Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa spent his first two NFL seasons feeling at times unwanted by the organization and the coaching staff. The mood has changed. And Tua has noticed it.
He was asked during a Wednesday press conference to explain what’s different this year for the Dolphins.
“Everything,” he said. “Everything. The offense is different. The confidence that the guys have coming out to practice is different. The confidence that the guys have coming into the building is different. The way we do things around the building is different. Just everything. I can’t necessarily point to one thing and I think that’s what’s going to help make us a better team is us spending more time with each other, not just in the building, but outside the building. And we’ll see where this thing goes for us.”
Tua said that the confidence is coming from the position coaches and the head coach. He described Mike McDaniel as “probably one of the most optimistic people I’ve ever been around. . . . I think that’s what gives the entirety of the team confidence.”
The Dolphins, after a horrible start to 2021, finished strong. There’s reason for confidence and optimism. And, unlike last year, Tua doesn’t have to worry about a potential Deshaun Watson trade.
In 2021, the situation created plenty of stress. Tua wasn’t happy about the situation. As we heard it at the time, he was voted a captain but rejected the distinction, given the rampant sense that Watson would be inevitably acquired as the season approached.
McDaniel recently praised Tua for the extra work he’s putting into his craft. This implies that, previously, he wasn’t. For example, he explained that as a rookie he’d be replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick from time to time because Tua didn’t know the two-minute offense as well as he needed to know it.
That apparently won’t be an issue in 2022. And it’s reason to be optimistic that, after dalliances with Tom Brady and Deshaun Watson, the Dolphins are all in on Tua. At least for this year.
