There are NFL quarterbacks in recent history more criticized, and more attacked, than Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. But the list is short. Few quarterbacks who demonstrate obvious skill, leadership and citizenry have been more pilloried than Tagovailoa.

It remains a remarkable thing to see. ESPN's Ryan Clark, an excellent analyst, nonetheless decided to take a shot at the quarterback over perceived weight gain. Clark later apologized. It was a standup and honorable moment for Clark following what was not such a great moment for him.

Clark's words, however, illustrate one of the core problems with criticism of Tagovailoa, and it's how that criticism isn't often fact-based. Coach Mike McDaniel told reporters this past week that Tagovailoa's conditioning is "top five" on the team.

"You want to talk about someone who’s committed to doing what he’s doing for the right reasons?" McDaniel said. "You want to talk about every metric that (head strength and conditioning coach) Dave Puloka and his strength staff tracks, which is pretty much everything to the degree of blinks? Every metric of strength that is measured, (Tagovailoa has) shattered his previous highs. In some instances, he’s almost twice as strong with things. And that’s been a daily commitment that he hasn’t wavered from."

Clark is far from alone in criticism of Tagovailoa. There's been almost a Tua Criticism Industrial Complex that at times has been befuddling.

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Before last season NBC analyst Chris Simms, who is also excellent at his job, ranked Tagovailoa, as the Miami Herald noted, 29th among all NFL quarterbacks "behind Marcus Mariota, Mitchell Trubisky, Jameis Winston, Zach Wilson, Carson Wentz, Baker Mayfield and several others..." Former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson said last year: “I’m not sold on Tua and I know the Miami Dolphins aren’t sold on Tua.” ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum predicted last preseason that Tagovailoa could get benched.

Tagovailoa seems to be tiring of all the criticism. He is notoriously kind and polite and states constantly how he won't engage his critics. Yet he did with Clark by telling the analyst to "keep my name out your mouth." The response from Tagovailoa caught the attention of teammates. One of them, receiver Tyreek Hill, said he was happy to see a fiery Tagovailoa.

"I can say this year that Tua has definitely come out of his shell," Hill told Yahoo Sports. "After his comments yesterday to Ryan Clark? I don't think we've ever seen that side right there. I don't think we’ve ever seen that. And that's the side I love right there. That fires me up right there."

The question is why? Why has Tagovailoa drawn so much ire? Why is someone who clearly possesses significant ability often portrayed as inept or, as Clark even tried to say, is out of shape?

In his apology video, Clark seemed to also recognize what has been a consistent undercurrent with Tagovailoa since he entered the league in 2020, saying Tagovailoa faces "constant criticisms, constant scrutiny, constantly being questioned, feeling the stress of always having to prove yourself."

Why Tagovailoa is one of the most unfairly criticized quarterbacks of our time is complicated, but it comes down to three main reasons:

He's humble. Quiet players like Tagovailoa often don't get as much respect as they would if they were boisterous. That's the way sometimes of the modern media world. He doesn't brag about the plays he makes and I think it's also true there haven't been (until recently) enough people in the Dolphins organization publicly and consistently backing him.

The media can be lazy. And that includes me. It's many of us. We look for easy things to digest and have a difficult time, on occasion, handling nuance. Tagovailoa, like many young players, has struggled at times, but he's also been really good in many other moments. For whatever reason that I cannot totally figure out, some in the media latch onto his bad moments and don't let go.

Some in the media eventually do see the Tagovailoa light and change their tune. Remember Simms ranking Tagovailoa insanely low before the start of last season? As the Miami Herald wrote, at one point last season, when Tagovailoa led the NFL in passer rating at 115.9, Simms changed his mind.

"They’ve got answers for everything (and this offense) fits Tua’s skillset," he said. "He’s got a quick release, he’s smart, accurate, real aggressive, a good athlete. It’s the ‘Greatest Show on Grass’ right now … Weapons everywhere. Tua is like a point guard out there."

Johnson, as the Herald also noted, had a similar change.

"Tua has come a long way,” Johnson said. "Very accurate. Without him in the lineup, [Tyreek Hill] is a different receiver. Tua is more important to what they’re doing [than Hill and Jaylen Waddle]. They looked like home run hitters as soon as he came back. He gets the ball out fast. Two years ago, he was holding that thing, patting that thing, putting it to sleep. It’s a totally different guy now..."

But the truth is Tagovailoa wasn't "a totally different guy." He'd always shown that potential. It was more that, again for unknown reasons, Johnson and others either didn't see, or refused to see, what was obvious talent.

He doesn't look the part of whatever some people think a QB should look like. This part isn't addressed to anyone specifically, but take it exactly as it's stated. There are people who have a vision of what a quarterback looks like, and Tagovailoa doesn't fit it.

Is Tagovailoa perfect? No, but he's good, and has been for some time. All you have to do is open your eyes.