Dolphins' QB Tua Tagovailoa admits he was uncomfortable calling plays as rookie
The truth shall set you free.
It's been quite the journey for Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa since being drafted No. 5 overall in 2020.
On Wednesday, Tagovailoa spoke to the media and the 23-year-old opened up about what caused some of his struggles under center last season and shared why he is confident that he will bounce back in his sophomore season.
"I wasn't comfortable calling plays," Tagovailoa said. "The guys that were here last year were phenomenal. I just didn't have the comfortability of checking plays, alerting plays. I just rode with the play, even if I knew, in a way, that it wasn't going to work. I was going to try to make it work."
Shortly after his initial comments on Wednesday, Tagovailoa clarified his remarks when asked about executing plays that he didn’t feel confident in, accepting full responsibility for the Dolphins' offensive woes.
"Actually, what I’m saying is, I didn't actually know the playbook, necessarily, really, really good, and that's no one else's fault but my fault. Our play calls were simple when I was in. I didn't have alerts and checks. Whereas now, feeling more comfortable, I can kind of maneuver my way through these things now."
According to reports, Dolphins co-offensive coordinators George Godsey and Eric Studesville are putting together a new offensive playbook for the upcoming season that will better suit Tagovailoa's skill set.
In 2020, Tagovailoa shared playing time with the now-Washington Football Team QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. He played in 10 games after taking over for Fitzpatrick in Week 7 and put together a respectable 6-3 record as a starter. He completed 186 passes for 1,814 yards (64% completion percentage), and he added in 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
However, he finished the season ranked 26th in the NFL in passer rating (87.1).
In addition to being uncomfortable with Miami's playbook last season, Tagovailoa was also dealing with discomfort physically. After winning back-to-back National Championships with Alabama in 2017 and ‘18, he suffered a season-ending hip injury against Mississippi State during his senior season.
The injury has caused problems for the Dolphins' QB since undergoing surgery in 2019, but he said Wednesday that he is feeling significantly better than he did last season.
After Wednesday's media session, Tagovailoa, predictably, received some backlash regarding his remarks.
FOX Sports Radio host Doug Gottlieb was critical of the young quarterback's comments on "The Doug Gottlieb Show," saying that the time for excuses is over and "not studying hard not enough" is "rookie stuff."
Circumstantially, prior to last season, Tua spent most of his time recovering from injury and was not able to attend OTAs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rules put in place for teams.
Miami’s OTAs prior to the 2021 season kicked off on Wednesday, and all eyes were on Tagovailoa, who had very limited training camp exposure this time last year.
Dolphins’ head coach Brian Flores previously expressed his excitement about Tagovailoa's jump from his rookie year to this year, saying that this offseason will be beneficial for his unquestioned starter heading into the 2021 season.
Despite rumors that the Dolphins could be parting ways with their starting QB after just one season, the team passed on taking a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft and instead drafted a new weapon for Tagovailoa in former Alabama receiver and top-10 draft pick Jaylen Waddle. They also signed veteran receiver Will Fuller in free agency.
With that in mind, the question now becomes, is Tagovailoa primed for a big sophomore season after a shaky rookie campaign?
On Wednesday, Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki fiercely defended his QB against the critics, saying that people are spewing "stupid uneducated stuff about him."
Gesicki went on to share that the entire team believes in Tagovailoa, respects him, and is excited about him returning this season.
Tagovailoa will get his chance to prove his teammates right and the doubters wrong with an expanded 17-game schedule this year, and the Dolphins will open the season with a Week 1 road matchup against none other than Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.
Welcome to your sophomore season, Tua-man.
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