After rocky rookie season, Tua Tagovailoa thanks fans, says ‘roses will bloom again’
UPDATE (3:10 p.m.): During their year-end news conference, Brian Flores and Chris Grier committed to Tua Tagovailoa as the team’s starter in 2021 and said that they expect all coaching assistants to return, including offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.
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Through it all — his injuries, the draft process and his up and down rookie season — Tua Tagovailoa has been a class act.
And that won’t change, as he proved Tuesday, taking to social media to express gratitude to the franchise that drafted him and the fan base that has embraced him.
Along with two pictures of himself during Dolphins games, Tagovailoa posted the following to Instagram:
“Thank you very much MIAMI for the opportunity! Thank you to the fans for the support you show us all. Blessed to have been apart of a team with such great men. Grateful to the man above for this journey he’s helped and is still helping me through. Roses will bloom again.”
The final sentence appeared to be a nod to the Jeff and Sheri Easter religious song that includes the lyrics:
He said
Roses will bloom again
Just wait and see
Don’t mourn what might have been Only God knows how and when but
Roses will bloom again
Tagovailoa’s path hasn’t exactly been lined with roses since he suffered a major hip injury late in his final year at Alabama. He slipped to fifth in the draft because of it, and hasn’t exactly lit the league ablaze with his play.
Tagovailoa ranked in the bottom 10 of NFL starters in passer rating, QBR and yards per pass as a rookie, and was twice benched for performance.
Those numbers will surely improve with time, experience, a better scheme and a better supporting cast. And yet, the Dolphins could still decide to address the position this offseason, either through the draft, free agency or trade.
Tagovailoa wasn’t the only Dolphin to get something off his chest Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, linebacker Kyle Van Noy also addressed fans and the public on social media.
“Miami thank you so much for accepting me as one of your own this year,” he wrote on Twitter. “Disappointed and pissed how we left thing on the field but it’s time to update! Love my teammates! Love where this team is headed. Played thru a lot pain this year and gave it all I had.”
He added: “I can’t wait to play in front of a packed hard rock next year. Miami is Home! Fins up ... and let’s ride the wave... to be continued ...”
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 12:25 PM.
