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Darrell Bevell – November 3, 2022 Download PDF version

Thursday, November 3, 2022

Quarterbacks Coach Darrell Bevell

(It seems like one of the areas that QB Tua Tagovailoa has really excelled with is the pre-snap and getting the football out quick and the anticipation. How impressive is that for a guy playing in just his fifth or sixth game within the system?) – “Well, I think Tua has done a great job in terms of really diving into this offense and trying to make sure that he knows where all the bones are buried and the important parts of the play. He’s really bought into the footwork. I think that’s the thing – I’ve had a few conversations with you guys about that. He’s just done a really nice job of understanding what the concept is of what we’re trying to do, and then letting his feet speak to him.”

(If there’s one thing – we spoke to QB Tua Tagovailoa yesterday and we asked him what’s one thing you’ve improved on, and he joked that he has improved on the deep balls the most. If there’s one thing that you can pinpoint and say he’s operating at a higher level than earlier in the year or in past film that you’ve been able to see, what would you say that is?) – “I think it’s the overall understanding of what we’re trying to do. There’s just so much nuance to the quarterback position – anything from the cadence to his pre-snap reads to his post-snap reads. Then I’m going to continue to say his feet and how that’s helping him get through those progressions.”

(The word timing comes up a lot when we talk about this passing game and QB Tua Tagovailoa. I’m wondering, how different or is the timing much different than everybody in this offense has seen? So is it different for WR Tyreek Hill, is it different for TE Mike Gesicki, is it that much different for Tua? And could you talk a little bit about that?) – “Yeah, I would say I think it’s a little bit different than probably where guys have been, or things that they’ve been in. Their footwork is as critical as our quarterback’s footwork, and being able to blend those whether it’s – because different things can shake up the timing. If a receiver has free access versus somebody that’s pressed on top of them, right? And that’s going to change the footwork to whatever it’s going to change it to. So does it change it to a depth? Does it change it to still counting your steps? So those things, with all those guys buying into that being where they’re supposed to be and when they’re supposed to be there, and then marry that with Tua’s feet, and it’s been pretty successful so far.”

(QB Tua Tagovailoa himself brought up his deep ball. Where do you feel he is in that aspect? Has there been growth, or has he always had it since you got here? What do you feel?) – “There’s been some people have been pretty hard on Tua. And we’ve been, from day one, we’ve been very confident in him. Can he throw the deep ball? Yes. Has he been able to throw the deep ball? Yes. Is he throwing it? Is he throwing it well? Yeah, he is throwing it well. Can we improve? Absolutely. You’re still learning your players. I mean, as you can tell, Tyreek (Hill) is very fast. And so is Jaylen (Waddle). So there’s difference throwing deep balls to those guys. I thought the one that he threw to Jaylen in the game for the touchdown was about as good of a the throw as he’s made so far. I really liked that throw. When you can, you need to let those guys run. So those are all conversations that we’re talking about all the time. I love where Tua is at with really all areas. I mean, he’s grown in so many areas behind the scenes that you guys don’t even get to see just in terms of his preparation, the things that he’s doing off the field to make sure that he’s working on his game, he’s working on his team, and he’s doing a great job with that.”

(Head Coach Mike McDaniel had praised the throw against the zero coverage with WR Tyreek Hill down the field, kind of like what you’re talking about. I just want to hear your perspective on that play and what QB Tua Tagovailoa saw and how he’s able to get that ball down there to him.) – “Yeah, I mean he was able to see the coverage. It was zero coverage that they put out there. So we know that there’s going to be one free guy that Tua is going to be responsible for. He was able to read it, feel it, and he put it exactly in the spot that we want him to. Can we be picky and say throw it about two yards further? Yes, we can. But he had that free guy, and there’s timing on when that guy is going to be free and how fast the guy can get there, and the way it ended up turning out, Tua did a great job of that.”

(Have you ever seen a receiver close ground like WR Tyreek Hill does? I mean, it felt like he was 30 yards downfield before you blink.) – “No. It’s incredible to watch. It’s fun to watch every day. The old saying is if he’s even, he’s leaving. I mean, that’s about – I’ve never seen it more true than him. I mean, if he’s getting within five yards of the guy, I mean that’s about even for him. He’s leaving.”

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