Posted on 01/03/2020 4:15:16 PM PST by blam
The outlook of the 2020 NFL draft and the future of Tua Tagovailoa will hinge on the Alabama quarterback’s pending decision. Tagovailoa tweeted Wednesday night that he will announce his huge decision — stay in school or declare for the draft — on Monday.
We haven’t had a looming draft decision quite like this in recent memory. There have been injured players who have had tough calls on staying or going, but not with a quarterback as highly regarded as Tagovailoa.
Entering the season, the common narrative was that the Miami Dolphins were “Tanking for Tua.” How wrong that proved to be, given that Tagovailoa suffered a season-ending, and potentially career-altering, hip dislocation in the Nov. 16 victory over Mississippi State. Call it a coincidence, but the Dolphins went from 2-7 at the time to finishing 5-11 and picking fifth in the draft.
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, left, talks with Alabama head coach Nick Saban before the Citrus Bowl NCAA college football game, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
QB Tua Tagovailoa will let the world know on Monday if he's returning to Nick Saban and Alabama. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Funny thing is, Miami still could use one of its three first-rounders on Tagovailoa. That is, if he thinks coming out is what’s best. We simply don’t know which way the wind is blowing on this one. There are cases to be made for both sides of his looming decision.
Here are the pros and cons of what Tagovailoa must weigh:
The reasons for coming back to Alabama
If Tagovailoa returns to Alabama, it could mean that there’s enough concern — or not enough time to quell the concern — over his hip injury. Despite all the positive forecasts from the Alabama...
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(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
I always thought that, in football, you traded your knees for big money.
Lot depends on his recovery, if I am looking at him I pass.
Bama will be fine with Mac Jones.
Understandable.
The LSU QB looks fantastic.
Past tense on worth millions. As a gm and owner do you spend that kind of money on a guy with injuries?
A couple weeks ago, Vegas odds makers had Mac Jones as #3 to win the 2020 Heisman.
Strike or a lockout. Pretty surely the players want a bigger piece $$ and more voice in how things are run. The owners negotiated a new deal with the officials recently that reportedly addressed payments during a work stoppage. The NFLPA has warned the players to stock away cash. It looks like both sides are girding for a protracted standoff.
As a Bama fan that loved watching Tua make those incredible plays (e.g. 2nd & 26) they need to win as a team as that is real Bama football.
Go to the NFL Tua. Let St Nick again put a championship team together.
When will Saban recruit a 5-star kicker?
It isn’t just the injury. I think most people have him overrated. I think he needs another year, maybe two.
Being an NFL QB is TOUGH. Look at Matt Stafford. Heck, look at Eli. 2 titles, yes, but only 2 or 3 good years other than that. Both of these guys were much better prepared coming out of college. I think Tua is AT BEST a Sam Bradford type of NFL QB.
The University of Texas had a basketball player named T.J. Ford. He had a devastating first step, led the Longhorns to the NCAA Final Four and was college basketball’s player of the year. During a pickup game at the campus intramural gym, Ford landed hard on the floor and lost feeling for a while in his body below the neck. It was determined he had a narrow spine, a problem found among some African Americans which can lead to permanent paralysis if the spine suffers major neck trauma.
Ford wanted to come back to school for his junior year but, faced with this new information, chose instead to turn pro - cashing in before another big injury might end his career. He was taken eighth in the 2003 NBA draft by Milwaukee and was able to play 8 years in the NBA.
He later wrote a column about his injury: “I can’t feel my body”
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/tj-ford-i-cant-feel-my-body
I bring all this up because some believe Tua’s career could be cut short by this hip injury and it could ruin his career the way it did Bo Jackson’s. Based on that, I’d say he’s smarter to take the money now and not take another snap in the SEC. He will be set for life with his rookie contract if he is wise with his money. No amount of fame at Alabama will compensate a life with no professional money rolling in.
It’s a shame for him that it must be this way but he can always finish his degree in the offseason. Many great athletes who went pro early made a point to finish their degrees after their pro careers had begun.
Who cares?
If he declares for the draft he won’t get drafted. A hip dislocation is, in my opinion, career ending.
And not just quarterbacks.
Someone should let Tua have a chat with Ron Gronkowski.
“If he declares for the draft he won’t get drafted. A hip dislocation is, in my opinion, career ending.”
That was exactly the point which I was trying to make! ;-)
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