Kurt Warner defends Tua Tagovailoa against criticism

Oct 28, 2018; London, United Kingdom; NFL Network analyst and Arizona Cardinals former quarterback Kurt Warner seen on the sidelines of the NFL International Series game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins unwittingly opened Tua Tagovailoa up to some criticism this week, but at least one Hall of Famer has come to the quarterback’s defense.

The Dolphins shared a hype video on Twitter that showed Tagovailoa uncorking a deep pass to newly acquired wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Fans immediately pointed out that it looked like the ball was severely underthrown. Kurt Warner weighed in and mocked those who made a big deal out of a throw in practice.

I played many years of professional football & as much as I hate to admit it, “I under-threw deep passes a number of times in practice!!” There I said it… #GoodToGetThatOffMyChest 🙄

— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) May 11, 2022

Tagovailoa is not known for having a cannon arm. That could potentially become an issue when he is trying to get the ball to Hill down the field, as Hill is one of the fastest players in the NFL. However, it should be noted that Tagovailoa has been very efficient throwing the ball deep.

Passes thrown 20+ Yards Downfield since 2020

Tyreek Hill: 10 Rec TD, most in NFL
Tua Tagovailoa: 44.3% Comp pct, 3rd best in NFL pic.twitter.com/JfgUO4ARet

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) May 11, 2022

There are plenty of ways Miami can get Hill the ball. Throwing it deep will be one of them. Warner is right that it is silly to draw conclusions based on a clip from practice, but the Dolphins didn’t exactly do Tagovailoa any favors by sharing that video.