Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa likely made much of NBC’s national viewing audience wince when he lowered his shoulder while scrambling to try and get a first down during Sunday night’s win over the Steelers.
But even as his competitive nature took over in that situation, he didn’t quite make his coaches happy either, as Tagovailoa addressed during his Wednesday press conference.
“Looked at it, obviously had my coaches telling me, ‘We don’t ever want you to do this,’” Tagovailoa said. “Obviously, I get that — coming off of the injury and what had happened prior with the concussion.
“But, to me, it’s football. ... Like for me I can see the first down in instances, I want to do all that I can to go and get it. But, I don’t know, it’s football. I want to be able to continue making plays that I feel can contribute to moving the chains and helping our team. So, whatever it takes from me. But, then again, I’m going to tell you I’ve got to slide, I’ve got to do all that. But instinctively, it’s… I don’t know, it’s a weird competitive thing.”
Tagovialoa sounds like a player in conflict. He knows what he’s being instructed to do, but that goes against how he’s played the game for his entire life — which is how he became the fifth overall pick of the 2020 draft.
As the season continues, Tagovailoa needs to do his best to let the instruction override the instinct, no matter how much it may not feel right in the moment.