If you ever wondered why Tua Tagovailoa looked completely lost to start his NFL career, you probably should’ve started with the coaching.
Well, or lack thereof.
During a Monday morning appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show, Tagovailoa discussed the main difference between ex-Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and current coach Mike McDaniel. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tagovailoa mentioned nothing about McDaniel’s innovative scheme that has empowered the quarterback’s quick release and accuracy en route to two career seasons in 2022 and 2023.
Instead, Tagovailoa said Flores constantly flooded the quarterback with negativity, telling him things like he “doesn’t belong” in the NFL. Oof. That’s in major contrast to McDaniel, who Tagovailoa claimed made it his mission to emphasize his best talents while filling him with confidence from the jump:
“If you woke up every morning and I told you that you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong, that you shouldn’t be here, that you haven’t earned this…
and then someone come and tells you, ‘You are the best fit for this…How you that make you feel?”
– @Tua describes the… pic.twitter.com/bBHI6IsVlj
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) August 19, 2024
If true, that’s a massive indictment of Flores as a coach.
At any level of football, in any sport, really, a coach’s job is to uplift their players. They’re supposed to fill them with confidence and make them believe in themselves above all else. Yes, they’re also obligated to push them and test their limits because they have to learn how to fight through adversity eventually, but there’s a fine line coaches shouldn’t cross.
Telling your player they suck and don’t belong in the game or league they’re playing in is one of them. It’s the opposite of being a good leader and teacher. A coach is supposed to be a friend and mentor to their players first, never an adversary.
This appears to be what happened with Tagovailoa as a young quarterback. Rather than have someone in his ear who told him he was doing all the right things and built an entire offense around his skill set, Flores seemingly only added to an overwhelmed Tagovailoa’s plate. He made him uncomfortable. He failed at his most important job as a coach.
So, of course Tagovailoa struggled. Who wouldn’t under those circumstances? And the difference between Flores then and McDaniel now is clearly night and day.