Tua Tagovailoa – September 7, 2022
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Wednesday, September 7, 2022
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(On having things to work on with WR Jaylen Waddle) – ”Yeah, I think there’s still some things that we’ve got to continue to work on with me and Jaylen (Waddle). You don’t just go from working consistently, to working with other guys consistently, while Jaylen is trying to heal up, and then you come back and it’s all figured out. Today was a good day to kind of help iron all of those things out, and if Mike (McDaniel) does allow Jaylen to play, then I think it’s better for us that he does.”
(You’re entering another season where you face the Patriots Week 1 kind of in a new offensive system. You yourself said that everything feels different. For you personally where do you feel most comfortable heading into Week 1 of an NFL season?) – “I wouldn’t say I feel most comfortable with where I’m at. I think I feel most comfortable with where we’re at as a team. I think I feel very comfortable with how the offense is operating right now, how the defense is playing defense. I think we all feel pretty confident in our gameplay, where we’re at leading up to our season opener, and I think a lot of guys are confident and we’re ready to play this Sunday.”
(Is an opener different? I know every game is you want to win, but opener – the excitement being at home, facing a division rival – what’s that like as you prepare for Week 1?) – ”I think Week 1 is always exciting. I can say every game is exciting, but Week 1 is always exciting. It’s the start to a new season for our new team with the Dolphins, and a lot of the fans are really looking forward to seeing guys like Tyreek (Hill), seeing guys like Terron Armstead, seeing a lot of the new additions that we’ve picked up throughout this offseason. I think if I’m not mistaken, that this is probably the first time in in a long time that the Hard Rock is sold out (of season tickets). So you can see the hype around the team with the fans and all the people that want to come and see our team play.”
(I’m doing something on guys and their NFL debuts. I’m wondering what you remember about your NFL debut?) – ”My NFL debut? Wow. I remember my first drive, not a good drive, got hit and fumbled. And I think for any competitor, you really think of the bads instead of the good. But I also remember my first touchdown pass and that was to DeVante Parker, so you know, glad we get to see him, hope he does well. It’ll be a good matchup with him and whoever he’s lined up against.”
(On his reaction to being named a team captain last week) – ”I would say it doesn’t change the way I lead. I’m very grateful that my teammates think very highly of me in that way, and I think the coolest thing is no one needs to go up and give a speech and tell the team why you should vote for me as a captain. It’s cool that Coach (McDaniel) just allows the guys to decide, and Coach may say that I had the most votes, but there’s a lot of guys that have a lot of respect in our locker room that the guys really trust and really want to play for so I’m very grateful about that. But it doesn’t change the way that I go about my business or how I lead or how I talk to the guys.”
(What’s enabled you guys to have so much success against the Patriots, you being 3-0 specifically?) – “I wouldn’t attest that I’m 3-0. I would attest that we’re 3-0 as a team. It takes all of us. I’m just the distributor. I’ve just got to get it to our playmakers. They make the plays, and our defense gets us the ball back and our defense make stops. Special teams, they do their part and that’s how you win games in this in this league.”
(Playing the Patriots so early in the season, back-to-back maybe even three years now. Has that helped your preparation and kind of having the same system prepare for, same kind of type of defense, things like that?) – ”Yeah, I think it’s tough. It’s difficult every time we play a Bill Belichick defense. You never know what you’re going to get. You’re always seeing different fronts. I mean, he’s going to find a way to confuse you. It’s never normally the same. You’ll get some similarities with people being in areas, but it’s not usually the same, and that’s what makes it pretty difficult, kind of making calls in the run game, and then kind of knowing where to go in the pass game against them.”
(What excites you the most about this offense and maybe the way that it caters to your specific skill set?) – “Well, I think I’m most excited with the playmakers that we have. You check the ball down, you never know what you’re going to get and then now you can take the top off with guys like Tyreek. I know everyone’s probably seen with how Tyreek ran past the quarters defender that had the deep quarter and we still threw that and that’s an advantage that we have with having someone like him, and then if Jaylen (Waddle) does play, I would say the same thing. But I think those guys are going to give other guys opportunities to get open for us and make big plays for us.”
(We know how Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick likes to try to confuse people. When you prepare for a Bill Belichick game do you have to start thinking outside the box and just kind of prepare a little differently for that?) – “I think every team, every team, you can play them by percentages, by what they do on normal down-and-distances, third downs or whatnot; but really when it comes to it, you got to go out there and play. You can play it by the percentages, and if you do that, I would say you’re really taking a chance. You’ve just got to go out there thinking this is what they do. And if they don’t do that, what’s my answer for all of these other things? I think that’s how we kind of take that and go into the game with that.”
(Clearly Head Coach Mike McDaniel has created an environment allows you guys to be yourselves, obviously you see WR Tyreek Hill, yourself. How is that environment do you think going to help his team this year?) – “I think everyone feels like they can share what they feel, they can express what they like, what they don’t like, and they won’t feel judged or they won’t feel like they’re stepping on anyone’s toes. And I think that helps with accountability, too, with guys on the team. Mike (McDaniel) has made this kind of a safe area or safe space, if you will, for all of the guys. You know, because if Jaylen (Waddle) is not doing something right, you know, I’m able to tell him. If Tyreek’s not doing something right I’m able to say what I think and same for them to me if I didn’t do something right, they’ll come and hold me accountable. So I think that’s where the being comfortable kind of falls into with the atmosphere Mike created.”
(We all know the type of athlete obviously WR Tyreek Hill is. I’m just curious what his personality and his confidence has brought to the locker room and for you specifically, if he’s influenced you in some ways in the way you lead and maybe your confidence heading into this first game?) – “I’d say I’ve always been a pretty confident person. I’ve never necessarily looked to anyone really for my confidence and never necessarily needed someone else’s approval for that, but I would say Tyreek (Hill) is – he’s not someone that I’d expect to be who he is. He’s extremely funny. Dude loves video games. Dude loves ping pong. He’s very talkative. I didn’t expect Tyreek to be pretty talkative. but yeah, he’s just a great teammate overall, but I think I think he’s going live on Twitch or something on Thursday. So if you guys want to watch him play Fornite, you know, you guys have the in right now.”
(What’s impressed you most about playing with T Terron Armstead and how excited he is to share the field with him on Sunday?) – “Dude’s overly positive. He’s been in the league for a long time. He would share things with me that Drew (Brees) – when he played with Drew at the Saints – and then he also got us in contact, me and Drew. And he kind of said like, ‘Hey, little bro, this is this is Drew’s contact. I want you to hit him up and I know he’d want to help you or he’d love to help you.’ I thought that was a cool thing. Rookie and the vet, if you will.”
