Tua Tagovailoa – November 6, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 6, 2022
Postgame – Chicago
QB Tua Tagovailoa (transcribed by ASAP Sports)
(We saw the offense score four touchdowns on the first five drives, obviously you have the missed field goal at the end of the first half. What happened late with some of those missed fourth-down attempts and not taking advantage of the short field?) – “There were a lot of things – getting the play call to guys on my end, guys kind of figuring out where to line up, the environment at that particular time was giving us some problems with the crowd noise. So just better execution on my end and for us offensively.”
(Do you feel like you were kind of in a shootout with QB Justin Fields but for different reasons – his legs and your arm? You just had to go back and forth, and you knew you couldn’t give them a break.) – “I would say the way we looked at it offensively, we don’t have to press, we don’t have to do anything outside of whatever that play entails. Just do your job, do your assignment and the points will take care of itself. We weren’t necessarily looking at the scoreboard. We were just trying our best every time that we were given the ball to go out and score.”
(Can talk a little bit about your receiving corps. It seems like if they take WR Jaylen Waddle away from you, you’d find WR Tyreek Hill and vice versa the whole game?) – “Yeah, that’s exactly what it is. If one gets doubled, we’re looking for the other, and if that one is doubled, as well, if they double both of them, then we’ve got to find the next guy. They both complement each other, but they also both complement everyone else on our offense.”
(What did you learn about this team in tough road victories at Baltimore, at Detroit and now here?) – “I’ve learned a lot – the resiliency of our team, the resiliency of our guys to continue to fight, to continue to not give up on the game. Regardless of how close the game is or how out of hand it may be, we continue to fight. So that’s what I’m proud of with our team up to this point.”
(What was going on that you were able to exploit what was going on in the secondary and had wide open receivers?) – “Yeah, I think the offense, the complexity of what they’re seeing, guys motioning, guys moving, shifting, things like that. I think their defense did a really good job with the second half adjusting. I wouldn’t say our guys are necessarily just wide open. We’re playing the game within the game, as the Bears are playing the game within the game. That’s not to discredit anything that they’ve done, as well.”
(What did RB Jeff Wilson Jr. give you today on the ground as a receiver? I thought I saw a pretty good block by him at one point, also.) – “Yeah, wow – that’s what I’ve got to say. Wow. (laughter) His first game with us, and he almost takes one to score. Then that same drive, he basically Reggie Bush-ed and dove for the touchdown. (laughter) You don’t see that often. So, for someone like him to come from the 49ers and fit right into our offense like that, that tells you a lot about his work ethic, it tells you a lot about who he is as a player and who he is as a professional. So, wow.”
(Did you guys feel like you were in control of this game even though they kept kind of coming back at you, but it was your game to win?) – “Well, we were just playing 60 minutes. Offensively, not looking at the scoreboard and really just, like I said, every opportunity that we got, having the ball, we were just trying to score every time.”
(I know you slipped a couple times when you were trying to make cuts, and this field doesn’t always have the best reputation. How were the conditions today out there?) – “I mean, I think the conditions were actually pretty good out there. There were some slips, but when I went out to go check the field pregame, it looked like they like put some new grass there or they cut the grass. It felt good.”
(How do you feel about the team overall right now? Obviously, you just added LB Bradley Chubb and RB Jeff Wilson Jr., but do you feel you’re hitting your stride, playing complementary football and doing the things you want to do?) – “Yeah, there are at points in the game where we are doing what we said we wanted to do, and then there’s also a fair amount of plays and times that we don’t. It’s a continuation of us working together and coming in tomorrow and working on those things and talking about those. I think it’ll be good that we can hold each other accountable for some of the things that were going on that we didn’t execute.”
(I’m guessing there’s one throw you’d like to have back, the fourth down with TE Durham Smythe being wide open. What happened on that?) – “Well, I saw him, and I was getting ready to throw to him, and I think he took a look up. So it kind of threw off the way I was going to throw it to him, because I didn’t know if he was going to turn up or not. He looked up, and I was getting ready to throw, then the ball came out and he looked back. That’s something that I’ll need to work on to get better with.”
(We see your numbers and they’re very impressive. How do you feel you’re playing right now?) – “It can always get better. It can always be better. That’s what we’re looking forward to. We’ll enjoy this win tonight and then we’ll move onto … the Browns next.”
(Did you get a chance to see QB Justin Fields playing? Obviously, you’re looking at the film a lot, but how much did he impress you today?) – “He impressed me a lot. How much rushing yards did he have? He had like 200?”
(173, something like that.) – “Geez. I mean, dude is a baller. (laughter) Dude is a baller. He was making some plays in the pass game, as well. I’m happy for him. I’m happy for the success that he’s finding. He’s finding himself in this league, and I think people are starting to recognize more, the more he gets out and has those opportunities to play.”
(How are you feeling with your game right now? I look at you and you’re going through your progressions, if it’s not there, you’re dumping off, throwing the ball away when you can throw it away. Are you feeling that growth and the confidence that comes along with that in your game?) – “Yeah, I would say whatever the play entails for us, that’s what I always revert to. If this play doesn’t entail you to force the ball here, then don’t do it, which none of the plays do. So just continue to progress, progress, progress, and then just know where to go with the ball on every play.”
(How many times can you throw the ball to WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle in one game?) – “However many times they can get open. (laughter)”
