Tua Tagovailoa – November 2, 2022
Download PDF version
Tuesday, November 2, 2022
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(Just wanted to ask first, what were your thoughts on the two trades? Specifically LB Bradley Chubb? Where were you and what was going through your mind?) – “I know Mike (McDaniel) does whatever is best for the organization and I know him and Chris (Grier) had multiple conversations about deals that were going around. I think at the end of the day, those are the decisions that they came up with. And for us as a team, it’s sad to see one of our former teammates leave, but he knows and we know that it’s part of the business.”
(How does it make you feel? Because they sent a first-rounder to Denver which when it comes to drafting quarterbacks and the upcoming draft, it means they’re probably out of that. So does it make you feel supported like when you see your organization making big decisions like that to build around the team as it is right now?) – “I would say I felt supported from the time Mike (McDaniel) came in. Getting guys like Tyreek (Hill) – obviously we had Jaylen (Waddle), we had Mike Gesicki – bringing in guys like Raheem Mostert, guys that kind of understood the offense that have been with him, with Trent (Sherfield) and River (Cracraft). So I would say I felt supported before all of that.”
(I know you said it was part of the business, but Head Coach Mike McDaniel was talking about how the juice that that type of deal, those types of deals can add to a team. I mean, the locker room, your teammates – do you feel maybe today was a little more excitement even with adding a Pro Bowler like LB Bradley Chubb?) – “I think it’s always exciting when you add someone like that and someone of that caliber to our team. He’ll definitely help out our defense and with Jeff (Wilson Jr.) – I know Jeff will do as much as he can with helping us out on offense.”
(I guess we got to ask about the Bears since we won’t talk to you before then.) – “Yeah, I was just about to say the Bears are a good team as well, guys. (laughter)”
(What’s the biggest challenge in running the offense on the road versus here?) – “A lot of challenges depending on the crowd noise and for guys who haven’t played in Chicago or who haven’t set foot there, the field I would say isn’t as good as other places. So we’ll have to figure that out with the cleats that we wear and whatnot, but the weather can change as well there. It could be sunny at one point and then it could just be a downpour. It could be hot; it could be cold. Who knows? It could be windy; it could be a slight breeze. Who knows? So we’ll have to be ready for any circumstance that we’re given. But these guys are a good team and we’re looking forward to the challenge they bring to us.”
(You’ve done a good job this year of kind of taking narratives and smashing them about you and your performance and all that and I guess one of the few that’s remaining is winning in cold weather, winning in windy, bad weather. Is this kind of a focus for you this stretch? “Hey, I’ve got to prove I can play no matter the surface?”) – “I think for myself, it’s proving that I can be consistent with my play in every game. I’m not necessarily focused on whatever the weather is or whatever the climate is there. I’m just focusing on what I can do to make positive plays or help our team positively by handing the ball off 80 times or throwing it 80 times, whatever that entails.”
(What do you remember from your experiences going over there for the joint practices the start of last year and the preseason game? I know their roster has changed a lot but were there any takeaways from those experiences?) – “Yeah. The first thing that came to mind was obviously the field, the condition of the field. But being able to play against their guys, like you said, there’s a lot of guys who aren’t on the roster when we went over there for joint practices, but they still got a couple guys that are there in the back end. And like I said, we’re just looking forward to whatever challenge they bring.”
(How much does the Bears defense change without LB Roquan Smith? I’m sure – I think he was traded probably after you guys started your film study?) – “Yeah, I think it changes a lot. If you look at the film, I mean, him and Robert Quinn, they were basically the heart of the defense there. But that’s not to (discount) that the guys that are stepping in for them aren’t going to do all they can to help their team stop us or help their team make plays to get their offense the ball back. So no, I think it’s big for them, but at the same time, it’s the NFL. It’s the next man up mentality, so we know that they’ll have a good plan, regardless of who’s in.”
(Back to the trades for a second. Do you think these acquisitions make you guys Super Bowl contenders? And do you think you were Super Bowl contenders prior to the trades?) – “I think throughout OTAs and throughout training camp, we could see the potential that we had as a team offensively and defensively, and we’re not afraid to talk about Super Bowls here. We’re not afraid to talk about going to a playoff game, having an opportunity to go to one and then hopefully winning one. But yeah, if you were to ask me that, I would say I have full belief that we are capable, even with the trades that we we’ve had.”
(What did you feel for RB Chase Edmonds?) – “I mean that’s my guy. I got to spend a lot of time with him throughout the offseason and obviously through the season. It’s sad. It’s tough. But like I said, it’s part of the business. He knows that and we all understand and we all know that.”
(Your third-down passer rating is the highest since they began tracking that stat back in 1991. What do you think it is about this offense that makes your third down so able to execute on third down?) – “I think we do a really good job in practice with the scout team. The scout team gives us great looks on what their team plays on third-and-long and we’re also talking about things that could potentially come up. So if they did come up, where could we go if this doesn’t show up? So I would say we have a lot of answers for our third-down plays, whether it’s third-and-long, third-and-short, of potential coverages we could be getting.”
(You said in June that you are usually hard on yourself and Head Coach Mike McDaniel was helping you to kind of get out of that mindset. Now that we’re here in November, how would you kind of evaluate how you’ve been able to be nicer to yourself, if you have been at all? How much progress have you made there?) – “Yeah, I would say it’s mostly internally now. I don’t show it as much when I’m around (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel), but I do show it when I’m around guys that I know won’t tell me what I feel like I want to hear at times, because of how overly positive Mike is. So, I don’t know – it’s like a give or take kind of deal. Mike is overly positive, and sometimes it gets to the point where I’ve got to kind of step away from overly positive. Or if that’s the case, then I just listen to what he says, nod my head yes and then I go away and then kind of… (laughter)”
(Do you ever have to ask Head Coach Mike McDaniel to like say something real? Or not real, but tough? “Be tough with me.” Do you ever have to ask him that?) – “Yeah, but that’s not who he is. And for him, he’s not going to do something that’s not him, and he’s not going to do something just sporadical. If something really makes him mad, then you’ll see him burst out, but other than that, he’s just how he always is.”
(Who do you go to when you want someone who’s not going to be as overly positive? Who are those people?) – “Shoot, myself. (laughter) Myself, but I would also say probably (Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Darrell Bevell) ‘Bev,’ our quarterbacks coach. Yeah, ‘Bev.’ He’s not like too hard, but he’s just like, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get this. There’s no other way around it.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, you’re right.’”
(So kind of on the same note, we’re at the halfway point, realistically, of the season. Where do you think you’ve grown the most and where do you want to see yourself grow more in the second half to make a stretch run?) – “Well, I think I’ve grown a lot with the deep balls, huh? Don’t we think? (laughter) That was probably a subtle jab, but it was a jab. (laughter) So I would say the deep ball, and then I can continue to get better on the deep ball.”
