Dolphins’ Tagovailoa connects deep with Hill, responds to criticism of downfield passing
It’s the most highly-anticipated — and scrutinized — play in South Florida right now.
The ball snaps to Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He drops back, scans the field and sees wide receiver Tyreek Hill down the field. Tagovailoa cocks his left arm back, releases the ball 30, 40, maybe even 50 yards downfield and the ball lands in the hands of the streaking Hill past the last line of defense.
It’s been a frequent pairing during the offseason workout program and was perhaps at its best on the second day of mandatory minicamp Thursday, when Tagovailoa found Hill twice on passes traveling approximately 45 and 55 air yards during 11-on-11 work.
It was a bounce-back effort for Tagovailoa and the offense after the defense had its way on Wednesday and came amid continued debate about Tagovailoa’s arm strength ahead of a pivotal third season.
After practice, Tagovailoa provided his most passionate pushback on the criticisms of his downfield passing.
“For me, it’s just, zone that out,” he said. “I mean, we come out to practice, everyone else … Twitter warriors, keyboard warriors, whatever you want to call them, they’re not out here practicing with us, working hard. So I don’t know if you guys recorded that last one to Tyreek, I don’t know about you, but that looked like money.”
In a recent story by Muscle & Fitness, Tagovailoa said he anticipated he would have more success with downfield passing in 2022 after the offense in 2021 lacked many attempts. Of 33 quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts last season, Tagovailoa’s 25 deep attempts — passes that traveled 20 or more air yards — ranked 30th, according to Sports Info Solutions. However, Tagovailoa’s 48 percent completion on such passes only trailed the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray.
“I wasn’t really able to push the ball down the field last year because we didn’t have plays specifically to push the ball down the field,” Tagovailoa told the fitness magazine. “A lot of plays that were called last year were meant for one person. Either this person is open, or the play might be dead.”
Asked Thursday to elaborate on those comments and what differences he sees in a new offense, Tagovailoa declined to comment but quipped, “you [saw] the third-to-the-last play we had ... by my account I think that might have been a touchdown to Tyreek. If not, then we scored two plays after that to Tyreek.”
It was a sharp turn in tone from Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, who has faced pressure and expectations since he entered the league but has typically sidestepped questions about criticism aimed toward him. In recent weeks, his recorded passes to Hill have been slowed down, examined and scrutinized, leading his star receiver to come to his defense.
“I think I’m pretty hard on myself every time,” Tagovailoa said, “whether it’s throwing a ball where it needs to be, or pre-snap operation, guys aren’t set, guys aren’t where they’re supposed to be. Because in order for the offense to function, we all got to be on the same page. And in order for us to execute at a high level, we got to do things at a high level. So I gotta be hard on myself.”
Head coach Mike McDaniel, asked about his confidence in Tagovailoa’s downfield passing, provided context to the oft-debated topic.
“The way we’ve always operated since 2005 when I got in the league,” he said, “is if a quarterback can see the defense and is accurate, then you just see if he can throw it 60 yards. I think he might have had a 55-yarder today. That’s why you hear no cause for concern at all from the players because they know that too. He’s plenty fast and the great thing is he sees the field. He’s not throwing the ball 85 yards but I don’t see the practical application of an 85-yard thrower unless you have the best offensive line in the history of football and a defense that’s poor to add on rushers when you’re max protecting.”
Tagovailoa, as well as the entire offense, has experienced the growing pains of installing a new system. His performance in the first organized team activities practice open to reporters led him to be named practice player of the day. But in recent sessions, the defense has had its way and Tagovailoa bemoaned his ball placement Wednesday. Through it all though, McDaniel said he’s not only seen a quarterback who is growing more confident on the field but has also “let his guard” down in his interactions with coaches and teammates.
“I’m really excited about the reps Tua’s getting in this offense,” McDaniel said. “I’m excited about where he’s at. I talked to the team and talked to him specifically about, I’ve just been waiting for those moments where you have a slight obstacle. ... [Thursday], he had some throws that he demands better of himself. But like I told everybody else, today was the first day I got to really evaluate Tua because that is [being a] professional quarterback in the National Football League. You’re going to have things that you don’t execute to perfection. You’re going to have people talking about how you’re not performing. And guess what? No one cares. It’s about leading and he had a ton of energy and I was very, very happy with his effort today because it was one of the million reps you need at that position to handle the scrutiny, the pressure, all that stuff.
“I think his teammates have really noticed a difference in him. He’s opening up. He’s kind of coming into his own in that regard. He’s been unbelievably coachable, he’s let his guard down. And we’ve been able to keep his confidence high, which it should be right now, for sure, while correcting and getting his game better, which is the ultimate goal for everyone.”
This story was originally published June 2, 2022 at 2:41 PM.
