Alabama Football: Why Tua Tagovailoa is the best to ever play at Alabama

Tua the Gunslinger

I remember Steve Mariucci stating the reason Brett Favre was so good was because Brett believed his arm was better than any defender in the league. Brett Favre had a cannon of an arm. It did lead him to throwing a lot of picks. It also led to him more times than not making some throws that many wouldn’t even attempt.

I see the same in Tagovailoa. He makes some throws that many quarterbacks wouldn’t even attempt. The reason for his lower interception ratio is because of his accuracy, but some of his best throws come with tremendous risk.

If he doesn’t throw the ball with accuracy, many of his passes are incomplete if not intercepted. But his ability to take shots and have faith in his arm makes him a gunslinger, which is needed to be great.

Tua Tagovailoa isn’t a game manager, but a game changer because of his gunslinger ability. Defensively it is very hard to account for a quarterback that is willing to make some incredibly tough throws.

Against probably the best secondary in college football last week at LSU his touchdown pass to Irv Smith Jr showed this gunslinger ability. Safety over the top with another defender in the hip of Smith Jr, Tagovailoa throws the perfect pass to the outside that only Smith can catch. This pass took the collective breath out of LSU in the first half and was the separation needed to put LSU out of the game.

Conclusion

Any of the above-listed traits can make or break a quarterback at any level in football. It is hard to find many quarterbacks who have half the traits, much less all of them. But that is what makes Tagovailoa so special. Alabama football fans need to enjoy every second of the ride on the Tagovailoa train because it is something that only happens once in a generation. Tagovailoa’s offensive line allows his gunslinger mentality to be on full display and his pre and post-snap knowledge and ability give him an elite advantage with his accuracy.

Comment below on what you have enjoyed the most about Tua Tagovailoa. Also, comment on where Tagovailoa ranks individually in Alabama football’s history.