Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa did not mince phrases when requested about his expertise underneath ex-head coach Brian Flores.
In an interview on “Dan Le Batard Present with Stugotz” on Monday, Tagovailoa revealed he did not imagine he was an NFL quarterback till Mike McDaniel changed Flores in 2022. (Flores is now getting into his second season as Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator.)
“To place it in easiest phrases, if you happen to wakened each morning and I informed you [that], you suck at what you probably did, that you do not belong doing what you do, that you simply should not be right here, that this man ought to be right here, that you have not earned this proper, after which you may have anyone else are available in and inform you, ‘Dude, you’re the finest match for this,'” Tagovailoa mentioned within the interview. “How would it not make you’re feeling listening to 1 or the opposite, you see what I am saying?”
Throughout his tenure in Miami, it appeared Flores was making an attempt to undermine Tagovailoa. Within the QB’s rookie season in 2020, he benched him twice in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Per John Breech of CBS Sports activities, Flores spent a lot of the 2021 offseason making an attempt to switch Tagovailoa with Deshaun Watson, who was on the commerce block. In response to the Miami Herald’s David Wilson, when McDaniel arrived, he confirmed Tagovailoa a 700-play spotlight reel to rebuild his confidence. It labored. The previous No. 5 total decide has thrown for 8,172 yards and 54 touchdowns over the previous two seasons.
Though Tagovailoa has turned his profession round, he admitted it has taken him two years to beat adverse ideas about his time with Flores.
“You possibly can be president of america, you may have a horrible particular person telling you issues that you do not need to hear or in all probability should not be listening to, you are going to begin believing that about your self,” Tagovailoa mentioned. “And so, that is form of what ended up occurring.”
Tagovailoa’s story reveals why it is paramount for groups to usher in an HC who helps a younger QB. If the Dolphins had by no means employed McDaniel, the 26-year-old could have nosedived. He additionally could have by no means signed a four-year, $212M deal.
