Earlier this week “First Take” host Stephen A. Smith said he doesn’t consider Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa an MVP candidate. Smith’s reasoning is actually sort of baffling, as he stated it’s because Tagovailoa throws 2-yard passes that the Fins playmakers turn into long touchdowns.
Smith isn’t wrong, but he also isn’t right.
Not all of the former Alabama quarterback’s passes are like that, but if they were, being the QB, he’d still get the credit. It comes with the territory, so when you look at it like that, Smith is way off base. Smith’s statement drew the ire of Fins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who came to the defense of his QB, as he should’ve.
Hill Speaks Up For His QB, Smith Responds
During an appearance on his wildly popular “It Needed To Be Said” podcast, Hill took Smith to task for his comments, and even questioned if Smith actually watches games.
“If you watched the game, none of our routes are two. For Stephen A. Smith to go out of his way to say Tua isn’t worthy of being MVP is crazy to me,” Smith said.
It didn’t take long for Smith to fire back at Hill, and he did so on Friday’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take.”
“I’m a reporter, bro. To accuse me of not watching games, Tyreek Hill, please watch your mouth. You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Smith responded.
Before making an outlandish proclamation like that Smith’s gotta do his homework. Tagovailoa leads the league in all of these categories, passing yards, passing touchdowns, passer rating and others. That alone qualifies Tagovailoa right there.
Is Hill An MVP Candidate?
While Hill is vouching for his QB, the speedy game-breaking wideout is on pace to break the single-season receiving yards mark (1,964) held by Pro Football Hall of Famer Calvin “Megatron” Johnson.
Through the six games this season, Hill has 814 yards (19.4 per reception) receiving. Prior to the season Hill proclaimed that he was gonna become the first WR to reach 2,000 yards in a season. At this rate, Hill is on pace to have over 2,300 yards.
The award is QB-driven, so that makes the probability of Hill winning it is slim to none. But to hear Hill stand up for his teammate with quality insight shows how close they are and what the culture is like in Miami.
