First-year Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski was likely hoping that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would look better in the first of two joint practices against the Indianapolis Colts on Wednesday after Tagovailoa failed to impress in the Falcons’ preseason opener against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 14.
Instead, Tagovailoa sparked more concerns with his performance.
Tua Tagovailoa “woeful” against the Colts?
Per Kevin Bowen of Indianapolis’ 93.5/107.5 The Fan, Tagovailoa had “a woeful day” going up against the Colts defense. Daniel Flick of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution mentioned that “much of the Falcons’ pass game was quick and underneath with the first-team offense,” which did not produce “much explosiveness.”
Josh Kendall of The Athletic added more information about how the Falcons’ first-team offense “still hasn’t clicked” this summer.
“Tagovailoa was 8-of-13 passing in 11-on-11 work against the Colts on Wednesday, and the only ball that traveled farther than 9 yards was a jump ball touchdown to London, who did most of the work, making the catch over a defender and scampering the final 30 yards to the end zone. Tagovailoa was 3-for-3 in seven-on-seven work,” Kendall wrote. “…Tagovailoa threw a pick-six in the final team period of the day and faulted himself for bad ball placement.”
Why Tua Tagovailoa remains on track to start for Falcons
2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. was supposed to compete with Tagovailoa for the starting job. However, he continues to recover from the surgery he needed last fall to repair a partially torn ACL, and he remained sidelined for 11-on-11 work as of Wednesday afternoon.
There’s no indication Penix will be cleared to play in preseason games at the Colts this coming Saturday and at the Miami Dolphins, Tagovailoa’s former team, on Aug. 28. Unless that changes and Penix shows over the next few weeks that he undeniably is the better option, Tagovailoa will stay on track to start Atlanta’s Week 1 matchup at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 13. For better or for worse.
“We’re continuing to grow, figuring out how guys run their routes,” Tagovailoa said about building chemistry with his wide receivers. “(I want to get) them to communicate with me and not go to their coach. Like, ‘Hey, let’s talk to each other.’ That’s how we’re going to be able to go out there and feel comfortable.”
One can’t help but wonder if those receivers will feel more comfortable having Penix serve as the club’s QB1 whenever he is physically able to do so.
