Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s rocky relationship with former coach Brian Flores has been documented within the time since Flores was fired on Jan. 10, the day after the 2021 season concluded.
On Wednesday, in Tagovailoa’s first press convention the place he addressed soccer subjects with reporters because the finish of final season, he had a variety of nice issues to say about his relationship with new coach Mike McDaniel.
But not almost the identical will be mentioned about his response to questions on former Dolphins coach Brian Flores.
Amid a South Florida Sun Sentinel report of a locker room meltdown between the 2 at halftime of the Dolphins’ 34-3 Jan. 2 loss on the Tennessee Titans and staff proprietor Steve Ross noting communication as an element that led to Flores’ firing, Flores had beforehand contested that his relationship with Tagovailoa ever deteriorated.
“It wasn’t strained,” he advised the I Am Athlete podcast, which the Sun Sentinel participates in, earlier this offseason. “We had an excellent relationship. It was a player-coach relationship. The coach challenges the participant, and oftentimes, the participant challenges the coach. It was quite a lot of respect between the 2 of us.
“Ask Tua. I’m here to say what I want to say. And ask him. I think he’d say the same thing.”
Tagovailoa was certainly requested on Wednesday, and his solutions, or lack thereof, didn’t appear to fall in line.
“I have no comment toward any of that,” Tagovailoa mentioned, when initially requested about his response to Flores’ firing. “I don’t come up with those decisions. I don’t make those decisions.”
He was pressed additional to remark about his relationship with Flores, and Tagovailoa’s one fond reminiscence he named after two years with him as coach was that of his first day as a Dolphin below him.
“Big question,” Tagovailoa began when requested about that relationship. “I’ll tell you this: I’m very thankful that he drafted me to come here to play for the Miami Dolphins. That’s what I would say.”
The tone was a lot completely different when talking about his early impressions of latest coach Mike McDaniel, who was employed from his position as San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator by Miami to switch Flores. Tagovailoa mentioned he feels supported by McDaniel.
“I think support, for any of us, means a lot,” he mentioned. “To be able to have the support of the head coach, the head guy, that should tell you a lot.”
That a lot has been evident since McDaniel’s first documented dialog with Tagovailoa as Dolphins coach, when he phoned him from his non-public flight to Miami. It has been additional bolstered earlier this month, taking part in Tagovailoa’s “Luau with Tua” charity occasion, banging Polynesian drums on stage.
“That’s kind of how the relationship has been. Very supportive, wants to hang out,” he mentioned.
Tagovailoa mentioned McDaniel even acts upset when he doesn’t get invited to participant outings. A reporter requested if gamers truly really feel they’ll have the top coach round once they hang around, and he even doubled down on the notion.
“This one, you can!” Tagovailoa proclaimed about McDaniel. “He’s that cool.”
McDaniel isn’t the one factor that has Tagovailoa excited in regards to the new-look 2022 Dolphins after the staff additionally made a sequence of offensive acquisitions with star receiver Tyreek Hill and touted left sort out Terron Armstead highlighting the group.
“The locker room feels different,” Tagovailoa mentioned. “I just feel like there’s so much things that have happened, a lot of changes, and a lot of good changes, I guess, with the people that we picked up.”
Having the instruments essential to succeed has led to a nationwide narrative that the stress is on Tagovailoa this season, with out the earlier excuses he had for uneven play in his first two NFL seasons.
“I don’t feel more pressure that we have acquired all these guys,” he mentioned, “but it’s more of an opportunity that I get, that we all get, as a team, to show what we can do this year.”
Tagovailoa famous that an emphasis this offseason has been on his footwork. He additionally mentioned McDaniel’s offense is analogous to what he ran in school at Alabama, which made him a prime draft prospect in 2020.
Although many hope to see Tagovailoa add some zip to his mid-range throws and yards to his deep ball, he mentioned Wednesday he doesn’t really feel he’s capable of put something additional on his passes regardless of being additional faraway from his November 2019 hip damage that minimize his school profession quick and final season’s rib and finger illnesses.
“I don’t feel any of that at all,” mentioned Tagovailoa. “I think the most important thing is timing with these guys. These guys are going to get there, just lay it up to a spot for them and have them go get it.”
And an excellent precedence has been positioned on yards after catch on this new offense. It will not be a raid of deep throws from Tagovailoa hitting Hill, fellow huge receivers Jaylen Waddle and Cedrick Wilson and tight finish Mike Gesicki, however the Dolphins will look to place cross catchers able to select up what is often known as YAC.
“We want to YAC the heck out of teams,” Tagovailoa mentioned.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com