Tua Tagovailoa – September 27, 2022
Download PDF version
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(What are you feeling right now? What have you been doing in the time since the Buffalo game to get ready?) – “I’ve been up here getting treatment, doing everything I can to get as close to 100 percent as possible. That means after all of this, staying as long as I have to until these guys have to go home.”
(It was mainly the back after the game, but we’ve also now learned the ankle is part of the equation. How much is it the back and how much the ankle?) – “I would say it was more the back than the ankle. The ankle was just, I would say, after the game soreness, when my legs got caught up under whoever it was on the quarterback sneak.”
(And the head is completely out of the equation?) – “Yes, I’m fine.”
(So when we go into the locker room every day, there’s always a ping pong match going on. We know that you guys have a tournament. What has that table kind of represented in terms of bringing everyone together and [inaudible?]) – “I would say the first thing that the ping pong tables brought is competition, more competition into the locker room. I would say another thing that it’s brought is guys trying new things. There are guys that don’t normally play ping pong, or haven’t grew up playing ping pong. They’ve just been watching and now they want to get into the action. Now, guys think they’re professionals. Guys are going and getting their own paddles. I mean, that’s crazy. Guys are like watching YouTube. They’re doing like some weird serves, now. They’re doing some professional serves, so I don’t know. (laughter)”
(I know I heard down there a couple guys told me WR Tyreek Hill got you guys all personalized paddles? What does that kind of represent, him making that gesture?) – “Yes, I think it kind of shows Tyreek’s (Hill) personality. It also shows his leadership because he cares so much about the guys.”
(Another litmus test, you had the Bills last week, the Bengals, reigning AFC Champions. Doing that in back-to-back weeks, but having success the last few weeks with wins, what’s the mindset of going against them?) – “Well, just to do things we’ve done since OTAs. Just worry about what we need to accomplish on every play that we’re given. If it’s offensively, whatever play that (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) tells us to run, that’s what we’ll run. But let’s not go out of the parameters of trying to make a big play happen. Just let those come. So we’ll take whatever they give us, both on offense, defensively and then also in the special teams game, and then we’ll go from there.”
(There was something on NFL Network on Sunday saying you have fewer responsibilities with line calls this year. Is that the case? And has that made things a little easier for you?) – “I would say I have the final say in our protections, but it’s definitely made it a lot easier that I don’t have to come out and initially make a Mike (linebacker) point or necessarily tell the guys you know what to do up front. Now I can worry about the motion landmarks for our guys in the back, then also seeing their coverage and then executing our plays that we have. So it makes it easier to just go out there and play quarterback.”
(What is affected by the back injury in your play? Head Coach Mike McDaniel said you use your back for everything. What aspects of quarterback play are particularly difficult or not?) – “ I would say everything – having to twist, to hand the ball off, having to toss the ball, having to throw the ball. Every aspect of it.”
(Have you been able to try to throw the ball like you normally do? If so, how does that feel?) – “I haven’t tried today yet, but before we go out there and do our walkthrough, we’ll get some throws in and see how it feels.”
(Although you guys play the defense, do you look forward to playing against QB Joe Burrow knowing you guys were in the same draft class and all that? Do you look forward to that matchup?) – “Yeah. I look forward to the challenge that their team presents us. Knowing that they were the AFC champs last year, they’re really good team. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily me versus Joe (Burrow), but I’m just excited that this is an opportunity for our team that we get that. Our first four games are extremely tough games, so we welcome that. I would say as a team, we’re excited for it.”
(I know there’s a lot of adrenaline mid-game, but how difficult was it for you to go out and actually throw the ball on Sunday after halftime?) – “Yeah, it was pretty difficult. It was difficult because we weren’t out there as much. So sitting down on the bench, my back started to get tight and then things started to lock up. So I had to kind of move around a little on the sideline. But I mean, for the most part, just got to find a way to get our playmakers the ball and just go out there. Nothing feels better than a win.”
(WR Tyreek Hill called out CB Eli Apple after Sunday’s game, he says, “I owe you.” For you as a quarterback, when you have an outspoken receiver like that sort of hyping up an individual matchup, what’s your approach to that?) – “It’s fuel to the fire for Tyreek (Hill). He’s a competitor, and he loves those kinds of those kinds of things. But for me, I’m not going to let any of that get into the way that I operate with an offense. If Tyreek is matched up with him and we call it play for Tyreek and it’s one-on-one, I’m giving Tyreek a shot, just know that he is getting the ball.”
(On the topic of Joe Burrow, you guys obviously are always going to be linked with Alabama-LSU and the same draft class. What are your thoughts on the way his career has taken off in two-plus years?) – “I mean, you look at it, his second year, he came off an injury and led his team to the Super Bowl. I mean, that should tell you a lot about his character, that should tell you a lot about his leadership and the belief that the organization has with him. But I have a lot of respect for Joe (Burrow). We’ve talked on multiple occasions, not just when I was at Alabama, but also when we did go down there to Cincinnati and played them last preseason.”
(You guys are ranked Top 5 on [inaudible], late game defense, fourth-quarter defense, fourth-quarter offense. What is it about this team that allows you guys to perform the best when you guys are probably the most exhausted at that point in the game and late in the game?) – “I think it’s standard over feelings for our guys in the locker room. We have a standard here that regardless of how we feel, it’s hot, we’re tired, there’s a standard that we hold each other to. And I think it’s really cool that you could see us win three different games three different ways. The offense only put up one touchdown the first game and the defense scored a touchdown that first game. Then the offense comes back and we score six touchdowns the second game. Now you look at the third game, the defense is on the field for probably 50 minutes of the game and holds a tough, tough Buffalo offense to only 17 points. So I think the resiliency of the team and the guys in the locker room, we all have a standard and that’s what we’ve showed on Sunday.”
(The expectation or plan is for you to play. In the event you can’t, just what’s your confidence in QB Teddy Bridgewater?) – “I have a lot of confidence in Teddy, that if he had to step up right now, he could go out there and play extremely well. I mean, you look at Teddy and Teddy is a vet in the league. He’s played on multiple teams, and he’s found success on the teams that he’s played on.”
