Tua Tagovailoa’s performance and its alleged dependence on Tyreek Hill, who believes Tua is more accurate as a QB than Patrick Mahomes, has been widely talked about. Critics have long speculated about the quarterback’s efficacy when key players, especially Tyreek Hill, are absent from the lineup.
However, Tua Tagovailoa has recently responded to these conjectures with a resolute message, challenging his critics. Tua has delivered a blunt and unapologetic reply to critics, aiming to reshape the discourse around his capabilities as the Miami Dolphins quarterback.
Tua Tagovailoa fires back at critics
Tua Tagovailoa expressed indifference to narratives and criticism about his abilities. He emphasized that he is unfazed as long as the team continues winning.
The QB highlighted the Dolphins’ successful offensive performance despite playing without Tyreek Hill and acknowledged the challenge of playing without key players but emphasized the team’s confidence.
“I would say it is always tough when you don’t have one of your best guys out there,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday. “To me, I personally say none of us really cares who’s out there or who’s not. At the end of the day, whoever’s in there, we all trust that we can get it done with those people. Even when I wasn’t in there last year, that was the mindset that those guys [had].”
He shared the team’s collective mindset that they trust any player on the field to get the job done and recalled a similar mindset when he was absent last year, indicating a resilient team attitude.
“We’ve got to go out there. We’ve still got to play. [Our opponents] don’t care that Tyreek’s out. Those guys didn’t care that I was out last year. It doesn’t matter. We got to go out there and play. And I think that should tell you a lot about the guys that were out there.”
Tua Tagovailoa acknowledged the idea that his supporting cast contributes to his success and embraced the notion that others want to attribute the team’s success to specific players like Tyreek Hill. Tyreek Hill has also, in return, previously hailed Tagovailoa as MVP.
“Everyone wants to make this about me, about Tyreek — please, keep pushing it to Tyreek. Make it about Tyreek,” Tagovailoa said.
The QB also mentioned keeping “receipts” in response to criticisms, indicating awareness of negative comments, and suggested that despite not caring about the opinions, he is cognizant of them.
“Whether I’m the best, whether I’m the worst, I [couldn’t] care less. I don’t listen to it. … At the end of the day, I really don’t care. But if [Dolphins communications] does share it with me, I mean, I keep receipts. We all have a way of how we do things, but all the narratives about it — yeah, sure. I am only good with Tyreek, you’re right. That is the only time I’m at my best.”
He sarcastically agreed with the critics, stating he is only good when specific teammates like Tyreek, Jaylen Waddle, or Raheem Mostert are in.
“You’re right, I’m only good when Jaylen [Waddle] is in. I couldn’t care less about it. Sure … I’m only as good as Raheem Mostert allows me to be. That’s what the narrative needs to be. And we’re able to win games and we’re able to go where we want to go as a team.”
The QB asserted that the team’s ability to win games is the ultimate focus, regardless of individual evaluations. He also reiterated being focused on his job, which is to help the team win games, and encouraged taking clips from his statements for shows, emphasizing his commitment to performance on the field.
Tua Tagovailoa’s record under different circumstances
Tua Tagovailoa’s performance exhibited notable changes before and after the hiring of Mike McDaniel as the head coach, reflecting the impact of coaching transitions on the Miami Dolphins.
In the 2020-2021 period, Tua achieved a record of 13 wins and 8 losses. Following McDaniel’s appointment in 2022, whose controversial love story has recently become famous, the team’s record improved to 15 wins and 8 losses, indicating positive results under the new coaching leadership.
In the earlier timeframe, Tua recorded 27 touchdown passes and 25 interceptions. Post-McDaniel, there was marked progress with 46 touchdown passes and only 16 interceptions. The average points per game for the Dolphins increased from 22.1 in 2020-2021 to 27.7 in 2022-2023.
Before McDaniel, the QB rating of Tua stood at 88.8, whereas after the coaching change, it significantly rose to 105.7.
In summary, the statistics illustrate a positive trend in Tua Tagovailoa’s performance metrics following the introduction of Mike McDaniel as the head coach.
