Tua Tagovailoa: “ I don’t know if I’ll ever be my old me ”



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Tua Tagovailoa’s performance in a 34-31 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday led Miami offensive coordinator Chan Gailey to say he saw no difference before and after for the quarterback. Dolphins.

The forward would be before the injury that prematurely ended Tagovailoa’s All-American career in Alabama.

On November 16, 2019, Tagovailoa suffered a hip dislocation and posterior wall fracture while under attack against the state of Mississippi.

But Tagovailoa said he’s unsure if the quarterback he was in Alabama would ever return.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be my old me because when something dramatic like that happens it’s just an ongoing process, I think, for me,” Tagovailoa said. “I continue to focus on what I need to do to keep building the muscle around my hip and so on and continue to rehab.

“It has been a journey. It was just a trip. Just look back on this whole process, literally almost a year from now this week, and make the decision whether or not I’m going to be able to play again or not, then I’m just blessed to be here.

CHAN GAILEY SEES TUA D’ALABAMA IN THE PERFORMANCE OF MIAMI QB

Against Arizona, Tagovailoa completed 20 of 28 passes for 248 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran seven times for 35 yards, including a 17-yard rush.

“I think he looks good,” said Dolphins coach Brian Flores. “I hadn’t seen a dead leg from him in college. I thought it was a nice decision he made the other day. I think physically he looks good. He has to. just keep taking care of yourself – and that’s part of being professional – from a nutritional standpoint, from a weightlifting standpoint, obviously from a preparation standpoint, all of those things are important.

“Is there a difference? I guess I don’t really think of it in those terms. I just think he looks healthy, and he’s doing a good job with his preparation and leading the attack. He looks healthy to me.

Tagovailoa could make a difference in the way he played in his second NFL start against the Cardinals after his first pro start a week before. In a 28-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 1, Tagovailoa completed 12 of 22 passes for 93 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, lost a fumble and ran twice for zero yards.

“From start 1 to start 2, I would say we were able to push the ball a lot more on the pitch,” Tagovailoa said. “We were able to get into an offensive groove with the passing game as well as the running game. But I think there are extensions of what you can improve. I think this is the best thing and the best way to go. When you feel that there is nothing else to improve, then it is not good.

Tagovailoa can continue to improve by improving their preparation, said Flores.

“I think it’s the same thing he did earlier in the year,” Flores said. “His preparation, his focus, the way he asked questions. He wanted to learn. Anything that leads, I think in my opinion, gives you a chance to be successful on the pitch. I think if he continues to prepare like he did – and even take it up a notch because as a rookie you don’t know what you don’t know. In a lot of cases, he’s learning to prepare, to prepare better, and I think he’s been doing it for a few weeks. It’s a sponge. I like it and he’s open to learning different things, learning it from different points of view, whether he’s a defensive coach or an attacking coach.

With Miami winning Tagovailoa’s first two starts, the Dolphins garnered more attention from the media and NFL fans. While pundits have joked that Miami is “Tua-and-0,” the Dolphins are really on a four-game winning streak that started with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback.

Tagovailoa said there is no way the Dolphins will read their press clippings as they prepare for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

NFL WEEK 10: SCHEDULE, TV, CHANCES

“The way we do things, with what Flo says, keep our heads down, keep grinding,” Tagovailoa said. “The feeling of winning is good, but the feeling of loss is the opposite, and we don’t want to feel that, and so we know that in order to give ourselves the best chance to succeed, we have to come in and we have worked hard to prepare. .

Flores said he recognizes the increased hype surrounding his team nationally with the No.5 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft as a quarterback now. But he has his own message for the team.

“I understand it’s there. We are talking about this, ”said Flores. “But the only thing that really matters is what’s going on in our building. I’m not sure how well someone outside our building really knows what’s going on inside the building – the way we practice, the way we prepare, the way The only people who can really telling them the truth about how they played in a game or how they played in practice or how they did in a meeting are the people who are here. That’s kind of my message.

“I’ll tell them the truth. I’m not going to blow up the smoke behind anyone. I think they know it. Look, we have half a season left. I think we need to focus on that, and even more than that, this week, the team we’re playing this week, the Chargers. Putting our energy elsewhere or listening to anything else is less energy on a good opponent with a lot of good players and a lot of good coaches. Hopefully that doesn’t get to the point where they’ve spent too much time on something else and not enough time on chargers. They would feel the effects on Sunday, so that’s my message.

The Chargers and Dolphins meet on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. CST at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. CBS TV affiliates in Alabama are expected to televise the game.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at Ark AMarkG1.

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