Tua Tagovailoa – October 19, 2022
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Wednesday, October 19, 2022
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(So how does it feel to be back?) – “How does it feel? It feels great. I’m excited to be back.”
(Can you take us through just what it’s been like going through the concussion protocol to get to this point?) – “Yeah, it’s been a process, that’s for sure. Having to deal with the interviews with the NFL and the NFLPA and then having to go and see doctors outside with second opinions. So a lot of it has been, I would say, pretty stressful, but all of it is done for player safety. I’m glad that I got to go through those things to kind of understand more of the deals of concussions and the effects long term, short term, and things like that. So I thought it was great that I was able to go through those and go through that process and get cleared.”
(What was it like in the immediate aftermath of the injury and the last few weeks, what was it like?) – “I would say it was pretty cool with the support that was shown – a lot of love and support. I would say shout out to my neighbors that live in the community that I live in. They were very, very respectful, very kind, to have made some things. They brought over notes from their kids. Their kids would bring over candies, things that they would bake, things that they would color. So I thought that was that was super cool. I could feel the support, and my family could feel that. And then just guys from across the league reaching out.”
(The night it happened, obviously it was scary for all of us to see. Was it scary for you at the time?) – “I wouldn’t say it was scary for me at the time because there was a point where I was unconscious, so I couldn’t really tell what was going on. When I did come to and kind of realize what was going on and what was happening, I didn’t think of anything long term or short term. I was just wondering what happened.”
(Do you remember much about that night?) – “Yeah, I remember the entire night up to the point where I got tackled. After I got tackled, I don’t remember much from there – getting carted off, I don’t remember that. But I do remember things that were going on when I was in the ambulance and then when I arrived at the hospital.”
(What’s been the hardest part of this journey over the last three weeks?) – “Just watching my team go out to battle and I can’t do anything to help them on the field. There’s things you can do in the locker room to keep the guys encouraged, to keep the guys going (and) motivated, but it sucks. As a competitor, I want to be out there with the guys. I want to be able to go out there and help our guys win games. That’s a terrible feeling that I could only watch from the sidelines.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said that recently he’s kind of spoken to you about doing everything you can to protect yourself when you’re on the field and make sure that you’re not in a position to be in harm’s way. What was your takeaway from that message?) – “I mean, for me, I’ve always been a person to try to make something happen. Like that’s always been my mindset, if you will. Throwing the ball away hasn’t been something that I’ve done in the past really well because I’m trying to make plays. So just learning from that – if it’s not there, it’s okay to throw it away. It’s the longevity of me just being able to be the quarterback for this team and not try to make something out of nothing. Plays will come to us and that’s kind of what our mantra for our offense is.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned earlier today that he noticed how much you missed the game, you love the game and you love your teammates. Can you describe maybe what it was like when you got back on the practice field last week and then going into this week prepping to play?) – “Yeah, I went into last week prepping as if I were going to play, still – just being able to get back into football, getting to do team activities, throwing routes to the guys. But I would say no different than this week. I’m just really excited that I can prepare and play this Sunday. And I think everyone’s excited to go out there and compete against a really good Steelers team.”
(The Bengals game, including your hip injury at Alabama, was the second time you’ve had to be hospitalized for an injury sustained on the field. Do things like that weigh on you as you try to return or as you are just kind of in the moment?) – “I would say no. I would say those kinds of things weigh more on my parents than they do for me, just with me being their son. But I mean, I just want to go out there and do good – do good for our team, do right for this organization, do right for the guys inside the building that I see every day that work really hard. That’s all. I mean, I enjoy being here. I enjoy all the guys in the building. So when I’m not able to do something about it and help our team and our organization, then that just really sucks.”
(I’m sure you’ve learned more about concussion in the last two weeks than most of us will ever learn.) – “Probably.”
(What did they tell you about long-term risks? And how do you weigh them going forward?) – “Yeah, well there’s not necessarily as much long-term risk as say – let’s say guys get about six concussions. Well, those guys that only have six concussions that are playing the position that I’m playing, where we don’t hit as much, are less susceptible to getting CTE later on in their years than someone who’s playing a position where they’re constantly taking hits or blows to the head, which would be o-line, d-line, linebackers. That’s kind of some of the information that I’ve been given from a lot of these doctors that are the best of the best in their field.”
(How many concussions do you believe you’ve had in your life?) – “I don’t know.”
(What do you think of Brian Flores being on the other side this week?) – “Yeah, I think it’ll be cool being able to go up against the guys that he’s coaching on that side. I know he knows personnel really well from being here with us. But I think we’re all excited to go up against their defense. You hear a Pittsburgh Steelers defense and you just think of hard-nosed. You think of a really tough defense. They’re going to give us some good challenges in this game.”
(Is there some familiarity with you and Brian Flores, having been here two years with his level of knowledge on your play?) – “Yeah, of course. I’ve been with him for the past two years. So he definitely knows what I like and what I don’t like. But then again, schematically, this is Mike (McDaniel)’s offense and this isn’t the same offense that I’ve been running while he’s been here the past two years.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned that you’ve evolved and grown in various ways since the end of last season. What are some ways that you feel most proud of in those areas of evolving and growth?) – “I would say one of the biggest things is that the game’s not over when we’re playing offensively. That you’re going to have to continue to score points on the other side because we’re not giving up. We’re going to continue to march the ball down the field, continue to do what we execute best as an offense and do whatever it takes to win games.”
(What excites you about playing on Sunday Night Football?) – “I mean, it’s prime time. So that’s what excites me. We’ll be the only game on Sunday night. That’s exciting. You dream of being in these kind of games as a kid and we get this opportunity, so it’d be fun.”
(The Dolphins haven’t played very much – this is their fourth time ever playing on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. What does that kind of say about the excitement nationally around this team and you guys kind of getting the opportunity to show what you do well?) – “Well, it’s awesome that we get this opportunity. I didn’t know that statistic that this is only our fourth Sunday night prime time game. Ever?”
(Since 2006.) – “Well, I think for us, it’s another game. But with it being prime time and everybody being able to watch, we want to do really, really well.”
(Last year, similar circumstance. You come back from an injury with your team on a losing streak. Did that experience teach you anything? Or I guess, what did that experience teach you about returning when your team might be in a slider on a slide or not trying to press or do too much?) – “Yeah, that’s exactly it. I just got to be myself. I’m not the savior of this team. I don’t just come in and we start winning games. It’s a team deal. The defense gets us stops, the offense goes and puts points on the board, and the defense can help put points on the board as well as special teams. So for me, I just look at it as coming into this this week, just be myself. Don’t try to force anything. Don’t try to make plays that aren’t there be there. Just give our playmakers the ball and let them go to work.”
(I guess kind of piggybacking off that, you guys were playing really good ball and you personally were before the injury. I’m curious what you think your rhythm and flow will be like coming back this week?) – “Yeah. I think that’s what we’ll have to kind of go through this week with our guys in practice. I would say that’s just something that we got to just go through in practice.”
