Tua Tagovailoa – November 27, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2022
Postgame – Houston
QB Tua Tagovailoa (Transcribed by ASAP Sports)
Q. How does it feel, ending the month undefeated, you guys get back off the break, now you’re preparing for a road trip, how does it feel?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It feels good. It feels good to come back, get a win. Regardless of who we’re playing out here, it’s hard to win in this league. We’re just really happy that we came out with a win. We’ll learn from the things that we could have done better. We could have finished a lot of drives better. We could have given guys opportunities more, put guys in better position to make plays for our team. But that’s always tough when you’re hot, your team is hot, and then you go into a bye week. You try to come back on a week like this to find whatever that feeling was that you guys had with that momentum and that’s all it was. We’re just out there just trying to find what rhythm our offense was trying to get back into. I think we’ll go in and find that throughout this next week and we’ll be better for it.
Q. How did you guys go through the decision for you to come out of the game in the third quarter?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, well, Mike (McDaniel) and Bev (Darrell Bevell), they were going to give me two series. So they gave me two series and then told me they were going to pull me if the opposing team didn’t score, so they didn’t score, got in two series and they pulled me.
Q. When things tightened up, was there any conversation about you coming back in?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, yeah, there were conversations like ‘hey, like we might need you to come back in if they score again on this because then it’ll be a one-score game.’ I was prepared to come back in if needed.
Q. That sack you had late in the first half, you bent backwards, did everything come out clean from that?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I’m sure tomorrow will feel a little different, but yeah, felt good from that. I was just thinking get up so we could clock it.
Q. Obviously in a game like this – you mentioned that the bye in itself but just defensively how does it feel when they were just to back up their offense as a whole, as a team?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Man, that was awesome to see from our defense. The turnovers, the sacks, just the big hits that they were making defensively. For me I’m used to seeing that because in my first two years, that’s the type of defense we’ve had, a defense that would get interceptions and then would score. We’d come off with like five turnovers a game my first two years. I’m used to seeing that, and it’s always great to watch when we’re able to also do some things really well offensively.
Q. You’ve been protected so well during this stretch. What were you seeing in the protection through that run when the Texans had the sack at the end of the first half and then also in the third quarter?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, well, I think with some of the plays that I told Mike (McDaniel) I liked, I put some guys in some bad situations by doing, so like I said, that has a lot to do with kind of finding the rhythm of the game with your guys, your players. I would say that one falls on me. But yeah, we’ll be better for it.
Q. The broadcast said that last year you had some moments where you looked yourself in the mirror and had to ask, am I good, am I good, and that Mike McDaniel showed you a 700-play highlight tape reminding you yes, you are. Can you describe from your perspective what that process was?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, I thought it was cool. I think anyone here can attest to someone believing in them and how that changes how they see themselves but also things around them, so perspective. But it was awesome. There’s a lot of details that entail me sitting down with him and other things as well, but it’s awesome. It’s really cool.
Q. Was that the first step to being what you are today, this season? Was that affirmation from your head coach and all that?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, yeah, I think that could be a step, but at the end of the day, no matter how good your relationship is with someone, you’ve still got to go out and play. You’ve got to go play football. And that’s with all of our guys. I could have a great relationship with our running backs. I mean, having a good relationship with you, I can’t help you rush for 2,000 yards or rush for however many yards you want to in the game. We’ve all got to be dialed in to the details of what the offense entails. I would say that’s just an add-on, the relationships we have with one another in the building, with each other, from coach to player, player to player, and much more in the building with everyone else.
Q. Early in the game Jaylen Waddle broke the record for most receiving yards for the first two years in a career for the Dolphins. What can you say about your college and pro teammate?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Wow, never knew that. Congratulations to Jaylen. That’s news to me. I’m definitely going to go and beat him up about that. I don’t know if he knows, too, so that’ll be awesome to tell him, but well-deserved for someone like him. He comes in to work, works his ass off, has a lot of questions every time; and if he doesn’t get them answered, then he’s not going to be in for that play. Very detail-oriented person and very happy for him. This is just the beginning. He’s only in Year 2 and we’ve got a lot more games to play.
Q. Five wins in a row, 8-3, three big road games upcoming. Where does the season stand for you right now?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, we’re enjoying our win right now, being 8-3, and we’ll come into work tomorrow, see what we need to get better with, and then we’ll worry about the next team.
Q. The MVP chats, they’re starting to get a lot more louder now. How do you keep on keeping that momentum going as far as trying to acclaim that title?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I would say it’s us just playing together as a team. I understand the question of that being an individual thing, but really, I’m not able to have recognition or any of that without everyone doing their jobs, doing their assignments. If a team has success, that’s what brings individual success for anyone on any team. If we were losing, I don’t know if I would be getting the recognition I’m getting. I don’t know if any of the guys on our team would be getting that recognition. It really is a team. Individual success is based off of team success.
Q. Your relationship with Trent Dilfer from your time at the Elite 11. Do you look back at that and see how that motivation from Trent, with your conversation with Trent to this point in time, how is that process?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Oh, man, that’s been a long time that I can remember because I was in high school when that happened. I think that happened through the summer and then I had a season after that and then I was deciding what college I was going to go to, so really hard for me to think of a lot of the things that Trent had told me and talked to me about, but he’s a really great resource that I’ve been able to have in my corner, someone that I’m able to call, talk to about whatever. When I was coming out in the draft, he was definitely someone that kind of helped me prepare for the draft, too.
