Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa's offseason secret weapon

The Miami Dolphins' mandatory minicamp is well underway and, despite media speculation quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed time and is awaiting a new contract, had a perfect attendance.

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

It’s no secret that Tagovailoa has done a tremendous job this offseason. He lost 10-15 pounds and is back to his pre-2023 weight of around 210-215, making him more mobile to extend plays as needed.

There were jokes about losing weight, like star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle saying he missed “chubby Tua” and Tyreek Hill saying he thought Tagovailoa took Ozempic to lose all that weight. It's all a lot of fun and a positive step toward improving his game, but it may not be the most dramatic improvement this offseason.

The first few seasons of Tagovailoa's career were spent with personal trainer Nick Hicks of Per4orm, and together they improved his game each year. Every question raised, whether it was arm strength, mobility or health, was answered.

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

Tua's release seems a little quicker and his body seems more efficient in his throwing motion. The media and fans noticed it immediately and the questions started flying.

What is the rubber band theory?

Don't bother looking for this online. When I first heard about it, I thought there was a simple explanation somewhere in the ether, but to my surprise, there wasn't. The best answer comes from Tagovailoa himself in the clip above.

“The advantage of football over the rubber band theory? It's transparent when you launch. So your hips come before your upper body, and it's almost like when you release them, they break. Just a simple flick of the wrist, and this ball takes off for you. -Tua Tagovailoa

The difference is that his throwing motion is substantial. Although Tagovailoa received praise for his throwing speed in 2023, his throwing motion was more of a windup to generate power, especially on deep routes.

He was able to counter that by throwing the ball early with touch and anticipation, but a long comeback and early throw of the ball leaves little room to react to what the defense gives you with an extra second. This is also why the media likes to point out that it seems like he has to give it his all to send the ball deep. 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, then the upper body whips like a rubber band. Not only does it appear he has gained arm strength, but he can also avoid fumbles caused by the extra movement of the windup, and that allows him to be more of a reactive quarterback and not just rely on anticipation.

This is the next step in his development, and the difference in how quickly the ball gets out of his hands will open up that much more for him and the offense as a whole. We saw times last year where it felt like if Tagovailoa gave himself one more second, a huge play was waiting to happen.

This isn't a huge blow to him as the Dolphins were the most explosive team in the league, but even so, there were still plays on the field that could have benefited from an extra second before his release. Giving the game an extra second and increasing speed on certain throws could elevate the offense to a sustainable level in cold-weather games late in the season and in the playoffs. This could well be his secret weapon.

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