Tua Tagovailoa, as a freshman backup quarterback, as soon as took over the school soccer nationwide championship recreation for Jalen Hurts and delivered the walk-off landing move in time beyond regulation to guide that Alabama staff to the title over Georgia.
For that and the way Tagovailoa then supplanted Hurts transferring ahead for the Crimson Tide, their careers will at all times be linked. Now, as each are beginning NFL quarterbacks heading into essential third skilled seasons, they crossed paths as soon as once more.
There wasn’t practically as a lot on the road this time. They’re simply working towards — Tagovailoa in opposition to the Eagles protection, Hurts in opposition to the Dolphins protection — because the groups took half within the first of two joint practices on Wednesday. With Saturday evening’s preseason assembly between the Dolphins and Eagles at Hard Rock Stadium the finale to the exhibition season, neither could even play, given a precedence to maintain the quarterbacks wholesome for the common season and the chance for end-of-the-roster gamers to get an opportunity to compete for the ultimate spots.
But the joint setting did permit Tagovailoa to catch up briefly with Hurts throughout apply. After drills, he reminisced with the media about his time with the Eagles signal-caller. Knowing the competitors he was getting himself into as a five-star recruit going to Alabama, which already had Hurts there, ready Tagovailoa for the NFL.
“I knew when I went to Alabama, I’d have to compete and compete against a guy that was really good,” Tagovailoa stated after a strong Wednesday session that concerned a lot of spectacular throws. “The 12 months earlier than that, he was the SEC Player of the Year on the time and he led his staff to the nationwide championship. So, I knew what I used to be up in opposition to, however on the identical time, once you go to a spot like that, the requirements are excessive, expectations are extraordinarily excessive, as effectively, due to the success that they’ve had.
“You’ve got to go out there and compete every day, and I would say that’s how being at a place like Alabama has helped set up success for me coming into the NFL — is nothing’s given to you. You got to earn everything.”
Tagovailoa noticed what arduous work on the faculty stage regarded like from backing up Hurts earlier than he bought to take the reins with the Crimson Tide.
“[Hurts] is a hard worker in the weight room, in the classroom and then on the field,” stated Tagovailoa. “The dude needed to be the primary into the burden room, he needed to be the primary out onto the sphere — like sprints, he needed to be first.
“It really tells you how he goes about his life. It tells you about how he kind of sees things and how he looks at things. Obviously, he’s a competitor. He never wants to be last, so that should tell you a lot about him.”
After getting benched in that title recreation in opposition to Georgia in favor of Tagovailoa, Hurts remained with Alabama as Tagovailoa’s backup in 2018. Alabama reached one other nationwide championship however misplaced to Clemson. Hurts then transferred to Oklahoma and had a standout 2019 season, the place he completed second in Heisman Trophy voting to former LSU and now Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
That identical 2019 season, Tagovailoa’s faculty profession was minimize quick attributable to a hip damage suffered that November. Long regarded as the 2020 draft’s prime quarterback, Burrow’s 12 months mixed with Tagovailoa’s damage precipitated Tagovailoa to slip within the draft — however not too far, to the Dolphins at No. 5. Hurts was chosen by the Eagles within the second spherical, No. 53 total.
Tagovailoa is 13-8 in Miami over 21 begins, finishing 66.2 p.c of passes for 4,467 yards for 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. In Hurts’ two professional seasons in Philadelphia, he’s 9-10, reaching the NFC playoffs final 12 months, with a 59-percent completion fee, 4,205 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Hurts additionally has 1,138 speeding yards and 13 touchdowns on the bottom to his credit score whereas these numbers for Tagovailoa are 237 and 6, respectively.
The two stay involved by way of textual content “quite a large amount,” Tagovailoa stated Wednesday. They textual content about widespread opponents, exchanging notes to assist one another out.
Beyond the Alabama quarterbacks, it needed to really feel extra like a homecoming at Wednesday’s joint apply with Eagles huge receiver DeVonta Smith on the opposite facet. Smith was the freshman on the receiving finish of the championship-clinching landing from Tagovailoa that evening when he took over for Hurts.
Smith and Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle frolicked after Wednesday’s apply as Waddle, who didn’t take part in drills with a sleeve on his proper leg, caught passes of the Jugs machine. Other Alabama gamers between the 2 rosters embody Dolphins nostril deal with Raekwon Davis and Eagles offensive guard Landon Dickerson.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com