Tua Tagovailoa didn’t have his best game against the New York Jets and some in the media think that shows he’s a one-trick pony. The Dolphins QB disagrees, but also doesn’t care.
“I would say it is always tough when you don’t have one of your best guys out there,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday. “To me, I personally say none of us really cares who’s out there or who’s not. At the end of the day, whoever’s in there, we all trust that we can get it done with those people. Even when I wasn’t in there last year, that was the mindset that those guys had.”
“We’ve got to go out there. We’ve still got to play. Opponents don’t care that Tyreek’s out. Those guys didn’t care that I was out last year. It doesn’t matter. We got to go out there and play. And I think that should tell you a lot about the guys that were out there.”
TUA TAGOVAILOA ISN’T GOING TO CARRY THE TEAM
“Everyone wants to make this about me, about Tyreek — please, keep pushing it to Tyreek. Make it about Tyreek,” Tagovailoa said. “I understand that my platform and who I am in this league as a quarterback makes me polarizing. Whether I’m the best, whether I’m the worst, I [couldn’t] care less. I don’t listen to it. … At the end of the day, I really don’t care. But if [Dolphins communications] does share it with me, I mean, I keep receipts. We all have a way of how we do things, but all the narratives about it — yeah, sure. I am only good with Tyreek, you’re right. That is the only time I’m at my best.
“You’re right, I’m only good when Jaylen Waddle is in. I couldn’t care less about it. Sure … I’m only as good as Raheem Mostert allows me to be. That’s what the narrative needs to be. And we’re able to win games and we’re able to go where we want to go as a team. I am the worst football player if that’s what you want. I don’t care. I really don’t. So, whatever it is, whatever you need on your show, take clips out of what I just said. Do it. Do what you need to do. I’m just here to do my job, and my job is to help our guys win games.”
It was a fairly lengthy response from Tua Tagovailoa who has had doubts expressed about him from day 1 in Miami. In fairness other than Patrick Mahomes their aren’t many QB’s in the league who aren’t doubted on an almost weekly basis.
That’s not to say Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t had a lot of criticism over the years. But the playcalling of head coach Mike McDaniel has certainly contributed to the narrative this week. With 10 screens called and only 5 passes over 10 yards, there was little doubt that the gameplay was on the more cautious side against the Jets.
Of course the argument should be made that why would you expose Tua Tagovailoa, and the more adventurous gameplay, to scrutiny in a game that was never going to be close.
While the Dolphins offence has definitely been off the boil of late, and Tyreek Hill is certainly this units MVP, and likely the NFL MVP, blaming it all on Tua Tagovailoa is more than a little reductive.
There may well come a game where that microscope on Tua Tagovailoa is much more intense, and much more deserved. But this game was not one of those moments.
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