Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa’s Offseason Secret Weapon

The Miami Dolphins mandatory minicamp is well underway, and despite the media speculating quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has missed time and is holding out for a new contract, has had perfect attendance.

Although Tagovailoa has been on the field practicing with his teammates, he has not participated in 11-on-11 scrimmages. He’s been doing 7-on-7s and has been as close to perfect as you can get.

It’s no secret that Tagovailoa put in tremendous work this offseason. He’s lost 10-15 pounds and trimmed back down to his pre-2023 weight of around 210-215, making him more mobile to extend plays as needed.

There have been jokes about the weight loss like star receivers Jaylen Waddle saying he missed “chubby Tua” and Tyreek Hill saying he thinks Tagovailoa took Ozempic to lose all that weight. It’s all in good fun, and it’s a positive step toward raising his game, but it may not be the most dramatic improvement this offseason.

The first few off-seasons of Tagovailoa’s career have been spent with personal trainer Nick Hicks of Per4orm, and together have been improving his game every year. Every question that gets raised, whether it’s arm strength, mobility, or health, they’ve answered the call.

Although Hicks deserves his flowers for the improvements, a trainer can only take you so far as a quarterback. Tagovailoa linked up with former Dolphins quarterback turned quarterback guru John Beck of 3DQB, and the results are already showing in minicamp.

Tua’s release seems a bit quicker, and his body looks more efficient in his throwing motion. Media and fans immediately noticed it, and the questions started flying.

What is the rubber-band theory?

Don’t bother trying to look this up online. When I first heard about it, I thought there was an easy explanation somewhere in the ether, but to my surprise, it’s not. The best answer comes from Tagovailoa himself in the above clip.

“The football benefit to the rubber band theory? It’s seamless when you throw. So your hips go before your upper body, and then it’s sort of like when you release it, it just snaps. Just a flick of the wrist, but that ball takes off for you.” – Tua Tagovailoa

The difference is his throwing motion is substantial. Although Tagovailoa gained praise for his snap-to-throw speed in 2023, his throwing motion was more of a wind-up to generate power, especially on deep routes.

He was able to counteract that by throwing the ball early with touch and anticipation, but a long wind up and throwing the ball early leaves little room to react to what the defense gives you with an extra second. It’s also why the media likes to point out that it looks like he has to give everything he has to deliver the ball deep downfield. It’s just not a pretty throwing motion. Insert rubber-band theory.

With his new throwing motion under the umbrella of rubber-band theory, Tagovailoa can generate power through the snap of the hips, and then the upper body whips like a rubber band. Not only does it look like he gained arm strength, but he can avoid fumbles caused by the extra motion of the wind-up, and it lets him be more of a reaction quarterback and not rely solely on anticipation.

It’s the next step in his development, and the difference in how quickly the ball will snap out of his hand will open up so much more for him and the offense as a whole. We saw at times last year where it felt like if Tagovailoa gave himself one more second, there was a huge play waiting to happen.

That’s not a knock on him because the Dolphins were the most explosive team in the league, but even so, there were plays left on the field that could’ve benefitted from an extra second before his release. Giving the play an extra second and increased velocity on some throws could elevate the offense to a level sustainable in cold-weather games late in the season and post-season. This might just be his secret weapon.

Let us know in the comments what you think of the “rubber-band” theory and if it will elevate Tua Tagovailoa’s play.