Tag: decision

Tua Tagovailoa feels 100 percent, what does it mean?

We are now in April, just a few weeks way from the 2020 NFL Draft and there is no doubt the top-two quarterbacks, in a draft class litter…

Alabama defeated Mississipi State with a final score of 38-7 on Nov. 16, that’s the same date in which his collegiate career would come to an end and the same date NFL teams across the country developed some hesitation towards drafting the 2018 Heisman finalist.

Fast forward almost five months later and the former Alabama quarterback went from wheelchair-bound to feeling like he could play in a game today.

In an interview with NFL Network, Tagovailoa said that he has fully recovered and has no qualms about his ability to play at his highest level.

“I feel 100 percent,” said Tagovailoa. “I feel like if there was a game today, I’d be able to go out and perform the same way I was able to perform in previous years. I feel as mobile as possible. I feel 100 percent.”

This is huge news coming from the the Tagovailoa camp, but can NFL teams trust that they are telling the whole truth?

We are now in April, just a few weeks way from the 2020 NFL Draft and there is no doubt the top-two quarterbacks, in a draft class littered with talented quarterbacks, is Tagovailoa and LSU’s 2019 Heisman-winner Joe Burrow.

Prior to the hip injury, the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in this draft was Tagovailoa. Since then, it has been Burrow.

There are many theories surrounding the potential landing spot for the Hawaii-native, but will it be changed with this recent news that he could play today?

Likely not.

NFL teams are still heavily restricted when it comes to meeting with players and getting their own independent health reports due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. This means that they will have to take his word for it.

Though, he did help his own case by releasing a video on Twitter showing him running, throwing and practicing drills with a coach.

In a time in which he wasn’t able to participate in the NFL Combine and the Alabama Pro Day has been canceled, all he can do is promote his own health and show it off on social media for the world to see – it’s almost like the public now gets an equal opportunity to be apart of the scouting process alongside NFL teams.

As the draft gets closer, more questions will arise regarding his health. However, it seems like the only thing any of us can do is keep updated on what he posts online and speculate what it means.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on all things Alabama related in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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The Tua Theories: Potential landing spots for the former Alabama QB

There are numerous theories surrounding Tua Tagovailoa’s potential NFL landing spot. Let’s explore some of the most popular ideas.

Former Alabama star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is often hailed as one of the best quarterbacks in college football for this generation, a title which would often be acquainted with being the first quarterback selected in their respective NFL draft. However, that’s not the case for the 2018 Heisman finalist.

LSU’s Joe Burrow is almost guaranteed to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, which means Tagovailoa should be the next signal caller off the board.

The question on everyone’s mind is: Where will he be selected?

Entering his junior season, he was expected to be the clear choice for the No. 1 overall pick, so much so that ‘Tank for Tua’ was a thing early in the 2019 NFL season,  but injuries and Burrow got in the way of that.

His predicted landing spot has fluctuated for just under a year now, but they have been all over the place. Everything from top-three to even exiting the first round has been thrown out for speculation.

With about a month remaining before we know where the Crimson Tide product will start his NFL career let’s explore all the current possibilities for Tagovailoa.

1. Drafted at No. 3 by Detroit

Tua Tagovailoa
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The Lions still have veteran Matthew Stafford under center, a quarterback who has made a decent splash in the NFL community and is a recognizable name, but has not been able to take the Lions to the next level.

Matt Patricia is entering his third year as a head coach with Detroit and is trying to show that he’s able to improve the Lions overall from the status quo.   He hasn’t been able to do that as he has failed to provide a winning season for the franchise.

An opportunity to show he’s at least making an effort to change the team’s ways is to draft the highly coveted Tagovailoa.

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Could Tua Tagovailoa go No. 2 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft?

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s projected position in the 2020 NFL Draft has had its ups and downs, much like his health throughout his collegiate career. After being a Heisman finalist in 2018, he was seen as the guaranteed No. 1 …

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s projected position in the 2020 NFL Draft has had its ups and downs, much like his health throughout his collegiate career.

After being a Heisman finalist in 2018, he was seen as the guaranteed No. 1 overall pick – NFL fans were so confident the term ‘Tank for Tua’ was commonplace for teams struggling in the 2019 season.

Injuries he sustained throughout the 2019 college football regular season, paired with the 2019 Heisman winner, Joe Burrow, caused Tagovailoa’s name to slip deeper into the top-ten.

The native Hawaiian’s lowest point was a mid-first round projection after his hip surgery in October.

Now, as we get closer to the draft and more positive information surrounding Tagovailoa’s health surfaces, his draft stock has come full circle as he was predicted to be selected No. 2 overall to the Washington Redskins in the most recent CBS Sports mock draft.

LSU’s Burrow assumed the role of No. 1 overall months ago, it seems that the Bengals have found their successor to Andy Dalton in the 2019 Heisman-winning quarterback.

With Burrow off the board, Tagovailoa is the next best quarterback according to Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller.

There has been a lot of speculation about where the Alabama product will end up. Seeing that this is a draft in which plenty of teams need a fresh face in at quarterback, it makes sense that there’s been a lot of ruckus.

The Miami Dolphins, picking at No. 5, seemed to be the winners of the ‘Tank for Tua’ sweepstakes. However, that no longer seems like the case.

Aside from the fact that the team had a ‘weird’ meeting with the quarterback, other teams have now shown strong interest in him.

Other conspiracies include him being drafted at No. 3 overall, a pick currently held by the Detroit Lions.

Detroit had been reportedly shopping the early first-round pick to teams like the Chargers, Dolphins and Raiders in order for them to secure the selection of Tagovailoa.

That theory has not yet been completely busted, but there’s a chance the Lions keep the pick and decide to take Tagovailoa in order to start anew if long-time quarterback Matthew Stafford leaves the team.

The newest belief is that Tagovailoa has limbed his way back to the top, or near it, as Washington could select him at No. 2 overall.

This would be an interesting selection as the franchise drafted Ohio State’s 2018 Heisman-finalist quarterback, Dwayne Haskins, with the No. 15 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

While it may be interesting, seeing as they just drafted who many thought would be the future of the team, it would not be out of the ordinary.

All eyes were on the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 draft as they took Oklahoma’s Heiman winner Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick just one year after drafted UCLA’s Josh Rosen at No. 10.

The Cardinals were not sold on Rosen and decided to trade him to the Miami Dolphins for a second-round draft pick.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper claimed Washington ought to do something similar with Haskins and Tagovailoa. However, instead of trading the Ohio State product, just have him compete for the starting position with the 2018 College Football Playoff national champion.

Haskins wasn’t seen as a viable option for the team in 2019 as a rookie, and when he entered the game he was not the most productive.

In his rookie season Haskins completed 119 passes off of 203 attempts for 1,365 yards and seven touchdowns while also throwing for seven interceptions.

Not even two months into the college football offseason and there have been a lot of different story lines surrounding Tagovailoa’s future, Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on his journey into the 2020 NFL Draft.

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Tua Tagovailoa’s height an issue at 2020 NFL Combine?

The 2020 NFL Combine in Indianapolis is finally upon us. As Day No. 1 wraps up, that means we can start obsessing over measurables, which most people forget about after a couple of days. Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is at the combine …

The 2020 NFL Combine in Indianapolis is finally upon us. As Day No. 1 wraps up, that means we can start obsessing over measurables, which most people forget about after a couple of days.

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is at the combine for medicals and interviews with teams, but he won’t be participating in any on-field activities.

In today’s measuring, the combine released these numbers for Tagovailoa:

The 2018 Heisman finalist’s height has never even a topic of conversation, until now.

Listed at exactly six feet, Tagovailoa is technically on the shorter side. He has been compared to Mike Vick, Johnny Manziel and Kyler Murray – all first-round selections that are considered short for a quarterback.

Granted, it seems like analysts find something wrong with every player’s measurables. For example, the big story out of today is Joe Burrow’s supposedly small hands.

Young quarterbacks have entered the league with high expectations and questionable sizes, most recently Kyler Murray, who was one of the shortest signal callers the league has seen in a while.

It’s important to remember this is all just something to hold everyone over until on-the-field drills, and Tagovailoa’s draft stock will most definitely not be hurt by this.

At the end of the day, regardless of height, weight and hand size, the teams will look at the kind of player he is and what he’s been capable of doing in the past while under Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

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WATCH: Is a Tua Tagovailoa documentary in the works?

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been relatively quiet on social media since his announcement to forego his senior season and enter the 2020 NFL Draft. However, the 2019 Heisman finalist tweeted out what appears to be a movie trailer …

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been relatively quiet on social media since his announcement to forego his senior season and enter the 2020 NFL Draft.

However, the 2019 Heisman finalist tweeted out what appears to be a movie trailer with an accompanying caption that reads “stay tuned..” with a video camera emoji.

The under-a-minute video largely shows scenes around Hawaii, Tagovailoa’s home, that include nature shots and him walking on a beach.

It then transitions into Tagovailoa playing college ball at Alabama with a voice over playing on top of the dramatic action scenes.

The narration sounds to be a teacher explaining how she would tell her students of Tua, who is now a “famous football player.”

The video looks to be put together by Malka Sports, a sports marketing and representation agency based out of New York.

There’s not much information given about this project. Is it just a short hype video? Is it a trailer for a documentary on the Alabama legend?

Roll Tide Wire will have all of the latest information and will keep you updated on the project as more details emerge.

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Sean Payton thinks another team could try to sign RFA Taysom Hill

The New Orleans Saints have tough decisions to make with all of their quarterbacks, and Sean Payton is concerned Taysom Hill may not return.

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What’s to be done with Taysom Hill? The New Orleans Saints restricted free agent endeared himself to fans by making plays in just about any role asked of him, lining up all over the field. It’s enough for Saints coach Sean Payton to tell anyone who will listen that Hill is his quarterback of the future.

But actions speak louder than words — more than half of Hill’s 2019 snaps were taken on special teams, and he spent significantly more time at receiver or tight end than at quarterback. If Payton is telling the truth about envisioning the Hill’s future (which includes his 30th birthday later this year) at quarterback, he’s telling us something different in how Hill is actually playing.

And it’s worth noting that we’re about a month removed from Payton admitting that he lied about not being interested in free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown. The offseason is lying season in the NFL.

That said: Payton isn’t just concerned another team could poach Hill — he’s expecting an attempt. The Saints coach made an appearance on The Peter King Podcast and gave his take on what could lie ahead in Hill’s restricted free agency.

“Yeah, I think someone is going to make him an offer. But the first thing the fan has to understand is,” Payton said, “if we tender Taysom as a one [a first-round tag], the team that makes the offer on him and signs him to an offer understands they’re going to give up a first-round pick if we don’t match. That’s easier to do if you’re pick 22, 23, 24, 25. We might very well see it if it’s a team in the second half of the [first round].”

So, it’s early in the process. It’s unclear which rookie quarterbacks will be available in the first round beyond the top tier of Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, and Justin Herbert. But Payton seems to be suggesting that other teams could go after Hill if they’re not confident that better options will be on the table in the latter half of the first round.

And that’s where the Saints must make some tough decisions. What’s more valuable? Taking a chance that Hill is more than a flash in the pan, and could thrive despite his age and lengthy injury history (four of his five years at BYU ended on injured reserve) might not be worth it on a starting quarterback’s salary at $15 million or more per year.

When the possibility is there to recoup a first-round pick and the talents that are available (meaning a top receiver prospect like LSU’s Justin Jefferson or Clemson’s Tee Higgins), as well as the five years of rookie contract control that come with it, the Saints have to be tempted if another team makes a significant offer.

And maybe that’s Payton’s grand plan, even if it requires some serious overthinking to suss it out. The Saints won five games with their backup quarterback last season and have a clear succession plan in place, but it doesn’t involve Hill. Teddy Bridgewater proved to be someone they can ride with. The smart move could be getting another team to swap a high draft pick for Hill and surround Bridgewater, the proven commodity, with more weapons.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. It all hinges on whether Drew Brees chooses to return for one more run at a Super Bowl or begin what looks like a busy retirement. And until he makes his decision, this is just speculation from all involved, including Payton himself.

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Are the Dolphins trying to trade up for Tua Tagovailoa?

It wouldn’t be a shock to many if former LSU Heisman-winning quarterback, Joe Burrow, and Alabama’s former Heisman-finalist quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, are selected within the first five picks of the 2020 NFL Draft. Burrow is essentially a lock to …

It wouldn’t be a shock to many if former LSU Heisman-winning quarterback, Joe Burrow, and Alabama’s former Heisman-finalist quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, are selected within the first five picks of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Burrow is essentially a lock to go No. 1 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals and replace Andy Dalton.

However, it is still up in the air where Tagovailoa will end up.

The Dolphins are considered the heavy favorites to many draft analysts with the No. 5 overall pick, but this is subject to change and people are starting to talk of a change in draft position.

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Picks No. 2 through No. 4 aren’t seen as candidates to take a quarterback. The Redskins have Dwayne Haskins, the Lions have Matthew Stafford and the Giants have Daniel Jones.

The issue for the Miami doesn’t lie with the aforementioned teams, but rather a team, or teams, that fall behind them which could try to trade up to grab Tagovailoa before the Dolphins can.

Their main concern is the Los Angeles chargers, which has announced they will be moving on from long-term quarterback Philip Rivers.

Reports and rumors have pointed to the Chargers attempting to trade with the Detroit Lions to secure the No. 3 pick.

While those rumors have recently subsided, or at least quieted down, Miami must make a decision to either stay put and hope for the best, or trade up to ensure they become the ‘Tank for Tua’ sweepstakes winners.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Safid Deen, of South Florida’s Sun-Sentinel, reported that Dolphin’s general manager, Chris Grier, claims to have “more than enough” in the 2020 draft to trade with a team.

Deen argues that the Lions are the best trade partner with the Dolphins.

This would make the most sense due to the Lions’s needs in the draft, which could be addressed with a later pick in the draft. It also helps Miami’s case that the Bengals and Redskins will most likely be selecting Joe Burrow and Chase young, respectively.

Tagovailoa is believed by many to be the second quarterback taken off the board in what should be a draft that will call on numerous quarterbacks in the first round.

The real question is: why would the Lions decide to trade with the Dolphins instead of other teams in search of a franchise quarterback?

The answer is simple, the Miami Dolphins should be willing to overpay to move up those two spots.

As Dolphins general manager Grier stated at the Senior Bowl, Miami has plenty of draft capital that they have accumulated over the last two seasons but trading away players in order to kickoff their rebuild.

If it came down to a bidding war, the Dolphins would likely take it all the way.

Of course there are plenty of great quarterback options after Tagovailoa, such as Justin Herbert and Jordan Love.

However, having Tagovailoa in Miami seems like the perfect situation.

The traveling veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has one year left on his contract with the Dolphins, which could help out the Alabama product in two major ways.

Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

For starters, Tagovailoa’s hip won’t be fully healed by the combine, it is believed he may have to sit out his first year in the NFL before playing. Having Fitzpatrick for one more year means that Miami can allow the 2018 CFP National Champion time to heal, while still having a reliable quarterback on the field.

Secondly, while Tagovailoa is healing on the sidelines, Fitzpatrick can help him understand the Dolphins’ playbook, the lay of the land in the NFL and impose any additional wisdom the Harvard product has learned in his 15 years of professional football.

The NFL Combine is set to start on Feb. 23 at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts.

Tagovailoa has announced he will attend the combine, but will not participate in any of the physical drills. Instead, he will use this time to meet with teams.

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Tagovailoa family has preferred NFL landing spot for Tua

As the 2020 NFL Draft sneaks up on football fans all over the world we start to ask questions about where players will land. It’s not uncommon to ask players their opinions on their likely landing spots, but it’s rare that we hear from the families …

As the 2020 NFL Draft sneaks up on football fans all over the world we start to ask questions about where players will land.

It’s not uncommon to ask players their opinions on their likely landing spots, but it’s rare that we hear from the families of the players.

Former Alabama star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is strongly projected to end up being selected with the No. 5 pick by the Miami Dolphins.

While the former Heisman finalist has remained quiet to the public about this prediction, his family has not.

Omar Kelly, a Dolphins beat writer for the Sun Sentinel, reported that the Tagovailoa parents have enjoyed their first ever visit to South Florida.

Liking a popular vacation spot is not out of the ordinary, but what really sealed the deal was this report from Andy Slater:

Tua’s father, Galu, had reportedly told a South Florida sports radio producer that him and his family also wish that the Miami franchise selects Tua.

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Texas Makes Offer To 2021 Four-Star Athlete

The Texas Longhorns and wide receivers coach Andre Coleman have made an offer to athlete from Tacoma, Julien Simon.

New wide receivers coach Andre Coleman is wasting no time with getting on the recruiting trail for the 2021 class. Recently Coleman made an offer to 2021 four-star athlete Julien Simon of Tacoma, Washington.

The two-way player projects as a linebacker at the next level but can play running back, wide receiver or linebacker according to his 247 profile. Drawing comparison’s to current Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack. Jack played running back and linebacker at UCLA and won Pac 12 freshman of the year on both sides of the ball.

Current offers list for Simon includes:

  • Oregon
  • Penn State
  • Stanford
  • UCLA
  • Washington
  • Washington State
  • Texas
  • Alabama
  • USC
  • LSU
  • Notre Dame
  • Florida

2020 Four Star Defensive End Announces Top Three

2020 4* DE Alfred Collins will be making his college decision on Feb 5 at 3:50 p.m. CST. Collins will decide between Alabama, OU, and Texas.

2020 four-star defensive end Alfred Collins out of Bastrop, TX has announced he will be making his college decision on Feb 5 at 3:50 p.m. CST. Narrowing it down to three schools, Collins said he will decide between Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Taking place at Cedar Creek High School, Collins’ commitment would be a big one for the Longhorns. Currently without any defensive ends in the 2020 class, he would add to a Texas defensive line that is expected to improve throughout the next couple of years.

Having a monster senior season, Collins recorded 86 tackles in 2019. 35 of them were for a loss and he added on eight sacks. Not only did he get to the quarterback, but he created turnovers, forcing four fumbles.

According to 247Sports’ Crystal ball, he is 100% Texas. He would join fellow defensive lineman Vernon Boughton and Sawyer Goram-Welch in the 2020 class, but those two are listed as defensive tackles.

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