Pretty neat article from his trainer that worked him out this offseason and breaks down what the goal has been each year in terms of conditioning, strength, etc. At the end of year 1, the hip was maybe 60% and Tua didn't have his natural throwing motion. He did better last year, but he was partially out of shape because he couldn't hit hard cardio while rehabbing the hip. This time around, they worked him super hard and he's feeling great at 7% body fat. https://kdhnews.com/sports/nfl/the-...b601-4752-5d2d-a68f-ff9ab23e7e5d.html?src=rss I'll paraphrase a few of the highlights- Tua can now throw for 71 air yards; no way he could do that last season. The focus has been on velocity and on average, he's throwing w/ good velocity about 20 yards deeper than before. Flores wanted Tua bulked up to 225 last year so he could take hits. He's now 215, way leaner w/ body fat and explosive w/ his feet. Tua's hip is 100% healed and the focus this off-season with getting stronger and leaner, to use all the fundamentals that Tua showed so well in college. So far, he looks a lot more confident and natural on the field. Tua is happy; he loves the new coaching and the relationships he's been able to form. That's given him a lot of confidence and it's showing in workouts, practice, etc.
Man, I'll tell you, if Tua actually has increased his arm strength, and all that's true about the hip, and he puts it together this season, I'll be the happiest wrong person ever. Honestly, I love everything about Tua, it would be awesome if he was the answer. Pisses me off that Flores put him in when his hip was at 60%, while telling us all that he wouldn't play Tua unless he was 100%.
This all sounds great....But I just really need him to show me/us all of this. These are always great little offseason updates to get us all excited about the quarterback until the season starts. Every year there would be a few of them about Tannehill. Very rarely do these reports translate. Just last year right around this time, there were pictures all over the internet of Tua all muscled up. Reports were out that he was throwing straight darts on the field and was in the best shape of his life. Fast forward a year later and NOW he's really throwing darts and is in the best shape of his life. Oh and the hip that was 100% last year this time, IS NOW REALLY REALLY REALLY 100%. He's also "happy" and can now do cardio that he couldn't do last year!? I'm sorry...I'm an A-Hole. I'm just not going to be fooled anymore. I certainly hope ALL of this true, and I hope that year three is the charm for this kid. I like Tua, I'll support him, but he's gonna have to do it on the field during games when it matters the most. He doesn't need to throw a ball 70 yards in a game for him to be a franchise quarterback, but he does need to be consistent, he does need to move the offense, and we do need to score points.
I completely agree. We always have to take what a trainer says with a gran of salt, but he gave some hard facts in there that sounded genuine. Let's hope he was truthful and we're going to see a more dominant QB this year.
100%. Great progress reports are fun and all, but it has to translate to the field on game day. It did say in there that he was throwing 50-60 yard passes daily in practice, so I'm hoping that it's all true as well. Only about 3 months to find out...
The other thing with the deep ball is that stronger arms can wait longer to throw it, allowing a more accurate location for the ball. So don't care if Tua can heave the ball 70 yards. I want him to have enough arm strength that he doesn't have to throw super early to hit a guy 40 yards downfield, or on an out route.
I'm starting to get **** from personal friends about Tua. It's no longer a secret that there are major question marks about him. I really hope he can shut everyone up. I've been getting crap for being a Dolphins fan for way too long now.
With Tua, I'm in the place where I'm not going to believe anything until I see him string a few good-great games together against quality opponents. Offseason stories, especially with QBs, its just fluff. Looking at the division the last decade or so, Every QB the Bills brought in before Allen had stories like this. Fitz had a handful of good games and out-dueled Brady in a Bills win, the gave him a big contract and everyone up there thought he was a pro-bowler, They pumped up Tyrod Taylor and EJ manual the same way. In New England, Jimmy G was going to be the next Brady, then it was Stidham who was destined for the pro-bowl after a few good offseason workouts. Yes, it would be great for Tua if he has changed something that will make him a legit top 10 QB in the league. I just need to see it.
