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Tua Tagovailoa – November 11, 2021 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Thursday, November 11, 2021
Postgame – Baltimore

QB Tua Tagovailoa

Q: We see Jacoby went down with an unfortunate injury. What’s going through your mind? Now obviously in a backup role you have to be prepared to play but maybe not really expecting. What’s going through your mind at that moment?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: I got to go in. That’s all that was going through my mind. I got to go in, so we were talking through some plays, and that happened on the third down, so fourth down we had to punt, so we were on the sideline talking through some plays and whatnot that I liked. That’s kind of what we did.

Q: How comfortable were you? We saw you hit Jaylen for the 35-yarder and Albert Wilson up the sideline for the 64-yard catch and run. How comfortable did you feel driving the ball downfield?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think the guys did a good job getting open. You just got to get it to them. I tried my best to do that tonight. Here’s the result.

Q: Tua, can you tell what it’s like in that room right now? What does this win mean for the team?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: It means a lot. We beat a really, really good team. This is a tough team to beat, but the guys are happy. They’re sore, but at the end of a win, nothing really hurts, so feels good.

Q: Can you take us through moment where you rushed in the touchdown near the end of the game? What were your emotions at that time?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, you know, we wanted to score on that drive, and that’s what we got accomplished. I just think in the heat of the moment when you score, I mean, it’s a sigh of relief. It’s a sigh of the week that you had, you know, with the guys. Obviously, I wasn’t in, but you know, just the hard work that they put in and being able to finish the drive like that, it feels really good.

Q: What’s your view of Rob Hunt’s non-touchdown?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: I mean, I think Rob (Hunt) is just trying to be an athlete. (laughter) Trying to make a play for us, but unfortunately a lineman can’t catch the ball, so that’s illegal in the NFL and in football. Can’t do that.

Q: Flores said that a lot of times he is trying to protect you from yourself. Did you feel like you could have played not just this week, but the previous week and how difficult was that to actually watch instead of be involved in the action?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah. I mean, that’s really how it’s been when I had my rib injury too. I wanted to play, but obviously, Flo got with Kyle (Johnson), and they had their discussions, came up to me, and they made the decision to try to protect me from myself, obviously, but it’s the same thing with my finger. You just got to be ready at any time I would say. I would say I was ready, but you know, that was Flo’s decision. That was his call. You just got to be supportive of the next guy up, so just try to support Jacoby when he was in because every time I’m in, he does the same for me.

Q: How is your finger doing?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: It doesn’t feel good, I can tell you that. Got it banged up a little bit in the game, but it’s good. You know, we got about ten days to heal up, rest up, so we’ll take all the time we can.

Q: You were off a little bit on some of those throws when you first got in. Was it more the finger or was it just getting into the rhythm and flow of the game halfway through?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: I don’t want to use any excuses, but yeah, just got to get back into the rhythm and the flow of the game. Yeah, that’s all it was.

Q: That downfield throw to Waddle, were there limitations with the finger injury?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Waddle or Albert Wilson?

Q: The deep one – 35-yard one to — I’m sorry. That was Ford.

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Was that Ford? I wasn’t in on that. That was Jacoby.

Q: No the long one to Waddle. The 35-yard one.

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Oh, the one to Waddle? That was a good grab by Waddle. (laughter)

Q: Was that like anything you had done in practice these last two days with the limitations?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: I didn’t have any reps with the first group. Just mental reps just watching it, and then when we go inside and watch it on film that’s kind of where I get my reps.

Q: But as far as throwing that ball, were you able to in practice or was there extra on that throw?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: I mean, I was warmed up by that time, so to me it was just another throw. Just going through my reads.

Q: So you said you had no first-team reps just on the short week?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, yeah. I mean, it’s tough because you’ve got to get timing with everyone, and not everyone gets reps, so yeah.

Q: How does your finger change how you grip the football or how you’ve been able to grip the football?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Man, it’s tough when it’s fractured, you know, trying to grip a ball. I don’t know if you have had a fracture before with anything, but it hurts to do things with it, so just tough. Just got to fight through it.

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