COLUMN: Tua, Dolphins battle through the pressure to the right coronation

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa shows off his threads after being selected by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday. (Courtesy ABC)

By GRAHAM DUNN

Tua Tagovailoa admitted on one of several talk shows the morning after Thursday’s NFL Draft that the process of becoming the fifth pick to the Miami Dolphins wasn’t the most fun.

In a word, it was Hell… Basic training in hot muggy Mississippi… Living on an island with a pet volleyball or on a forbidden planet from one of many sci-fi movies.

For Tua, it was like traveling to Ukraine as in “Rocky IV.”

It is well documented, particularly in a story by Les Carpenter in the Washington Post, the pain and agony Tua went through to come back from an injury that is relatively unheard of in the football realm.

The tutor was former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, who told Tua his workout would be much like what Rocky Balboa went through to prepare for his bout against Soviet boxer Ivan Drago, traveling to cold and barren Ukraine for his training.

Tua didn’t go to Russia but Nashville might have felt like it after what he went through to prepare for NFL workouts.

“It was a grind,” Tagovailoa said of the days of rehab. “Not fun.”

Think about it and compare it to your normal day at the office. Yes, even in these times of peril when an unseen devil has created mass despair, I wouldn’t trade what Tua has endured just to get a chance to continue his chosen profession.

Based on conversations with members of the medical profession, hip surgery for anyone is difficult in itself. But the type of medical procedure Tua faced and with the desired returns made it more incredible that he was up and moving as quickly as he was.

Yes, he’s young and in premium shape thanks to being part of an athletic training program that is second to none. 

Now add pressure of living up to the accolades that he earned in his two seasons as Alabama’s starter. The pressure is even greater.

Tua still had to do the work on a daily basis and put himself in position to convince one of 32 owners that he was worth the risk of a first-round pick.

The path to Draft Night was accentuated when Tua later admitted he lost his car in the Nashville tornado while in the middle of rehab.

His determination proved to be the final selling point to Dolphins general manager Chris Grier, who made the call on Tua on Thursday.

As of 8:15 p.m. CDT or so, Tua wasn’t completely sure if his new car could be a Ferrari or a Ford Escort. He said he was unsure where he would fall in the draft line but seemed to take it all in stride, stating he would be thankful for any team to choose him.

As for Miami, the pressure has been evident since Dan Marino retired. The Dolphins have failed in the quarterback department including the head scratcher with Drew Brees several years ago. The denial of signing Brees, an NFL passing record holder, basically chased Nick Saban from Miami to Tuscaloosa two years later.

Ironically it is Saban who is once again in the middle of the dilemma but as the provider. This time, the front office made what seems to be the right choice.

At least for now.

The “Tank for Tua” motto originated in Miami. While I totally disagree with the idea of losing on purpose, it made for a good story and T-shirt graphic.

A funny thing happened on the way to the pick. Miami actually won a few games including a season-ending upset of New England.

Their slot went from first to fifth. After the haunting video of Tua going down in a crunch in Starkville, Miss., tanking didn’t look like such a grand idea.

There have been plenty of naysayers but the journey for both Miami and Tua came full circle.

At the moment, everybody is happy.

In Joe Namath’s autobiography, “All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters” he tells a story of when he was drafted and the comments then-Jets owner Sonny Werblin made after choosing Namath.

It’s about selling tickets and that football is entertainment. Werblin’s wife later told Joe that football is another form of showbiz.

Namath found that out in more ways than one. He lived up to the hype and added to it with his own glitz and glamour.

Tua is about to enter the same spotlight.

No doubt being the quarterback of Alabama is a lot to live up to. But fans in the NFL have little or no compassion for a failed first-round pick.  

For now, Tua is a savior and will eventually sell a lot of jerseys and tickets, even without a fur coat made famous by Broadway Joe.