Tua Tagovailoa – October 27, 2021
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Wednesday, October 27, 2021
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(You do a good job of compartmentalizing and blocking out all of the trade stuff the last couple of weeks. Probably there are a lot of Dolphins fans out there and media members in this room too, who wonder on a daily basis who will be the Dolphins quarterback a week from now – you or QB Deshaun Watson. Just from a human nature standpoint, does that thought ever come into your mind? Do you think about it daily? Do you think about it ever?) – “(laughter) I really don’t think about it. The only time I’m really hearing about it, like I’ve said before, is if (the communications staff) is kind of telling me what’s going on within the rumors or if my agent calls me. That’s really when I hear it. Other than that, I don’t really hear it.”
(Do Chris Cabott or Leigh Steinberg call you every time they see a rumor to tell you? Or do they just let you find it out on your own?) – “No. It needs to be – it can’t be just a rumor that I just hear it once and they’re calling me because I’m not going to pick up the next five or six times. It has to be very much relatable.”
(Would you want the team to come out and say something to extinguish that fire so you don’t have to hear it from anyone?) – “Well for me, I don’t have control over any of that. For me, I’m just focused on the guys in the building and with my teammates. We don’t really have time, as professionals I would say, to be thinking of a lot of the outside noise while we’re preparing day in and day out for opponents like we have right now in the Bills.”
(Four touchdowns in the game on Sunday. Obviously one of the best performances of your career. I know you’re probably upset about the two picks but looking back on the film, what did you like about your performance and how do you hope to build on that this week?) – “It’s hard to look at what I like just because we are always looking to build off of the mistakes that we’ve made offensively. Then for me, capitalizing on situational football with the end of the half and two-minute. Then obviously the interception – the second interception that I threw – after a momentum changer with the defense getting us the ball back. It’s just something that you’ve got to learn from. You never know which play is going to be the play that wins you a game. So by eliminating those mistakes, I felt I could have put our team in a better position.”
(Do you feel like after the performance that you guys built a little bit of momentum offensively, just in terms of your efficiency and ability to push the ball down the field?) – “Yeah. I just think it’s tough to play that kind of football. It’s hard in this league already to just play it. But to come down from 14- or 13-point deficit – it’s tough. Then you continue to put the defense in a tough situation as well. We’ve got to try to play complementary football is what I can say.”
(Hearing all of the outside noise but then also your internal conversations you’ve said you’ve had with Head Coach Brian Flores, do you feel wanted in this organization?) – “I don’t not feel wanted. (laughter) That’s what I could say. (laughter)”
(A minute ago you mentioned you don’t focus on the outside talk and I could understand that. But at the same time, for example, the Panthers came out and said ‘We’re not interested in Deshaun Watson.’ If the Dolphins were to say that, would that not make you feel good?) – “Honestly, I don’t base my emotions off of who says anything about me or who is saying what. All I can do is my job and do it to the best of my capabilities. Everything else, I mean it’s out of my control. But I have the utmost confidence and trust that I am the quarterback of this team, just off of conversations that I’ve had with ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) and whatnot. That obviously stays between us. But yeah, I feel very confident that I’m the person.”
(What are the voices like in the locker room? What are the guys saying? I know the conversations are private but how have their voices helped you or maybe lifted you up in this situation?) – “Like I said, we don’t have time to really talk about a lot of the outside noise. It’s hard enough being in the National Football League, trying to prepare for a team like the Bills or trying to prepare for any team that we’re up against.”
(The Halloween event last night with the kids, what was that like for you?) – “That was good. Any time you can go out there and make a difference in a kid’s life or within a community – I feel like it’s a better feeling for you than it is for the person. That’s probably bad to say but as good as you want to make them feel, you kind of get something out of that as well.”
(How did you decide on Woody?) – “I didn’t. (laughter) I really didn’t. I just asked for what costumes they had and I just said ‘Well, I guess I’ll just take Woody.’ That’s how I got Woody. (laughter)”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said earlier this week that your 18 months here have been unusual, from the hip injury and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick last year and now this. Do you think it’s been a fair start to your career?) – “I don’t know if I would ever use the word fair because really nothing is fair, especially in the life that we live. For you guys – media – it’s not fair that you guys only get however many minutes with a player. For players, it’s not fair that we only get praised when we’re doing good. Nothing is fair in life. That’s what I can say to that.”
(Will there be a sigh of relief after the trade deadline because that will at least give closure to the rest of this season about who will be the quarterback?) – “(laughter) Honestly, I’m not even worried about that. I don’t even know when the trade deadline is.”
(The last time you played the Bills, that was the game you got hurt, obviously. Is there any sort of emotional barrier to climb when you go back up against that team?) – “No. This is a great opportunity I think for us offensively, to come out and really start fast but keep that consistency throughout the game and really finish strong.”
(You don’t want to be like just stick it to them and be like, ‘I’m back!’) – “Well honestly, I just want to win. I just want to win. That’s really all that is. No matter how we get it done, I just want to win.”
(You’ve improved a lot in the intermediate areas. Your completion percentage and everything has gone up in the intermediate range. Why do you think that is and particularly, how important is ball placement in that area of the field to kind of allow your pass catchers to get yards after the catch?) – “I think our line does a great job of blocking up front and giving me time to allow those passes. I think our receivers, our tight ends, they do a great job with finding the creases and finding openings in the defense and making it that much easier for me to throw the ball to them. It’s really just the timing, the communication and just all of us being on the same page.”
(How do you feel like you are balancing that desire to make something happen versus doing too much with the ball when you kind of have to just live to see another play?) – “My entire career has always been trying to play aggressive, from high school and then also in college. But I would say I’ve learned a lot being in the NFL with playing aggressive whereas you’re doing too much and then kind of playing aggressive and being smart with that. Unfortunately, me playing aggressive has given me mistakes. I’ve made some mistakes doing that. But those are all learning mistakes and I can continue to grow from those.”
(Would you rather learn like that, by kind of figuring out what you can’t do, versus starting off timid and trying to expand your arsenal?) – “I’d just rather learn in film and not make the mistakes on the field. (laughter) But unfortunately, that’s how it is.”
(On TE Mike Gesicki, in what ways has he helped you?) – “Mike is catching the ball anywhere I throw it to him. I think Mike is a really good leader out there for the guys as well. You can see every time Mike catches the ball, he’s got the little ball spin. He’s got the little trucker horn. I don’t know what that is. (laughter) Maybe you guys can ask Mike for me. He’s very enthusiastic. But yeah, Mike makes my job easier as well as all of the other guys on the offense.”
(I think most quarterbacks would say that footwork is one of the most important elements of the position and it seems like throughout the course of your career, that’s really been one of your mainstays as far as your physical traits go. Just out of curiosity, how would you say your footwork has set you up for success at this level?) – “I think kind of quarterbacking 101 is your feet need to marry up with the route concept. So if you have a 10-yard route, it’s a three-step drop, timing and it’s with no hitch. You kind of base it off of the routes that you have. You’re taking a five-step drop if it’s a deeper route. Then you just kind of marry that into how you feel.”
(When you are in the middle of the play, do you adapt that footwork to adjust what you’re seeing from the defense?) – “Yes. At times, yes. If there’s pressure and you have to get the ball out quick, then obviously you can’t take a three-step or a five-step drop.”
