Shannon Sharpe took issue with comments that Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa recently made about keeping receipts.
Tagovailoa made the comments while addressing the narratives surrounding his abilities.
“Everyone wants to make this about me, about Tyreek [Hill] — please, keep pushing it to Tyreek. Make it about Tyreek,” Tagovailoa said. “I understand that my platform and who I am in this league as a quarterback makes me polarizing. Whether I’m the best, whether I’m the worst, I [couldn’t] care less. I don’t listen to it. … At the end of the day, I really don’t care. But if [Dolphins communications] does share it with me, I mean, I keep receipts. We all have a way of how we do things, but all the narratives about it — yeah, sure. I am only good with Tyreek, you’re right. That is the only time I’m at my best.
“You’re right, I’m only good when Jaylen [Waddle] is in. I couldn’t care less about it. Sure…I’m only as good as Raheem Mostert allows me to be. That’s what the narrative needs to be. And we’re able to win games and we’re able to go where we want to go as a team. I am the worst football player if that’s what you want. I don’t care. I really don’t. So, whatever it is, whatever you need on your show, take clips out of what I just said. Do it. Do what you need to do. I’m just here to do my job, and my job is to help our guys win games.”
Sharpe chimed in on Thursday.
.@ShannonSharpe SOUNDS OFF on Tua saying he keeps receipts 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZbBJDLTcCb
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 21, 2023
Tagovailoa had a solid game in the Dolphins’ 30-0 victory over the New York Jets this past weekend. He threw for 224 yards and one touchdown while completing 21 of his 24 pass attempts.
Waddle was the biggest beneficiary of Tagovailoa’s passing prowess against the Jets. He accumulated 142 receiving yards on eight receptions to go along with one receiving touchdown.
While Sharpe doesn’t seem to believe that Tagovailoa is a top-three quarterback, his numbers with the Dolphins so far this season indicate that he’s one of the best players in the league at his position — at least statistically.
Through 14 appearances (all starts) during the regular season, the quarterback has accumulated a league-best 3,921 passing yards as well as 25 passing touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. Plus, he is leading the league in completion percentage (71.0 percent).
Tagovailoa has led the Dolphins to an impressive 10-4 record to this point, which is the best record in the AFC East division by a decent margin. The Dolphins own a two-game lead over the Buffalo Bills — who are riding a two-game winning streak — for the top spot in the division.
Miami has fared noticeably better at home than it has in away games this season. The team owns a 4-3 away record (which includes a neutral-site game in Germany) and a 6-1 home record, with the team’s only home loss of the season coming against the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 11. The Dolphins lost to the Titans by one point after holding a 14-point lead with less than three minutes to play in the game.
Next up on the schedule for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins is a home matchup against a great Dallas Cowboys team on Christmas Eve. The Cowboys are also 10-4 on the season, but fortunately for Dolphins fans, they have been inconsistent away from home, as evidenced by their 3-4 record in such games.
Perhaps some great performances from Tagovailoa across the final three games of Miami’s regular season will convince Sharpe that the quarterback deserves to be in the conversation for being a top-three quarterback in the NFL.
