Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa seemingly takes a shot at Brian Flores
It’s safe to say that Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has a newfound appreciation for his occupation.
Since Mike McDaniel took over as Dolphins head coach in February, Tagovailoa has gone from Miami’s most unwanted to potential NFL MVP. He hinted McDaniel was the reason why during a post-game interview with Aditi Kinkhabwala CBS Sports following Miami’s 30-15 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday in which he also took a slightly veiled shot at former Dolphins coach Brian Flores in the process.
“Well, having some that believes in you makes all the difference,” Tagovailoa said. “Having someone that calls me randomly just telling me how much I mean to him and the things that he’s trying to accomplish and we’re trying to accomplish as a team, it’s cool. I’ve never had that, I’ve never experienced that. This is my first time having that kind of relationship with someone with that type of authority, being the head coach of an organization.”
McDaniel told reporters following Sunday’s win that Tagovailoa’s skillset simply wasn’t maximized under the previous regime, something McDaniel’s coaching staff has had no issues with, as evidenced by Miami’s 8-0 record this year in games Tagovailoa starts and finishes.
“I felt like he was put behind the 8-ball in a way with the — basically his strengths, he couldn't play to,” McDaniel said. “…[He] got with (quarterbacks coach) coach (Darrell) Bevell and (assistant quarterbacks coach) Chandler Henley, and they've not done anything but tried to work on technique, fundamentals, and how to play the position at an elite level, and they've done an outstanding job with that.”
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