To those who don’t know… Tank Bigsby is legit,” X user Rob Hodge wrote. “Only 24 years old… Rushed for 766 yards and 7 TD’s last season. Perfect RB2…”
“Tank Bigsby is a legit good running back” SB Nation’s Will Rucker wrote on his official account. “Howie is always going to strike when he feels he can get value. This is your RB2a
