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Marcel Louis-JacquesESPN
MIAMI — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa Mike McDaniel, head coach, stated that McDaniel is starting to relax. This was after the second day of mandatory minicamp on Thursday.
Tagovailoa made two deep passes to wide receivers Tyreek Hill He ran both 45- and 55-yards, and he expressed concern about his arm strength.
He said, after practice, “Yeah. If I’ve seen the third and last play we had — although I don’t know whether I could throw it downfield still but, by my account I think that might’ve been a touchdown for Tyreek.” “If not, we scored two plays to Tyreek.” That’s it. You guys can do whatever you want with any of this stuff on social media.
Since Tagovailoa entered the league in 2020, one of his primary criticisms has been his ability to push the ball downfield. He ranks 30th among qualified passers for average air yards per attempt at 7.13 yard.
Tagovailoa, however, was the NFL’s leading passer in completion percentage for passes at least 25 yards downfield. Although he completed 50% of these passes, he only attempted 18 — which is the second-fewest number in the league.
The following is an interview with “Muscle & Fitness” magazine He claimed that his inability to pass downfield this week was more a result playcalling than natural talent.
He said that he had seen improvements in his ability to push the ball downfield once more. It’s practice. Because we didn’t have any plays to push it down the field, I was unable to push the ball down last year. Last year, a lot of plays were intended for one person. The play could be dead or open to this person.
“It’s a little more different now. My second year was different from my rookie and we’ll be doing things differently this year. It’s definitely a more comfortable feeling to be able push the ball downfield. It’s going be exciting.”
Tagovailoa stated in the same interview that he spent most of his offseason building his foundation and improving arm strength and mobility.
Former No. The former No. 5 overall pick stated that he is aware of what people think about his arm strength. This is mainly because the Dolphins’ communication department informs him to prepare him for questions from local media.
He had previously declined to respond in detail about his feelings regarding those criticisms; Thursday was different.
Tagovailoa explained, “You’re right, for me it’s just to zone that out.” “It’s just that we go out to practice. All other people — keyboard warriors and Twitter warriors alike — are not here to practice with us.
“I don’t remember if you guys recorded that last one for Tyreek. That looked like money, I don’t know what it is about you.
Tagovailoa claimed that this is the most open moment he’s ever had since arriving in Miami. This comfort level comes from McDaniel’s efforts over the last few months to get Tagovailoa open to the media.
Tagovailoa mentioned that McDaniel enjoys visiting Tagovailoa in the hallway, weight room or meeting room. Even if it is only a short conversation. McDaniel is a positive coach, which he stated he had never experienced.
McDaniel stated that he believes his teammates have noticed a change in him. He’s more open to sharing his thoughts. He’s come into his own in that respect. He has been incredible coachable. He’s not been as vigilant. He’s let his guard down, and we were able to maintain his confidence, which should be right now, while correcting and improving the game, which is everyone’s ultimate goal.