Omar Kelly: Can we stop pretending Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa has been set up to succeed?

Tua Tagovailoa was a catastrophe successful Miami’s 34-3 nonaccomplishment to the Tennessee Titans, who won the AFC South with the triumph connected Sunday.

With a postseason berth connected the line, erstwhile the stakes couldn’t person been immoderate higher, the Miami Dolphins’ starting backmost face-planted.

He fumbled the shot 3 times during a acold and rainy game. He threw 1 interception and was fortunate to person 2 much imaginable picks dropped.

Tagovailoa was disconnected by plentifulness connected a fistful of throws that could person extended drives and produced much than 3 points for the game.

Bottom enactment is undeniable: Miami’s second-year backmost failed the Dolphins erstwhile this squad needed him the most.

But what’s besides undeniable is that this team, this franchise, these coaches person failed Tagovailoa each season, successful each facet and country you would deliberation a young backmost needs support.

If there’s thing I’m taking distant from this 2021 play — which volition reason with a meaningless location crippled against the playoff-bound New England Patriots — it is that the Dolphins (8-8) and their instrumentality basal person 1 ft successful and 1 ft retired connected Tagovailoa.

If I were him, I’d beryllium debating whether I privation to beryllium present successful 2022 and long-term.

Just deliberation astir each that’s happened this season, which has seemed similar a seasonlong unintentional effort to sabotage the erstwhile Alabama standout.

I’m not adjacent talking the Deshaun Watson courtship.

I’m talking shot stuff.

This co-coordinator attack has been a large flop, considering however overmuch this discourtesy regressed successful the play aft Chan Gailey discontinue oregon got fired, depending connected who you speech to. Miami ranks 25th successful yards per crippled (307.6) and averages 19.3 points per crippled (ranked 24th). By comparison, past play the Dolphins ranked 22nd successful yards per crippled (339) and averaged 25.3 points per crippled (ranked 15th).

The Dolphins’ discourtesy ranks beneath league mean successful each class but interceptions, third-down and fourth-down conversions and red-zone success. And they tin convey Tagovailoa for being supra committee there.

If you’re Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Jimmy Garoppolo oregon Watson, the 4 upper-echelon quarterbacks who volition apt beryllium shopped by their teams this offseason, you person to beryllium looking astatine the Dolphins with a stink look due to the fact that of what they person astir the quarterback.

The violative enactment is simply a disaster, arguably the worst successful the NFL contempt 3 seasons of gathering it. Tagovailoa’s pouch beingness has helped them lucifer thing respectable, but there’s inactive a fistful of plays each crippled that volition ruin a bid oregon game.

And it’s been this mode for 3 consecutive seasons nether manager Brian Flores, who is connected his 4th violative enactment manager successful 3 years. He’ll apt adhd a 5th to that database this offseason, due to the fact that it’s beauteous wide Lemuel Jeanpierre, who is successful his archetypal play of starring an NFL violative enactment arsenic a presumption coach, is successful implicit his head.

Other than close defender Robert Hunt, each subordinate connected that portion has struggled and doesn’t walk the sniff trial arsenic an NFL starter.

Their struggles are portion of the crushed Miami’s moving crippled has been a gag each season, averaging 85.5 rushing yards per crippled (ranked 31st) and 3.4 yards per carry. This is besides a 3rd consecutive play of struggles successful that area.

General Manager Chris Grier should beryllium embarrassed that 2 tailbacks added disconnected the waiver ligament astir midseason — Duke Johnson and Phillip Lindsay — are intelligibly the unit’s apical 2 talents. Grier has treated tailbacks similar an afterthought contempt the tally game’s important relation arsenic the catalyst for a Run-Pass-Option discourtesy similar the Dolphins use.

Jaylen Waddle has been this team’s lone reliable and accordant receiver. The 2021 first-round prime is 3 receptions shy of mounting the NFL’s rookie receptions grounds and 12 yards distant from becoming the 11th 1,000-yard receiver for the Dolphins successful franchise history.

But each different receiver successful this injury-decimated portion has been a disappointment, which has forced choky extremity Mike Gesicki to play a receiver relation astir of the season.

Although a steadfast DeVante Parker has the imaginable to beryllium a playmaker, steadfast and Parker aren’t 2 works that often get paired. And this was his third-worst NFL season.

As for the remainder of the unit, we request to enactment Will Fuller, Albert Wilson and Preston Williams connected the backmost of a beverage carton. Their disappearance has forced Tagovailoa to thin heavy connected Isaiah Ford, a journeyman, and Mack Hollins, a peculiar teams contributor, for overmuch of this season.

That means the Dolphins intelligibly fell abbreviated of this offseason’s goal, which was to adhd much weaponry to Tagovailoa’s arsenal.

So, to summarize Miami’s offense, Tagovailoa is moving with 1 of the worst violative lines successful the NFL, balanced retired by 1 of the worst moving games successful the NFL, with has 1 of the weakest receiving corps successful the NFL.

Yet, radical privation maine to judge Tagovailoa is the 1 holding backmost this franchise?

I’m not buying it and won’t until this squad puts amended endowment astir him, and helium proves it’s him and not the coaching, endowment oregon decision-making that is holding this discourtesy back.