Dolphins’ Flores offers blunt assessment of Tagovailoa, and potential Biegel replacements
Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores addressed issues before the team’s third padded practice of training camp on Wednesday:
▪ On how rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has looked:
“Some good, some bad. Lots to improve upon. Some good throws, some good decisions, some throws that aren’t so good, some not-so-good decisions. We’re evaluating all the quarterbacks. A lot of improvement needs to be made, but I’m pleased with all of our quarterbacks.”
He declined to say if Tagovailoa would be given any rest days in the wake of last November’s serious hip injury but said he has “looked good” physically...
▪ With Vince Biegel out for the season with a torn Achilles, Flores mentioned Andrew Van Ginkel, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Elandon Roberts, Kyle Van Noy (who will play multiple linebacker spots) and rookie defensive end Curtis Weaver as potential replacements in that edge role.
Flores said Van Ginkel “had a good offseason, really worked hard. Strength is up. The first- to second-year leap is an important one, and he’s taken that seriously and made a lot of improvements. You see that in his game right now. Whether than translates to on-field production remains to be seen.
“I’m happy where he is. Kamu and Roberts had some familiarity with the defense already. The little tweaks different from when they were last in it; they picked up on that quickly. Filling Biegel’s shoes will be a collective effort; he played a lot of roles in the kicking game as well.”
▪ On losing Biegel, Flores said: “It was unfortunate. It’s a significant injury. It’s a tough loss for us. But as I said to the team, Vince embodies a lot of things we’re looking for as a Dolphin. Tough, smart, competitive, team-first guy.
“As Biegel would want us to, we’ve got to move on and other guys have to step up. We have some competition and depth at the end and linebacker position. It’s a tough loss for us, but we’ve got to move on. He’s going to work to get back stronger than ever.”
▪ Flores confirmed our report that receiver Preston Williams had no setback and didn’t practice Tuesday because the team wants to be careful with him coming back from November ACL surgery.
“Preston Williams coming off the knee injury a year ago; we’ve got a plan for him and that will include some days he’s not out there. I expect he will be out there today. You guys may not see him on the field, but he’s working whether in the weight room or on the bubble. He’s always working hard to get back. In some cases, it calls for load management or a day off. In other cases it doesn’t.”
▪ On the new quarterbacks overall: “All three guys are really competing. New offense, terminology. All picking it up quickly. Making good decisions for the most part. That’s something we’ve harped on, making smart decisions, whether picking up yardage for first down. In two-minutes situations, getting completions and into field-goal range rather than going for the big throw. But at the same time, we don’t want to be a check down team for the entire season either. From a leadership standpoint, all three guys coming along fairly well.”
▪ The Patriots won’t have fans for their regular-season opener against the Dolphins on Sept. 10. Flores said “that will be very different. When I was in high school growing up in Brooklyn, Brooklyn was not a big football town.
“Maybe 400 people at the game. We had some loud fans at my high school — parents. It will be a different experience. No one has ever played in an atmosphere like that. I don’t know how it will feel. It will be the first time for all of us when we get there. We will try to make the best of the situation. Football is played between the lines. We’ll try to focus on that... and not worry about who’s in the stands.”
▪ Are players more at risk of injury without offseason OTAs this year?
“As far as the lack of an offseason, lack of training, it speaks to how important the offseason is to these guys. The reps, the conditioning of the body. Those guys understood that going in. We talked to them about it. They were diligent as far as trying to work out, trying to stay in condition and do all the things necessary to compete in a training camp. But injuries happen in this league.”
▪ Flores said recent receiver addition Chester Rogers has been “solid.” Flores mentioned Malcolm Perry as a receiver; we reported recently that Miami is working him in the slot.
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 9:26 AM.
