Why Falcons' Kevin Stefanski believes he, Tua Tagovailoa can prove doubters wrong

Before the Miami Dolphins officially parted ways with former starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, the Cleveland Browns fired head coach Kevin Stefanski.  

The Atlanta Falcons eventually hired Stefanski to be their head coach, and Atlanta later signed Tagovailoa to a team-friendly one-year contract to have him compete with 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. for the starting job. 

During a Sunday conversation with NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo, Stefanski touched upon how he and Tagovailoa are going through similar experiences with their current employers. 

Kevin Stefanski, Tua Tagovailoa both know what it's like to be fired

"There's something to be said when you're fired," Stefanski explained, per Bobby Kownack of the NFL's website. "I can attest to that. You want to prove people wrong. You have a chip on your shoulder. I think where I'm coming into this, where Tua's coming into this is, listen, this is not exactly how you thought it would go, but guess what, that's the reality, and how are we gonna respond? I think that's what he's made of. You look back his career, you look back at his college career, he's responded."

Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel benched Tagovailoa due to poor play this past December. Additionally, some have suggested that Tagovailoa won't be a good fit for Stefanski's offense. 

That said, Penix is spending portions of the spring recovering from surgery he underwent this past fall to repair a partially torn ACL. It's unknown when he will be cleared to resume full football-related activities. 

"Tua was a good fit for us," Stefanski added about Tagovailoa. "I think the football fit, the personal fit, I think he's looking for a place where he can go and compete for a starting job, and that's what we are offering to him. I think he's somebody that has always competed in career, look back at his time at Alabama, so him coming in, and he wants to do what's best for this football team, we're excited to have him."

Falcons still excited about Michael Penix Jr. despite adding Tua Tagovailoa?

One March report claimed that the Falcons still view Penix "as the starter once he's healthy." It's unclear if Stefanski feels that way, but he indicated he is hyped to see what Penix will do coming off his latest setback. 

Penix previously suffered two ACL tears before he entered the NFL.

"I'm excited for Mike to get back out there," Stefanski insisted. "He has the right attitude. He is in the building every day, all day, rehabbing to get ready to go. I don't have a timeline on what that looks like or when that will happen, but he'll be ready to put his best foot forward. He's focusing on what he needs to focus on right now, which is the main thing, which is getting healthy."

Stefanski should want to give Tagovailoa and Penix equal opportunities to sink or swim if both are healthy come the start of the August preseason games. Tagovailoa may be seen by many as the favorite to win the QB1 job, but Penix also seems to want to prove doubters wrong.