Tag: tua tagovailoa

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa ‘looks like Tua’ in return to practice

Things are trending well for the Dolphins’ starting quarterback as Miami is set to face the Cardinals in Week 8.

The Arizona Cardinals’ next opponent in Week 8 are the Miami Dolphins on the road, a team that is 2-4 and that has been nothing short of awful offensively.

But things could change as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has not played in the last six weeks because of a concussion, is practicing again and “things continue to trend toward being cleared and returning to the starting lineup Sunday against the Cardinals,” according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, appearing on “Good Morning Football.”

“What I was told was in practice, Tua looks like Tua,” he said. “He is ripping it all over the field. He is hitting bombs to Tyreek Hill.”

Tagovailoa suffered concussion in Week 2. He is in the final steps of being cleared from league concussion protocol.

In his absence, the Dolphins have averaged 10.0 points per game offensively, which is absurd for a team that features running back Raheem Mostert and receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

In 2023, the Dolphins averaged 29.2 points per game, No. 2 in the NFL.

Suddenly, this game that looked like it could be a pretty easy win for Arizona could become very challenging if Tagovailoa is even approaching his 2023 form.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2036]

Dolphins will ease Tua Tagovailoa back into offense, says Mike McDaniel

“You don’t go and ride the Tour de France on the first time you’ve picked the bike back up, you know?”

When Tua Tagovailoa spoke to reporters earlier this week, the Miami Dolphins quarterback said he’s been symptom-free since the day after he suffered a concussion in Week 2 and he’s spent the last five weeks throwing, studying, and prepping for his return.

But even if he’s physically ready for his Week 8 return, Tagovailoa hasn’t worked with Dolphins receivers in over a month. So head coach Mike McDaniel doesn’t think it’s the best idea to throw the entire playbook at the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in Tagovailoa’s first game back.

“You don’t go and ride the Tour de France on the first time you’ve picked the bike back up, you know?” McDaniel told reporters Wednesday. “So that’s kind of the way we’re approaching it and excited to see him start the process.”

What a dialed back version of the Dolphins’ offense looks like remains to be seen.

The goal, according to McDaniel, is “that everyone is playing their most comfortable for the first time since Week 1.” And Tagovailoa’s confidence and comfort is the team’s top priority.

“He needs to be the captain, he needs to be the leader of this team, and he needs to feel complete ownership of his game,” McDaniel said. “You’re trying to build on what the team is doing right now and then utilize his strengths.”

On Monday, McDaniel said that he warned Dolphins players not to think of Tagovailoa as the “savior” who will rescue the offense after it spent four games sinking in quicksand. But the excitement of Dolphins players has been palpable.

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who hasn’t caught a touchdown pass since Week 1, said hearing Tagovailoa’s voice in practice nearly brought him to tears. And running back Raheem Mostert said the connection between Tagovailoa and Hill in their first practice in over a month “just looked like they didn’t skip a beat.”

McDaniel wants the Dolphins offense to walk before it starts to run, but the sooner the unit can get going, the better.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Tyreek Hill: Tua Tagovailoa’s return ‘almost made me cry’

Tyreek Hill says just hearing Tua Tagovailoa’s voice at practice yesterday nearly brought him to tears.

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned to practice Wednesday as he prepares to take the field this weekend for the first time since suffering a concussion in Week 2 against the Bills, and Tyreek Hill was ecstatic to have him back.

Without Tagovailoa, the Maimi offense has averaged an abysmal 10 points per game. None of Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley, or Tim Boyle was able to master the timing of the offense, and the passing attack suffered greatly.

Hill’s numbers were especially hurt by Tagovailoa’s absence, as the five-time All-Pro hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 1.

“I missed him so much,” Hill said after Tagovailoa’s first practice back. “[Expletive] was so beautiful, that [expletive] almost made me cry today like just having him in the lineup, having him call the plays, having him direct the offense, like just hearing his voice. I know that sounds crazy, but he’s a big part of this team.”

Hill has recorded just 140 receiving yards in the four games with Tagovailoa on injured reserve. In the loss to Indianapolis last weekend, Hill caught just one pass for eight yards.

“It makes a lot of difference [having him back],” Hill said. “Tua – him and Mike [McDaniel], they’ve got this real special connection. He allows Tua to be Tua. Tua has a connection with all the guys, all of us spend a lot of time with Tua so the connection is there.

“Then when you bring that all on the field, it magnifies everything that we do – throws are on time, play calling, the operation is faster. He just does a great job of commanding this offense.”

Hill has always had high praise for Tagovailoa since joining the Dolphins in 2022. Shortly after joining the Dolphins, he called Tagovailoa the “most accurate” quarterback in the NFL. Hill’s best statistical seasons have indeed been with Tagovailoa at quarterback.

Hill totaled over 1,700 yards in each of his first two years with the Dolphins and wasn’t far off from league MVP contention a season ago. Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards in 2023 and generated MVP chatter too. If this dynamic duo can get back to where they have been, the Dolphins will be a very difficult offense to stop.

Miami is in need of wins in a hurry if they hope to salvage their season. It all starts against the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

AFC East roundup: What happened in the division in Week 7

AFC East roundup: What happened in the division in Week 7

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Tennessee Titans in Week 7 by a score of 34-10. With the win, the Bills remain atop the AFC East with a record of 5-2.

Like Buffalo, the rest of the AFC East was in action. How did each fare last week, and how does the division stack up right now?

Here is a quick recap of what went down in Week 7 with the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and New England Patriots:

Miami Dolphins

Getty Images

Going into their Week 7 game against the Indianapolis Colts, the Dolphins were still without starting quarterback Tua Tgovailoa. To make matters worse, their backup QB was injured in the game.

Tyler Huntley left the game with a shoulder injury and was replaced by Tim Boyle. Neither QB was effective as Dolphins wide receivers only caught four total passes. The Dolphins lost 16-10 and dropped to 2-4 on the year.

New York Jets

Getty Images

The Jets made headlines last week after trading for WR Davante Adams. But, even rekindling the relationship between him and Aaron Rodgers couldn’t get the team on track.

The Jets lost 37-15 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on ‘Sunday Night Football’. Rodgers threw two interceptions and running back Breece Hall only averaged 3.1 yards per carry. The loss has the Jets sitting at a disappointing 2-5 record after many in the offseason predicted they would make a run at the division title.

New England Patriots

Getty Images

The Patriots had to travel to London in Week 7 to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. They had a disappointing flight home after a 32-16 loss.

Their defense couldn’t make stops and their offensive line couldn’t protect their young QB Drake Maye. They allowed 32 points to the Jags who average 20 per game. The loss drops the Pats to 1-6 on the year.

[lawrence-related id=142032,142015,142027]

Tyler Huntley, 2 Dolphins CBs sit out Wednesday practice

Five Dolphins were absent from practice Wednesday and another five were limited.

Five Miami Dolphins players sat out practice Wednesday and another five were limited, the team announced.

Veterans Terron Armstead and Calais Campbell were among the group that sat out Wednesday, although both were given rest days.The other three were quarterback Tyler Huntley, and cornerbacks Kader Kohou and Storm Duck, who sat out with shoulder, neck, and ankle injuries, respectively.

But the biggest name on the Wednesday report was quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who returned to practice for the first time since suffering a concussion in Week 2.

Wednesday participation

DNP

  • OT Terron Armstead (rest)
  • DT Calais Campbell (rest)
  • CB Storm Duck (ankle)
  • QB Tyler Huntley (right shoulder)
  • CB Kader Kohou (neck)

Limited

  • OL Liam Eichenberg (shoulders)
  • S Jevón Holland (hand)
  • LB Emmanuel Ogbah (bicep)
  • QB Tua Tagovailoa (concussion)
  • WR Jaylen Waddle (quad)

While Tagovailoa is still in the concussion protocol and on the Dolphins’ injured reserve, it’d be a surprise if he was unavailable to play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

The bigger question marks are the Dolphins’ pair of cornerbacks, although the return of 2023 second-round pick Cam Smith would mitigate the blow if Kader and/or Duck are out.

Arizona’s injury report has not yet been released and this post will be updated when it’s available.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Tua Tagovailoa defends Dolphins backup QBs who struggled in his place

Tua Tagovailoa says “it’s really tough to ask” a backup to step in and find immediate success in the Dolphins offense.

The Miami Dolphins won just one of their four games without Tua Tagovailoa, and averaged a dismal 10 points per game during the stretch.

Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley, and Tim Boyle all saw time under center, and found varying levels of success, but the Dolphins’ only touchdown pass since Week 2 was a 10-yard screen pass to Jonnu Smith on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

“Listen, I think it’s really tough to ask any of our quarterbacks to come in to do the footwork that we’ve been doing for the past two years,” Tagovailoa said Monday. “To see fast guys running and seeing the space that’s there and asking them to kind of process all of that.

“We looked at film, we were able to see what we missed and what we could’Sve got better with, but it’s a team sport. It shouldn’t take one position for this whole thing to crumble, everybody needs to be on their Ps and Qs as well.”

In September, not long after Tagovailoa landed on injured reserve due to the concussion he suffered in Week 2, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he’d “kind of get triggered” by comments that any passer could step into his system and find success.

“To say that anybody could, then we would have open tryouts and that would be very salary cap-friendly,” McDaniel said. “I think the way that Tua plays the position is very unique and that’s always triggered me that people have said anybody can. … From my vantage point, being in the offense for 20 years, that the statement that anybody can run it is false.”

Still, McDaniel said Monday that he stressed to his team that they can’t see Tagovailoa as the “savior” who will fix all of their offensive woes. There have been plenty of mistakes and miscues beyond just the issues at quarterback.

The trio of Huntley, Thompson, and Boyle combined to complete 60 percent of their passes in relief of Tagovailoa for 717 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Dolphins’ QB Tua Tagovailoa expected to return this Sunday vs. Arizona

Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa is expected to return from IR vs. Arizona this weekend.

After suffering another scary concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, many wondered if former Alabama Crimson Tide QB Tua Tagovailoa would step away from the game. Fortunately for the Miami Dolphins, Tua decided to continue his career but did spend five weeks on the injured reserve list.

On Monday, the Dolphins designated Tagovailoa to return from the IR and make his return against the Arizona Cardinals this weekend, assuming he can clear concussion protocol. Miami was patient with Tua, especially given the severity of the injury, but they need him back as soon as possible after dropping three out of four games without him.

When asked if he worries about being hurt again, Tua said, “I love this game. And I love it to the death of me. And that’s it.”

People still question if Tua is making the right decision, but ultimately, it’s his well-being at stake. Tagovailoa also announced that he will not be wearing a guardian cap on his helmet due to “personal decisions,” which many people were critical of as they are supposed to be “10-15% safer.”

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Tua Tagovailoa won’t wear a Guardian Cap and Dolphins can’t make him

De’Von Achane became the first Dolphins player to wear a Guardian Cap. Tua Tagovailoa made it clear he won’t be the second.

De’Von Achane became the first Miami Dolphins player to wear a Guardian Cap during a regular season game in the team’s Week 7 loss against the Indianapolis Colts. Tua Tagovailoa made it clear Monday that he has no intention of being the second.

In April, the NFL changed its rules to allow players the choice to wear a Guardian Cap — a helmet with additional padding — during games. To this point, no quarterback has worn one and Tagovailoa dismissed the idea in his first press conference since suffering a concussion iN September.

“Nope,” Tagovailoa said. “Personal choice.”

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Monday that Tagovailoa “has a better understanding of his responsibility towards to the entire organization” following his concussion, and “he needs to be smart about how he engages in contact.”

But McDaniel also made it clear that the Dolphins will not, and can not, force him to wear a Guardian Cap if he doesn’t want one.

“We aren’t allowed to mandate things that aren’t mandated in terms of their attire,” McDaniel said. “I always preach that it is the individual player’s determination if they want to do so, and so what you don’t do is skirt the information gathering process and you make sure they’re well-informed and they have access to all the available options which is supremely important to me.”

Will it matter, though?

When the NFL began requiring players to wear Guardian Caps in training camp in 2022, the league said wearing one “can reduce the force from head contact by 10 percent.” But there are at least a couple studies that concluded that they don’t make much of a difference at all.

The truly safest way for Tagovailoa to avoid further concussions would be to walk away from football, and he made it clear Monday that’s a conversation he’s no longer interested in having.

“How much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to go drive to work?” Tagovailoa said. “[You could] get into a car crash, I don’t know. Everything I think takes risk. Every time we all suit up, we’re all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt, whether it’s a concussion, a broken bone, anything. You get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentially could risk you spraining your ankle. There’s just risk in any and everything and I’m willing to play the odds, that’s it.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Mike McDaniel: Dolphins can’t expect Tua Tagovailoa to be ‘savior’

The Dolphins have more issues that need ironing out than just their quarterback play, says Mike McDaniel.

In four games without Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins scored a grand total of 40 points. For perspective, the last team unable to average more than 10 points per game over the course of a season was the 1991 Indianapolis Colts, who fired their coach after five games and finished 1-15.

Despite having weapons like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and De’Von Achane, among others, backup quarterbacks Tyler Huntley, Skylar Thompson, and Tim Boyle simply couldn’t find the end zone nearly enough.

But with Tagovailoa set to return this week, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel wants to pump the brakes on the expectation that the offense will suddenly be back to firing on all cylinders with its starter.

“Across the board, I think everyone would say that he’s the leader of this team,” McDaniel said Monday. “But I think it’s important to state, and what I just finished talking to the team about is that he’s not the savior, either. There’s a lot of things that have to be looked at from an individual’s game in all three phases to get better.

“It’s not ‘Alright, Tua’s here. He’s gonna fix the issues.’ Everyone has to be on board to do their part into getting the results that we want.”

In a 16-10 loss to the Colts on Sunday, both Hill and Waddle each their first reception of the game after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter. Tight end Jonnu Smith was the only Dolphins player who caught more than two passes.

Yet, there were plenty of mistakes that had nothing to do with the quarterback position. Raheem Mostert and Alec Ingold each had costly fumbles and the Dolphins racked up twice as much penalty yardage than the Colts. No team in the NFL has averaged more penalty yardage per game so far this season than Miami.

“I don’t think for myself I put any pressure on myself coming back and having to save the team,” Tagovailoa said Monday. “What we got to do is we got to look at this past game. All 11 guys on the field, were we given an opportunity, with the plays that were called, to score on every drive? And if we can say yes, then we can look at ourselves and see what we can do to get better.”

The return of Tagovailoa should smooth out many of the areas that have made the Dolphins’ offense inert so far this season. It’ll take more than the fifth-year quarterback to make the team a contender, though.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Tua Tagovailoa says he loves football ‘to the death of me’ after returning from latest concussion

Tua Tagovailoa said he will not be retiring anytime soon after his latest concussion.

Not even a fourth concussion will keep Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa from the game he loves, according to the player.

While speaking with reporters ahead of a possible return to the field on Sunday, Tagovailoa addressed concerns about his health by essentially saying there is no way he will retire from the game anytime soon.

“I appreciate your concern. I really do. I love this game. And I love it to the death of me. That’s it,” Tagovailoa told reporters on Monday, via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.

The Dolphins quarterback also said he will not wear a Guardian Cap as he prepares for his first NFL game since September when he sustained his fourth career concussion. Tagovailoa added he has been currently symptom-free since the day after the fourth concussion and is willing to play the odds with his return to the field, per ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe.

https://twitter.com/jjones9/status/1848428148754428008

https://twitter.com/CameronWolfe/status/1848428084271407214

https://twitter.com/CameronWolfe/status/1848427783682175375

https://twitter.com/CameronWolfe/status/1848429368923566444

While Tagovailoa said he’s got to be “smart” with his on-field decisions to stay available for his team, he also didn’t seem all that concerned about the long-term effects of his concussion history, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

https://twitter.com/MikeGarafolo/status/1848428638469075018

Tagovailoa’s health history is deeply concerning without this most recent concussion to factor into the equation.

The fact that his return to football is all but guaranteed right now and that he will not take take advantage of a Guardian Cap to better protect himself should give the Dolphins organization major pause.

While it’s never easy for a team to advocate for a quarterback you just gave a major contract not to play, Miami is essentially playing Russian roulette by sending Tagovailoa back onto the field this season.

For a violent sport like football where you’re already a bad hit away from severe injury, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins really are taking seismic risk by returning to football so soon, if not in general.

What happens if he is concussed again? Could a fifth be the tipping point to major, irreversible injury? Could it even be fatal in the worst-case scenario?

If Miami lets him go back out on the field without any added protections at the very least, the franchise is as culpable in what happens next as the player. It’s not going to be easy to watch this unfold.

If anything, we’ll be watching between our fingers, just hoping and praying Tagovailoa stays healthy.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1371]