Tua Tagovailoa – September 6, 2023
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Wednesday, September 6, 2023
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(You told us in the spring that you at one point did think about, did consider giving up this game that you love. Now that the game week has arrived, how do you feel about your decision to continue to continue playing?) – “I feel good. I think all the guys on our team are really excited to be able to get back out on the field. Some guys come from a different team and this is a new system for them. Some guys have been here for some time and the guys are just really excited to go out there and showcase their skills against a really good team.”
(Every season you’ve come in with an expectation, a goal, a plan. Did this offseason, given the way it ended last year, feel any different? How do you enter this Game 1, Week 1 knowing what this offseason was like and trying to get your body and mind ready for this opener?) – “I think the best way is to prepare yourself for all the things that haven’t gone right for you the previous season. And this isn’t just for me. This is for – I know a lot of the guys in our locker room, how they’ve prepared, things that they’ve wanted to work on – that’s basically what my offseason has been like. And like I said, we’re really excited to go out there and play a good team.”
(How much do you still get to be a fan of the NFL? I know you’re in it, but Thursday Night Football comes along, do you and some of the players get together and be like “it’s finally here” just like normal fans?) – “Yeah, it’s exciting to know that football is back. I don’t think the fan in anyone will ever go away. That’s something that we grew up doing whether it was going over to a friend’s house and watching it or guys coming over to your house and then even now in the league, guys are more invested because it’s hard and so when someone does something good it’s like, ‘man, what did they do?’ or ‘how did they do it?’ We’re definitely still fans and very much invested into it.”
(What do you remember about last year’s game against the Chargers? What do you think can be done differently to not allow the same scheme, same game plan to stop this offense?) – “First off, they had a great game plan for us last year. It was tough to get things started in basically the first half and then trying to move on from that into the game, trying to get a rhythm going offensively. But you’ve got to tip your hat to their coaches. Their coaching staff, they’re well-coached. They took a lot of things away that we would normally run and things that we felt comfortable doing so hats off to them, but like I said, I’m really excited. This is going to be a good team.”
(Have you had any communication with Passing Game Coordinator/Secondary Renaldo Hill who was there last year maybe to work out some of the things that they had that worked against you?) – “Yeah, there’s been some conversations talking to Renaldo.”
(How much do you think going up against Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense has maybe prepared you and this offense for what you’re going to see in Week 1?) – “Going against his defense is tough in itself and understanding, asking him a lot of questions, asking their position groups a lot of questions, trying to understand how their defense works together. Like I said, they really communicate out there, to a point where it sounds like they’re overcommunicating which is something that I haven’t really seen, especially using the helmet cam. You’re trying to get the cadence going and sometimes the center can’t hear because of all the noise going on in the background and guys can’t hear it as well. So going against his defense definitely helps in preparation for (Brandon) Staley’s defense. So we’ve got to be ready and we’ve got to understand the problems that they give us on certain plays and just got to keep moving forward with it.”
(How many snaps does it take usually for you to level out at the beginning of the game? Is it different in Week 1 than it might be in Week 10 or do you need that period?) – “I think it’s different for everyone. I think the first game is always a little more jittery than every other game because you’re getting your body back into the mindset, the mind frame of, ‘all right, this is a 60-minute ballgame, I’ve got to be on for the next three hours and I can’t shut off.’ I’ve got to constantly understand my protection issues, where the guys are going to be, things like that. I definitely think once you get the first completion, get a drive started; then you sort of get into the groove.”
(If I could quickly follow up on that, is there anything specific that you want to do yourself or tell yourself considering it’s your first regular season game in so long?) – “There’s some things that I have as far as self-talk throughout the week, but outside of that, you’ve just got to go out there, trust what you see and you just got to go and play.”
(Do you set individual personal goals for yourself prior to a season?) – “Yeah. I think we all do. Everyone in our locker room does as well as outside of what the team goals are.”
(Do you share them with anyone or is that something you keep to yourself?) – “I’m keeping that to myself.”
(What’s one thing you learned about yourself, the game, anything over the last nine months? It’s been a rollercoaster.) – “Yeah, that’s exactly what it is. It’s a rollercoaster. You can never get too high in this league, can never get too low. Every week is a different week. Any given Sunday, whether that team is 0-2 or 0-12, you have to prepare for them the same way you would prepare for a 12-0 team or a 2-0 team. Whether you came off a really good game, don’t expect that coming into the next game. You have to prepare for the next team the same way you prepared for the previous team. Sometimes it’s not always going to be seven touchdowns, 500 yards. Sometimes it will be three interceptions and you have the ball, it’s a two-minute drive and you have to lead your team to score and you throw one touchdown. That ‘W’ is all that matters.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said a few weeks back we were going to see the best possible version of Tua this year. Do you agree?) – “Well, I’d like to say that every year. I think everyone likes to say that you’ll see the best version of them every new season, every new year. But for me, I’m just myself. I’m just being myself when I go out there. Just playing football the way I know how to.”
(How do you feel about your helmet and switching up the helmets?) – “I like it. It feels good. Doesn’t give me any problems, so I’m going to stick with it.”
(One thing I’ve noticed about this team is you’re not afraid to talk about Super Bowls. I’ve covered this team for a while and that’s not just a word that I’m used to hearing. Is that just a mentality, playing in that final game, or why talk about it?) – “Yeah, I mean why not talk about it? Every other team is talking about it, regardless of their record. You have to believe it. If you don’t believe it, that’s where you go wrong. First off, regardless of opinions of people outside, it has to start from within. When it starts from within, you start believing in each other, you start believing in play calls that normally you wouldn’t want called. But when you’re able to believe in them, you trust that guys are going to be in the right spot at the right time, and anything can happen.”
(You spoke very highly of Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Darrell Bevell last year. How has that relationship evolved now in the second year together?) – “It’s been really good. He’s someone who is really detail oriented. He doesn’t let anything slide, when you think, “Oh he won’t catch that”, that’s where you’ve gone wrong. He’s helped us tremendously. There’s a lot of things that I probably shouldn’t share, but he helps us a lot.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned the eye surgery that Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Darrell Bevell had and the impact of the meeting and showing him laying down. I just wanted your perspective on all that.) – “That just shows you the dedication he has to the game. He always wants to be there for his guys. We thought it was hilarious seeing that he had to be down with one eye covered. I couldn’t stay down like that. It’s hard.”
(You and Justin Herbert are always going to be compared. Obviously, you’re focused on the Chargers defense, but do you ever find yourself thinking about that comparison?) – “No. Justin is a totally different player then me. Justin can throw the deep ball as far as anyone in this league. There’s things that Justin does that I look at and go, “Oh my gosh.” Sometimes you can’t help but fan over those plays. But we’re just different in our styles and who we are as football players. I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for him. It’s him going against our defense, and our offense going against their defense.”
(Mentally and physically, how far are you from the last time we saw you against the Packers?) – “I think I’m far ahead. It hasn’t been a thought ever since it happened. Ever since I’ve been cleared, it’s never been a thought to look back at that.”
(This is your first game week in nine months. Are there things that you’re appreciating or soaking in differently now after everything you’ve gone through, especially the decision you made to come back?) – “I think being appreciative of being able to continue to play is one thing. The thing with that is you can never take it for granted, regardless of the position you’re in. I don’t know how to explain it. Some guys have the luxury of finishing whole seasons, and other guys, as myself, I’ve never had that luxury. I’m definitely cherishing the opportunity to still go out there and lead these guys.”
(Do you write it on your list to play 17 games as one of the things that you’d like to do?) – “Oh, I wouldn’t like to. I’d love to do that. I would love to do that.”
