QB Tua Tagovailoa – August 20, 2022 (Postgame)
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Saturday, August 20, 2022
Postgame – Raiders
QB Tua Tagovailoa (transcribed by ASAP Sports)
Q: I know we spoke to you a couple days ago. You said that you wanted to get out there. Now that you get a couple series in, how did it feel and how did you feel about the way the offense operated those two times?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It felt good. I enjoyed being out there with the guys. I enjoyed the atmosphere that was out there tonight with the fans. I know as an offense you always want to go down and accomplish every drive ending in a score. Obviously, that wasn’t the case within the two drives that we had. We had a field goal, but our job as an offense is to go down and try to put points up on the board. I felt there were some things that we needed clean up on – pre-snap operations and then also just everyone playing together, us all knowing our assignments and knowing what to do. I think for the most part, extremely proud of the way the second-string guys came in, the third-string guys came in stepped up. A lot of the younger guys played extremely well in this game, and that’s not to take away the fact that they did really good for us in this preseason game. We didn’t accomplish what we wanted to, but that doesn’t outshine what a lot of the younger guys were able to do towards the ending for us.
Q: Was it important to you to get these preseason snaps in?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I’m hoping I get to play in the Eagles game as well. As a competitor, I think anyone in the locker room wants to do that. I know Tyreek (Hill) wanted to go out there. X (Xavien Howard) wanted to go out there. I also know Melvin Ingram wanted to go out there, but Coach (McDaniel) had to shut those guys down. That’s kind of the locker room that we have, guys wanting to be out there, but Coach is protecting them from themselves. I wanted play more snaps in this game, but Mike (McDaniel) said that was it.
Q: How did it feel playing back in front of your home crowd for the first time in a while?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It was good. For a preseason game, it got pretty loud. You know, when there were situational deals going on, when it was third down or when we needed to convert on a third down, we could really hear them. For the most part I think it was pretty cool. These guys are just excited to see the nuances to the team, a lot of new faces. They want to see what Mike (McDaniel) has done to our team. There’s a lot of hype going around our team because of what Mike has done for this organization with how he is as a person and then, obviously, all the comments with our other players. It was really cool.
Q: Tua, they showed on CBS many hours before the game you were kind of out there by yourself going through some things. Can you kind of help us understand what you were trying to accomplish and what that exercise was like for you?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, for me I’m just trying to picture the operation of how I want the offense to operate, so I’m looking at the play call, saying the play call out, getting the motions. If a certain person is not where they’re supposed to be defensively, then that’s an opportunity to exert all the adjectives as far as getting us into the right play. So, for me that’s what my practice is every time that I go out there is, okay, if we run this play, what could stop that play? If we run this play, what could stop that play? And then going through my entire progression; if it’s a pass play, if it’s a play action play, if it’s a run play, understanding I have to carry out my fakes. Just all the little details, I would say, that’s what I try to do.
Q: How impressed are you with QB Skylar Thompson and his development over camp and these past two games?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I’ve been extremely impressed with Skylar. Skylar handled the Tampa game extremely well, and then now he comes in a little later into the third quarter, gets his group going, has — I don’t even know how many plays he had. He probably had a 10-play drive leading up to the score that we had our first score that we had here at Hard Rock for this 2022 season. But I think he has handled it extremely well. He gave us an opportunity to kick a field goal to win the game. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, but I think he has done an extremely great job for us.
Q: We had a chance to talk with TE Mike Gesicki in the locker room. He acknowledged that it’s kind of a tough transition from last year’s offense to this year. As a leader on this team, do you get in his ear a little bit to help him keep his head up?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, and I think for Mike (Gesicki), you know, Mike knows his abilities and Mike isn’t one to kind of just ponder on it and just think on it. Obviously, Mike is a competitor. Mike came to me into the locker room and was kind of telling me what I’d seen. Obviously, the pass that happened, he was kind of telling me what he was going through with their press man. They kind of had man lurk with the backside safety dropping in to pretty much rob whoever the third guy is, but I think for the most part Mike did a great job. We’re going to be able to put it all together, and I know Mike knows that.
Q: QB Skylar Thompson said that on the last two-minute drive he was talking to Head Coach Mike McDaniel on the sideline. He throw a joke at him. Is that his understanding of like lightening the moments? Is that his style?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: For Skylar?
Q: Yes.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, I mean, I don’t know. That’s pretty cool. I never thought — wow, I guess Skylar is getting comfortable, huh? (laughter) I never knew Skylar to be –
Q: I said Mike threw the joke to him.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Oh, Mike threw the joke to him. Oh, okay, then yes, yes, yes. That is much more believable than Skylar telling Mike a joke. Much more believable. Skylar is more like ask a question, you know, like I’m going to ask you a question, like please, what is information that I can use when I go out there? Like, hey did they do this, did they do that? He just wants to learn, so with you saying he was joking – I thought you said he was joking.
Q: How do you think is that for a head coach to understand that moment for that guy to lighten the mood up, is that Mike?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: That is Mike, yeah. I would say that’s Mike. And we’re talking about McDaniel, right? Yeah, that’s definitely Mike.
Q: Was tonight’s two series sort of a benchmark in the progression until Week 1, like something you have to check the box, get out there on the field?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Not necessarily. Obviously, we want to be able to simulate game-like practices, but nothing simulates the actual thing. Just me being able to go out there with the first string o-line, you know, we all need that. As you can see, we’re a little rusty when we went out there, but it’s nothing that a little film can’t help, but I think it’s going to be good. I hope we get another opportunity to go out and play a couple of series next week, too.
Q: What’s your thoughts on the run game tonight? Not a lot of yards rushed…
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I would say for us offensively and I’m sure this is how it is around the league, but we don’t have — we have basic run calls being called out there, basic play pass calls, basic passing game calls. It’s not necessarily game plan for us out there. I don’t look at our run game tonight as something to be discouraged about. It is what it is. We only had what calls we had, and that’s what that was.
