Justin Herbert-Tua Tagovailoa #SocialMediaQB debate is silly and pointless

We are tribal creatures, and there’s nothing that appeals to us more than a simple pick-your-side binary. Democrat or Republican? Coke or Pepsi? Football or soccer? Make your choice, dig in hard, and never ever give an inch.

Sunday night brought us one of the best kind of debates: a niche blood war, in which the people involved stake their entire identity on it while the vast majority of the world could not care less. The terms of this battle: Who’s better — Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert?

You might have a quick answer, or you might defer and reason that rendering any definitive judgment on a moving target is pointless. Either way, you most likely make your call and move on with your day. And that, my friend, is because your brain is not terminally poisoned by social media, and for that, you should be thankful.

The Chargers held off the Dolphins 23-17 as Herbert (39/51, 367 yards, 1 TD) walloped Tagovailoa (10/28, 145 yards) in the box score. That was enough for Twitter to bury the #FinsUp contingent that had slagged Herbert as a “social media quarterback,” one who produces highlights but not results. Of course, in the bigger scheme of things, Miami has a one-game lead for the sixth playoff slot — i.e. the one that doesn’t have to face Buffalo/KC in the first round — but when the lane is open for a Twitter dunk, you don’t pull back for a soft midrange jumper.

“Both quarterbacks have merit, and we should appreciate them both” is the kind of reasonable, measured take that allows normal human beings to function in the real world, but in the desperate, chirping, look-at-me landscape of social media, milquetoast affirmations such as that suffer the worst fate of all: They’re ignored. Come with primary-colors heat, or don’t come at all.

The facts: Tagovailoa and Herbert were drafted fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 2020 draft. Like other quarterback pairs drafted back-to-back, they’ll always be linked as a result. Unlike Peyton Manning-Ryan Leaf, there’s no clear favorite yet. Unlike Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, the teams that drafted them seem inclined to hold on to them for awhile. And unlike Carson Wentz and Jared Goff, they’ve neither cratered nor needed another team to reinvigorate them. Yet.

But facts on social media are worth all the weight of a tweet. This is a vibe argument, plain and simple. Team Herbert and Team Tua ride with (or against) their chosen king based on feels alone, so let’s size them up that way.

Tagovailoa hit the league with more hype, given his college background — as an Alabama freshman, he threw the pass that beat Georgia in the national championship, coming on in relief of a guy named Jalen Hurts. Herbert arrived as more of a safe bet, given the injury that ended Tagovailoa’s college career.

From the jump, Tagovailoa won draft night with a spectacular jacket honoring his grandparents:

Once the 2020 season began, Herbert took the early lead by winning the starting nod in just his second game as a pro, while Tagovailoa didn’t debut until Week 6 and didn’t start until Week 8. Granted, Tagovailoa played his way into the starting gig, while Herbert got the job due to an injury to Tyrod Taylor, who suffered the still-stunning injury of an accidentally punctured lung. However they each got in the driver’s seat, they’ve (mostly) held on to the wheel ever since.

In 2021, Tagovailoa piloted the Dolphins to seven straight wins, a hell of an achievement which would have been even more impressive had Miami not been coming off seven straight losses. Tagovailoa missed most of those due to a rib injury. Although Miami barely missed the playoffs, Tagovailoa guided the Dolphins to their first season sweep of the Patriots since 2000. Small victories, right?

Both players have suffered from factors outside their control. Herbert has an ICU for a receiving corps, a rotating cast of barely healthy pass-catchers who can’t seem to all stay on the field at once … plus, he’s the latest victim of the perpetual curse that hangs over the Chargers franchise. The team could be in victory formation, up 21 with 10 seconds remaining, and still figure out a way to lose.

Tagovailoa, on the other hand, has been the “Is Pepsi OK?” of quarterbacks from the moment he arrived at Hard Rock Stadium right up until just a few weeks ago — and not just in the eyes of fans and critics. He spent much of 2021 knowing that more than a few people in the Miami firmament were casting envious eyes Deshaun Watson’s way.

But this season has been a breakthrough for Tagovailoa and more of the same from Herbert. In 2022, Tagovailoa has thrown for 3,004 yards and 22 touchdowns, with a rating of 108.2. In games he started, the Dolphins are 8-3. Herbert, meanwhile, has thrown for 3,706 yards, 21 touchdowns and a rating of 93.2; the Chargers are 7-6 in his starts. (Yes, “quarterback wins” is the most trashy of garbage stats, but remember: This argument accepts vibes only.)

The Chargers’ lack of big-picture success even as Herbert unloads miracle throws tends to cloud the vision of his critics. He’ll need to come through on a bigger stage than just a December against Miami to level up in the public’s eye.

Tagovailoa, meanwhile, is a case of “both things can be true:” He can be an injury-prone QB with a history of underperforming and a budding star whose potential has been unlocked by Mike McDaniel. As with Herbert, he’ll need more success, team and individual, to shed the labels that stuck to him like duct tape his first two seasons.

They’ll both get their chance. At the moment, both teams are headed for the playoffs, uncharted territory for both quarterbacks. Both teams have marquee matchups in the near future: Miami on Saturday night against Buffalo, the Chargers in a Sunday night Battle of Los Angeles on New Year’s Day. By then, we ought to have a good idea of who’s ahead in this particular horse race … and then social media will gleefully tell us we’re wrong.

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Contact Jay Busbee at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or on Twitter at @jaybusbee.