Ex-Dolphin Richie Incognito Lashes Out at Tua Tagovailoa After Week 1 Loss
Incognito called Tagovailoa "ass" following Miami’s 33-8 defeat to the Colts, while Dolphins coach and former teammates offered measured reactions
Former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito on Wednesday delivered a blunt assessment of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, saying "he is ass" after the Dolphins were routed, 33-8, by the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1.
The loss, on Sept. 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium, featured one of the more ineffective offensive performances of Tagovailoa’s career. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 114 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and was sacked three times. Miami did not score until the fourth quarter as Colts quarterback Daniel Jones and Indianapolis built a commanding lead.
Incognito, who played four of his 13 NFL seasons in Miami, made the comments during an appearance on "The Arena Show." He criticized both Tagovailoa’s decision-making and the Dolphins’ offense for lacking rhythm and failing to utilize deep shots to star receiver Tyreek Hill. Hill finished with four catches for 48 yards, while Jaylen Waddle, Miami’s other primary target, had four catches for 30 yards.
"Tua is ass," Incognito said. "He looks bad. I mean, he is ass. He looks bad." Incognito added that seeing Tagovailoa perform below expectations was especially disappointing because of the quarterback’s 2023 season in Mike McDaniel’s system, when Tagovailoa went 11-6, was named to the Pro Bowl and threw for a career-high 4,624 yards, 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions with a 101.1 passer rating.
Incognito acknowledged past injuries including at least three documented concussions for Tagovailoa and said there are other "systemic" problems in the Dolphins’ locker room. He noted regression last season, when Tagovailoa went 6-5 and threw for 2,867 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Coach Mike McDaniel described the Week 1 performance as "less than to be desired" and urged context, saying quarterbacks and teams often need time to gel after offseason work. "Which Tua absolutely knows … he’s the captain and the franchise quarterback, and everybody kind of fell victim to something similar," McDaniel said during his Wednesday media availability. "I also know that he’s very much, like most quarterbacks, to be honest, where you’re putting a lot of work into something and [it’s] your first time doing it for a collective four quarters in months, you’re not at your best."
Former Dolphin and current Indianapolis cornerback Xavien Howard, who lined up against Miami in Week 1, said the Colts’ defensive plan was to disrupt Tagovailoa’s comfort by taking away his first reads. "We knew the guy, he gets the ball out pretty quick," Howard told reporters. "And once we take away his first read, I feel like it’s panic mode after that. And it showed yesterday. We took away his first read and he was trying to get rid of the ball real quick."
The public criticism from Incognito adds to scrutiny on a franchise that entered the season with high expectations after fielding one of the league’s most productive offenses in 2023. The Dolphins’ Week 1 loss raised immediate questions about play-calling, offensive line protection and Tagovailoa’s health and consistency — topics both inside and outside the organization have discussed in recent seasons.
Miami will have an opportunity to address those issues in Week 2. The team’s response to the defeat and any adjustments to the game plan, protection schemes and personnel will be closely watched as the Dolphins attempt to return to the form that produced a 12-win season two years earlier and placed Tagovailoa among the league’s top statistical performers.
Incognito’s remarks were among the most pointed public critiques of Tagovailoa since the quarterback’s emergence as a top passer, and they underscore the heightened scrutiny that accompanies the position, particularly for a player with a history of head injuries and a team with playoff expectations.
The Dolphins did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Incognito’s remarks. McDaniel and team personnel emphasized the need to correct collective breakdowns rather than single out players as Miami prepares for its next game.