Tua Tagovailoa – October 21, 2020
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Wednesday, October 21, 2020
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(Congratulations on being named the starter. Why have you won this job? Why do you think you deserve this job? And how did you hear about it?) – “I first heard about it from Coach (Flores). Coach called me and told me the news. I think that question is more so for the coaches. As a player in the NFL, you’re just trying to do your best to prepare every day you can, and when your opportunity is given, it’s given. You’ve just got to be ready. I think that’s a question for you guys to ask the coaches because really, it’s out of my control with the decision-making.”
(I know when you first make your start on, I guess, November 1st, it will be 351 days since that hip injury you suffered. Have you thought about just the full circle of everything leading into your first start?) – “Well, it’s definitely been a journey. I definitely think of that injury, when I got hurt, and then the process leading up to being able to walk, being able to do football drills and just do things in general. I definitely do reflect on that process that I went through. I’m definitely blessed to be able to still be here and play the game that I grew up dreaming to play.”
(Good to see you and congratulations. The team is 3-3, so it’s pretty well positioned. You’re not stepping into a bad situation. Can you talk about what your goals are for this season?) – “Well, my goals are to do whatever I can do to help this team become successful, especially our offense. Everyone knows ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has done a tremendous job. I don’t know. I just feel like I’m definitely lucky. I’m blessed to be in the situation that I’m in, where I can continue to learn from a guy like ‘Fitz,’ then also having the mind of (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey), him helping kind of put me and the offense, I guess, in a good situation. I think that’s what’s going to be important the next couple of weeks and the entire season.”
(What was it like after Head Coach Brian Flores told you and you had some alone downtime? What were your emotions like once you absorbed what he had told you about making this change and making you the starter?) – “I was very excited. That’s news that I think anyone would love to hear, being named the starter at any position. But at the same time, I also felt for ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) as well. Me and ‘Fitz’ had a conversation about all of this. Like I’ve continued to say, although it kind of hurts me in a way to see ‘Fitz’ hurt, I’m just very, very lucky to have someone like ‘Fitz’ in my corner, regardless of the situation we’re in right now. He’s just – I hate to say it like this but it is like this, it’s like a father and son. (laughter)”
(Were you caught off guard by the announcement or could you sense that this day might be coming?) – “You never know when your opportunity is given. When ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) called me, I thought it was like any other call. We usually watch film on Tuesdays, so I thought he was calling because he wanted me to come up and watch some film. I usually get with him to watch film; but it was different. I just think that you need to be ready every time. Opportunities come and when they come, you’ve got to take them and run with them.”
(You’ve been so open with us about how much your family has influenced your journey. I’m curious if you are comfortable sharing anything about your conversation with your parents yesterday when you heard the news.) – “Yeah. I told my parents that I got a call from ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and the GM (Chris Grier) was in that same room. They told me that I was going to be the starter. I told them that and they were excited. They didn’t believe me for a little bit. I think my dad kind of joked about it. He was like, ‘after two plays? After two throws they want to put you in now?’ (laughter) So it was exciting but my parents were – yeah, they were very excited, especially my mom. For mothers, it’s just different when you see your son get hurt and then given the opportunity now. It was cool.”
(I wanted to ask, you probably didn’t know beforehand that you were going to go into the Jets game. The pass to RB Patrick Laird, did you throw that so he could get out of bounds to maybe give yourself some more time to be in the game? And also, I wanted to ask what was your reaction to Rick Ross shouting you out on Instagram?) – “I only saw Pat (Laird). Pat was the only guy that was open, so I threw it to Pat. I know the situation and I told the guys while we were running the ball – the running backs and then the receivers as well in the huddle – that it’s under two minutes, let’s stay in bounds and let’s try to kill the clock, and then there I go. (laughter) So Pat caught the ball and Pat tried to stay in bounds but Brian Poole hit him out. But yeah, that’s just how that went. And then with Rick Ross, I mean that’s pretty cool. That’s really cool to see someone of his profile in the rap world, or whatever you want to call it, be of support. That was cool to see.”
(You got a chance to game plan and prepare for six opponents and then go out and watch a master of his craft in QB Ryan Fitzpatrick do it for those six games on game days. How did that accelerate your growth and help prepare you for your first start now 11 days away in the NFL?) – “That’s a great question. I think with having someone like ‘Fitz (Ryan Fitzpatrick), you just don’t think within what you know. You start thinking of what other people are doing, the defense, how they align to stack formations, how fronts can dictate coverages. Just things that I didn’t really need to worry about in college, that I think of now. It really is about the little things. It’s just – like I said, it’s really a big blessing that I have someone like him. It’s not like it stops here. It’s a continuous competition with ‘Fitz.’ What’s so cool about it is that I can continue to grow and continue to learn from him through this process.”
