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Most of us were taught when we were kids that if we make a mess we're supposed to clean it up.
Before Monday night, I thought that way about quarterbacks when they throw interceptions, too. I hated when QBs jogged away from the fray after throwing a pick, and loved it when they hustled toward the action and tackled -- or at least tried to tackle -- the defender who caught their errant pass.
I thought it showed toughness and leadership, and applauded it.
Friends I watch football with usually agree with my half-serious idea that if the thrower of an interception tackles the interceptor, his team should get the ball back.
After seeing Tua Tagovailoa try to make a tackle, head-first Monday, though, I've got a different rule-change idea: If someone throws an interception, the play is over for the passer. He has to get off the field via the nearest sideline, and no one on the other team gets a free shot at him, either.
This is already policy for some teams and players. A star quarterback is a valuable commodity, and you don't want him getting injured trying to make tackles. The risk-reward ratio is rarely there, and the next-man-up philosophy usually doesn't work well with NFL quarterbacks.
When the quarterback is Tagovailoa the issue is amplified for two reasons: Tagovailoa's history of concussions and the fact that the Dolphins can't win without him. The offense was anemic and they were 0-4 when he was on injured reserve because of the most recent concussion, in September.
"The way this team is built, he has to be out there," Devin McCourty said on Pro Football Talk. "Because if he isn't, they have no chance to win."
McCourty ended a 13-year career as an NFL defensive back last year. The three-time Super Bowl winner and two-time Pro Bowl honoree with the Patriots is now a studio analyst for NBC's Football Night in America.
"I think Tua has to get out of the mode of 'Hey, I'm just this football player who goes and plays' -- for one, the way he attempted that tackle," McCourty said. "(Teammates) don't want you to do that anyway. Even if you're a quarterback who hasn't had any concussion injuries. I don't want you to dive in there with your head down, not see what you hit."
Although not as common as 50 years ago, when I started watching high school football, many quarterbacks at that level also play safety or linebacker on defense.
The one I remember most is Kurt Gouveia. The Waianae legend was the state player of the year on offense and defense. He's also known for winning championships at every level of football he competed at, including two Super Bowl championships in a 13-year career as an NFL linebacker.
If you've watched a lot of high school football, you've seen many quarterbacks who play the position with the physicality of a running back or a defensive player.
When Tagovailoa played quarterback at Saint Louis School, his style reminded me of one of the greatest running backs in football history. Tagovailoa would often start a move seemingly designed to elude a defender, only to change direction back toward contact. The ensuing collision usually worked in his favor -- like it did for Hall of Famer Walter Payton.
Watching him back then, if Tagovailoa couldn't throw a football as great as he did I had no doubt he could star in college and maybe the NFL as a running back.
He lived up to his potential as a stellar dual-threat quarterback at Alabama. He's now in his fifth NFL year, and good enough a quarterback to be the AFC Pro Bowl starter last season.
It's taken me a long time to accept this, but quarterbacks are different than other NFL players, and that's why they shouldn't do certain things, like head-first tackles. It doesn't mean they're soft, or not real players. Part of their job is to manage their risk of injury, even when their instincts might scream otherwise.
"It's hard to change the way you play football your whole life," McCourty said. "Tua has a unique role on this team."