More on Tua’s approach, plus an update on Austin Jackson and Flores on Election 2020
Plenty more Tua Talk from Brian Flores Thursday as Tua Week rolls on.
Tua Tagovailoa is the center of local attention and plenty of national attention ahead of his first start Sunday.
But Flores said that Tagovailoa’s focus “is on this week and really not much else. I think he understands that it’s not Tua against the Rams. It’s the Dolphins against the Rams. He’s a team guy. I think his teammates are supportive of him. That’s kind of the approach we’re all taking. I think he’s taken that approach also.”
Tagovailoa is replacing Ryan Fitzpatrick, who in his six starts was highly effective in getting the ball out quickly. That’s helped a young offensive line keep the team’s sack totals down.
Is the plan for Tagovailoa to continue that quick work? And can he?
“It’s really case-by-case, week-by-week, team-by-team,” Flores said. “One week you might hold it a little but longer. You want a mix of all of those things. Fitz did a good job of that. In practice, I think Tua’s done a good job of that. We’ll see how it shows up in the game.”
▪ Flores makes it a point to wear either a “Vote” hat or tee shirt for each of his daily Zoom news conferences.
Voter participation is a huge point of emphasis, both within the organization and league-wide. The NFL and NFLPA announced this week that 90 percent of the more than 1,500 players are registered to vote.
But with how polarized the nation is over the presidential election, can Trump vs. Biden divisiveness affect locker room chemistry?
“You’ve got to be respectful, have those open dialogues,” Flores said. “But I think personally, those dialogues are easier in a team setting where guys know they care for one another. That’s different than two people who don’t know each other having a discussion about some of those topics.
“When you care about somebody and you’re willing to listen and hear that side of it, the background in which they came up with, their feelings on this topic or that topic, their family situation, how they grew up,” he added. “I think that’s a big part of the discussions that I don’t think has been had a lot of time. A team setting like this, all of those conversations are had.”
▪ Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel is out of the concussion protocol after practicing fully on Wednesday.
He’s one of several defensive players who spent the bye week dealing with short-term issues. Bobby McCain (ankle) and Kyle Van Noy (foot) were limited in their participation Wednesday.
“We did have some guys banged up last week,” Flores said. “Some practiced more than others [Wednesday]. Everyone’s got a shot to play Sunday.”
Everyone presumably meant everyone on the active roster. Starting left tackle Austin Jackson has been on injured for the past three weeks with a foot injury.
“He’s doing a good job in rehab and treatment and do everything he can to get back,” Flores added.”
▪ The NFL named Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders the AFC special teams player of the month Thursday after Sanders went 11-for-11 on field goals and 7-for-7 on extra points in October.
Sanders has the most kicks without a miss (15) in the NFL this season. He also has made all 13 of his point-after attempts and is tied for fifth in points scored (58) despite playing one fewer game than three of the five players ahead of him.
▪ Not spotted at Dolphins practice Thursday: wide receivers Jakeem Grant and Lynn Bowden. Neither was on the injury report the day before, but Bowden did announce on Twitter that he recently became a father. Cornerback Jamal Perry returned to practice after missing the previous day with a foot injury.
This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 9:16 AM.
