As Dolphins’ Tagovailoa eyes opener vs. Patriots, he ‘can see the hype’ for team, offense
It’s another regular-season opener against the New England Patriots for the Dolphins, who host their divisional rival at 1 p.m. Sunday.
And in the case of the Dolphins offense, it’s another opener debuting a new-look scheme that has the attention of the football world, not only locally but nationally.
The Dolphins made a bevy of additions to their offense, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tackle Terron Armstead among the newcomers. However, no player on that side of the ball will be watched as closely as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Still, the third-year player wants to keep a team-first approach entering an opener — and season — rife with expectations.
“I think I feel very comfortable with how the offense is operating right now, how the defense is playing defense,” Tagovailoa said after Wednesday’s practice. “I think we all feel pretty confident in our gameplay, where we’re at leading up to our season opener. And I think a lot of guys are confident and we’re ready to play this Sunday.”
Though Tagovailoa is tasked with leading the new offense on Sunday, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel doesn’t want Tagovailoa — or any other player — to get too focused on making an individual play but work within the confines of the team’s game plan.
“This has been a lot of buildup for Week 1,” McDaniel said. “So, guys can fall into the trap of losing sight of what football is. And that’s a bunch of guys who have been working at the craft together for an extended period of time playing together. So, my biggest message to all the guys really is, don’t let all that investment hurt you and start to think that you need to make X, Y, or Z play. This is a team sport, the ultimate team sport and trust all the training, have a very good week of preparation, and then go have fun playing the game that you all have learned to enjoy, hopefully at a new level with their current teammates at that point of their careers.”
While Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has often tormented young quarterbacks, Tagovailoa is one of the few signal-callers who has had early success against New England. He has won all three of his starts, completing 68 percent of his passes for 456 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He has also scored three rushing touchdowns in those matchups.
Tagovailoa downplayed his record against the Patriots — “I wouldn’t attest that I’m 3-0. I would attest that we’re 3-0 — while emphasizing the difficulty of preparing for a Belichick-led defense. Last season, New England’s defense allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL.
“You never know what you’re going to get,” Tagovailoa said. “You’re always seeing different fronts. [Belichick is] going to find a way to confuse you. It’s never normally the same. You’ll get some similarities with people being in areas, but it’s not usually the same and that’s what makes it difficult making calls in the run game and knowing where to go in the pass game.”
After encouraging, albeit brief, performances in the preseason, Sunday could mark the first time the entirety of the Dolphins offense plays together in a game. Armstead was held out of the preseason as part of a veteran maintenance program, and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has been limited by a quad injury. However, both are expected to play Sunday and Tagovailoa said the team’s playmakers excited him the most about the offense’s potential.
“You check the ball down, you never know what you’re going to get,” he said. “And then now you can take the top off with guys like Tyreek. ... That’s an advantage that we have with having someone like him. And if Jaylen does play, I would say the same thing. But I think those guys are going to give other guys opportunities to get open for us and make big plays for us.”
In his first comments since being voted a captain, Tagovailoa said he was “grateful” for the honor. The distinction came on the heels of his best training camp to date. It also comes as teammates have taken notice of a new level of confidence and leadership from the 24-year-old.
“The biggest thing that stands out with me is how he has embraced his role, embraced the position he’s in,” running back Chase Edmonds said. “And he’s going out and leading you. You can see it in his confidence. You can see it in the way he talks and his demeanor. That’s what I’m most excited about.”
The beginning of the season brings a level of excitement for every NFL franchise, as each team begins the year with a clean slate and grand thoughts of what they could become. But Tagovailoa acknowledged how palpable that has been for the Dolphins, not only within the organization but outside of it.
“I can see the hype around the team with fans and all the people that want to come see our team play,” he said.
This story was originally published September 7, 2022 at 5:15 PM.
