Chris Perkins: ‘I’d whoop Tua.’ Dolphins’ Terron Armstead marks his return with humor
MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins left tackle Terron Armstead wasn’t a full participant in practice Tuesday, but he delivered the shot of the day.
It was only three words, but it showed another one of the many invaluable traits Armstead, the anchor of the offensive line, brings to the team — humor. It’s a trait that fans don’t usually see, and it’s a quote that few people on the team could utter without causing trouble.
Here’s the context:
Armstead, the four-time Pro Bowl selection who was activated Monday from the physically-unable-to-perform list after undergoing knee surgery, was asked about his offseason regimen, which includes boxing.
Keep in mind that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took jiu-jitsu lessons during the offseason to, in part, teach him how to fall without banging his head on the ground and incurring a concussion.
So, Armstead was asked, “Your boxing or Tua’s jiu-jitsu?”
Armstead smiled, and without missing a beat, replied, “I’d whoop Tua.”
The media room fell out laughing.
When it was Tagovailoa’s turn on the podium, he was told what Armstead said and asked for his thoughts. Tagovailoa laughed and wisely deferred.
“I give respect to him,” Tagovailoa said. “I give respect to the OG. That’s it.”
Terron Armstead boxes in the off-season. Tua did jiu-jitsu. Terron was jokingly asked, “Boxing vs. jiu-jitsu?” And he smiled and said, “I’d whoop Tua.” Here’s Tua’s reply… pic.twitter.com/lt8HgyYf1Q
— Chris Perkins (@chrisperk) August 1, 2023
Chalk up another one for Armstead, who always seems to have the right answer whether it’s on the field or off the field.
That’s why it’s hard to define Armstead’s value to the Dolphins. He’s a high-level baller who has a calming effect on the team. When Armstead is on the field his teammates think things are under control, that they have a better chance to win. His reach extends that far. His presence means that much.
Many recall last year’s Houston game. After Armstead left with an injury, a sackfest began. Tagovailoa absorbed three sacks in a three-play stretch and was quickly removed from the game.
That’s a glimpse of Armstead’s on-field value.
When you factor in his off-field value, you quickly see why Armstead, who battled toe, hip and pectoral injuries last season, does more for his position group than any player on the team.
One snapshot from Tuesday’s practice saw Armstead counseling offensive tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Kendall Lamm after one-on-one drills against the defensive line.
Another time, Armstead was seen talking to guards Robert Hunt and Liam Eichenberg, and center-guard Dan Feeney.
Armstead’s reach is widespread. He’s one of the most valuable players on the team.
“He’s a coach,” Tagovailoa said. “T. Stead is a coach. He’s in the offensive line room. He’s coaching them after practice. He’s grabbing a lot of guys. He’s helping them with their technique. He’s in the back there coaching them, although he’s not in. He does a lot.”
As valuable as Armstead is to the Dolphins, it sounds as though he won’t play in any preseason games. The fact is he’s too valuable. He’ll get his best work during joint practices with Atlanta and Houston in the coming weeks.
“In a joint practice I feel much more comfortable taking a jump set or switching up a set than I would in a game,” Armstead said. “In a game, you want to go through what you know works the most. In practice, we’re fine tuning and we’re perfecting our craft. That’s more of an advantage and a time for you to really work and perfect your craft.”
The offensive line has done OK through six training camp practices considering Armstead hasn’t been on the field yet.
Yes, edge rusher Bradley Chubb has been a constant harassing presence for the quarterbacks without the brick wall of Armstead in his path.
But all things considered, the line has been OK.
And they know they’re about to get a lot better when Armstead returns to the field, whenever that happens.
It’s true that Armstead has missed a lot of time in the past few years. He’s missed an average of 5.1 games per year for the past seven years. However, the Dolphins are hoping this is the year he reverses that trend.
In that spirit, Armstead was asked more about his offseason regimen of boxing and whether it helps him on the field.
Edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah happened to be sitting in a chair in the interview room. He was due on the podium after Armstead. As Armstead was talking about boxing, he gestured toward Ogbah and humorously included him in his response.
Armstead explained he’s right-handed but he boxes left-handed because he’s a left tackle.
“I try to make it correlate as much as I can, but not necessarily because Ogbah is doing all this,” Armstead said, smiling and emulating boxing moves. “If he’s boxing like that, I’m going to knock him out.”
It would have been Armstead’s second knockout of the day.
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