Former NFL general manager Charley Casserly knows a little something about championship programs. Casserly spent a decade running the NFL’s franchise in Washington — and he has three Super Bowl rings to show for his efforts in team building and management in Washington.
Casserly also knows a thing or two about building a team from the ground up — he was the first general manager for the franchise Houston Texans back in 2002.
The Miami Dolphins are aiming to become a championship caliber team and they’re certainly well on their way in rebuilding their roster from the ground up. And Casserly has some insight as to how the Dolphins’ young rookie quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, can become the starter in Miami and continue the team’s transition from young rebuilders to potential championship contenders. The NFL Network analyst spoke recently about where Tagovailoa will need to improve to beat out veteran QB Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting job:
What does Tua Tagovailoa need to improve upon? @MiamiDolphins @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/i8NiPRnVb8
— Charley Casserly (@CharleyCasserly) July 14, 2020
“What does Tua do well? Plays fast, quick release. Anticipates the receivers and throws come on time,” said Casserly.
“So all of those things — quick throwing game, spread offense fits in. What does he have to get better at? He’s kind of a risk taker, especially in the middle of the field he’ll take risks. And the other thing is, hey, he’s a six-foot quarterback adapting to pass protecting and pass rushes. That’s what he’s gonna have to do.”
Casserly ultimately goes on to state he believes the Dolphins will stick with veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick early — but also believes that the irregular track record of Fitzpatrick will provide Tagovailoa with a window to claim the starting job before too long. A little extra time to ease Tagovailoa into the finer details of the playbook is probably for the best — but it is definitely worth nothing that this offense will be much simpler in 2020, in part to allow a young roster to pick it up quickly so that they can think and play fast earlier in the season.