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Tua Tagovailoa has had a dramatic year. Although he was selected No.5 in the overall 2020 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, he was at the same time recovering from a major hip injury that had raised questions about his future as a quarterback. -NFL full-back. Even after Tagovailoa was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 8 and won three straight games, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores opted to bench him in Week 11 and then new in Week 16, despite the rookie still being his starting QB. When the dust settled at the end of the regular season, Tagovailoa had gone 6-3 from the start and threw for 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the future when it comes to the Dolphins’ new quarterback, as Tagovailoa became the third rookie signal caller in the Super Bowl era not to throw an interception. in his first five career starts, and became the first rookie quarterback for the Dolphins to win each of his first three starts. He also became the first Dolphins player to lead a winning practice in the fourth quarter or overtime in his first two NFL starts since Chad Henne. Unfortunately, with the offseason new issues have arisen that Tagovailoa couldn’t control as the Dolphins would currently be in the mix for Houston Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is looking for a change of scenery. If Watson is traded to Miami this offseason, the deal would likely include Tagovailoa as well.
This week, CBS Sports sat down with Tagovailoa to discuss his rookie campaign and what he’s been trying to accomplish in the offseason. With the uncertainty surrounding his current situation, Tagovailoa says he’s turning to what he can control – and that’s how he can improve as a player and a leader. The coming months will be devoted to regaining 100% health and preparing for a year of escape.
Lessons learned
Recently, Tagovailoa posted photos of himself working on this offseason which has garnered a lot of attention. He looked like he was building muscle, and Tagovailoa told us that “getting his body back” was important to him this offseason.
“I’m really just trying to get my body back, it’s the first time I’ve had a real offseason so I’m just trying to get stronger, to try to get faster, to try to get back to what I used to watch… come back to Alabama, ”Tagovailoa laughed. “I’m just trying to get better with these things until the offseason.”
It took a while to fully recover from the hip injury he sustained in Alabama, but Tagovailoa also suffered a foot and thumb injury during his rookie campaign that caused him to miss a game. of Week 12 against the New York Jets.
Tagovailoa said one of the biggest lessons he learned in his first season in the NFL was about in-game adjustments. Breaking down plans and opposing packs to defenses get you behind the wheel, and truly take control of the game. ‘An NFL offense filled with veteran players, as opposed to your fellow college athletes, was a challenge.
“I would say adjustments, you have to adjust on the fly,” Tagovailoa said when asked what he learned during his transition to the NFL. “If defense gives you a different concept that you haven’t seen, you have to know how to adjust with your guys and tell them how you want things to be. You’re a coach there. That being said, I think that’s what I need to improve myself with as well. But I’m happy to have this first year under my belt. ”
Success under Saban
Getting that first NFL season under his belt is important, because if there’s one thing Tagovailoa knows, it’s how to handle the pressure and make those kinds of adjustments to be successful. His introduction to the world of sports in general came via one of the riskiest in-game adjustments ever made by legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Tagovailoa, who was a true freshman at the time, replaced Jalen Hurts at halftime of the 2018 College Football National Championship game and helped the Crimson Tide rally from a 13-0 deficit to win 26-23 in overtime against Georgia. This marked the start of a very successful college career, as Tagovailoa finished his junior season as the leader in touchdown responsibility in Alabama with 96. His 87 touchdown passes put him past AJ McCarron for the most throwing. in program history, and he was third in Alabama history with 7,442 passing yards.
Tagovailoa’s entry into the NFL wasn’t so dramatic, but his stance on himself, his team, and his win never changed – and that became clear when we asked him who were the best ” heights ”he experienced in his first professional season. It wasn’t his first touchdown pass, his first career start or his first comeback win. It was any Sunday that his team was in the lead.
“The most significant moments I have experienced were we won, “Tagovailoa said.” Every time we’ve won, it’s the highs. But on the other hand, the lows come when you lose and don’t hit what you set for yourself before the start of the season. “
So what needs to be improved Tagovailoa to keep Miami in the winning column in 2021? Among other things, he says it is about his preparation.
“For me, it’s the little things – the little details about my game,” Tagovailoa said. “Plus how to prepare most of the time. What to look for, how to watch a movie, what to do when watching a movie.”
Tagovailoa is also working to be a leader off the field this offseason. Recently, he teamed up with USAA, the official NFL Salute to Service partner, to get in touch with military veteran Kerry Smith, who was selected as one of the top five winners of the Salute to Service competition. ‘USAA. Smith was able to participate in a virtual hangout with Tagovailoa and won several other awards.
“You know I have a lot of family members who served in the military, so I have deep appreciation for these guys,” Tagovailoa said.
DeVonta dreams
The Dolphins are expected to make great strides this offseason with the 2021 NFL Draft as they have two first-round picks, including the No. 3 overall pick, thanks to a previous trade with the Texans. It is believed the Dolphins could target a wide receiver with this first pick, and many anticipate Miami will select former Tagovailoa teammate DeVonta Smith – who caught the winning pass from Tagovailoa in overtime in the 2018 national championship game.
Smith became the first receiver since 1991 to win the Heisman Trophy, after a season in which he caught 117 passes for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns. In the National College Football Playoff Championship against Ohio State, he caught 12 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns – all in the first half! Smith said last month that he and Tagovailoa had discussed the possibility of “relaunching him” with the Dolphins, and that would certainly be something that would help Tagovailoa in his development as a quarterback as well. When we asked Tagovailoa how he thought Smith was going to do in the NFL, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“I think his transition to the next level will be a bit… thin to none,” Tagovailoa said. “In a way that won’t change much. I think the competition will be different for him obviously, but he will be more than fine. I know a lot of people say he’s too short or too skinny, but his movie talks He goes out and minds his own business, does what he has to do. They don’t call him the ‘Slim Reaper’ for no reason. “
Few rookie quarterbacks have faced the kind of adversity and outside noise that Tagovailoa has had to deal with in the past year, but he won’t mind. The possibilities, the commercial rumors, the constant questioning can only distract you from your goal, which for Tagovailoa is to win games and ultimately to win a Super Bowl.
“Our goal has always been the same: you want to win as many games as you can and as many as you need to be able to make the playoffs, win your division and get to the (Super Bowl) and try to win that. “Said Tagovailoa.” I think that will always be the goal. “
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