Tua doing well, helping in the building. And Thompson addresses calls for him to start
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Wednesday:
▪ This is a good sign: Tua Tagovailoa, healing from a concussion, has felt well enough to come to the team facility and attend at least some meetings this week. That’s according to rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson.
“He’s been around,” Thompson said. “I know that’s an encouraging feeling for our entire football team. He’s doing well. He’s always contributing, helping the team win, whether it’s starting or the position he’s in now. He’s a captain, he’s a leader, he’s great.”
Tagovailoa wasn’t spotted on the sideline during Wednesday’s practice. He will miss Sunday’s game at the Jets, and it’s undetermined how long he will be out as he works his way through concussion protocol.
“From my understanding, he’s doing well,” his trainer, Nick Hicks, told “The Joe Rose Show” on WQAM on Wednesday. “All signs are great. I know he’s in great hands. They’re doing the right things to get him healthy again.”
I found this interesting: When Hicks was asked by Rose about how Tagovailoa responds to all of the public commentary about him, Hicks said that Tagovailoa doesn’t have Twitter or Instagram on his cellphone and doesn’t have cable television.
“To me, it shows how disciplined he is,” Hicks said. “He knows negative energy is not going to help.”
Meanwhile, the league’s and union’s investigation into the handling of Tagovailoa’s situation during the Buffalo game is expected to conclude this week. Multiple doctors said he had a back injury, not a head injury, even though he wobbled and fell to the ground during the second quarter of the game.
▪ Thompson was asked if he’s aware that a segment of the fan base wants him — and not Teddy Bridgewater — to start while Tagovailoa heals.
“Everybody has their opinion on whatever,” Thompson said. “All of that is white noise to me. I’m just focused on what I’ve focused on since the day I got here — getting better every day and putting myself in position to help the team win, whether that’s me on the field or at practice, helping a guy out with a play.”
He said he feels “very prepared” to play if he’s needed during Tagovailoa’s absence.
“My preparation since the beginning of the season, I’ve been trying to prepare each week like I’m the starter,” Thompson said. “I’ve been able to develop good habits throughout the week that nothing changes; it’s just getting more reps in practice.
“It’s an exciting time, but my role here is to help support Teddy. He’s the starter. I’ve looked up to Teddy since the moment I got in this locker room. Whatever I can do to help the team is what I’m going to do and I’m excited for that.”
Thompson said being on the active roster for the Bengals game, the first time during a regular-season game that he has been active, “was exciting. Big moment, first moment being able to put a jersey on during the season. It was a cool moment for me and my family.”
And he said his strong play in “all the preseason games gave me a lot of confidence.”
▪ Here was the Dolphins’ first injury report of the week heading into Sunday’s 1 p.m. game at the Jets:
Cornerbacks Xavien Howard (groin) and Keion Crossen (glute/shoulder) missed practice, as did Jaylen Waddle (groin), Terron Armstead (toe), Melvin Ingram (veteran’s rest), Tagovailoa and Cethan Carter (concussion protocol) and guard Robert Jones (back).
Howard has “two severely hurt groin muscles,” agent David Canter tweeted last week.
Three players were limited: Jerome Baker (rest), Brandon Jones (chest) and Zach Sieler (hand).
With Byron Jones not ready to return from the PUP list, the Dolphins at the moment have just four healthy cornerbacks: Nik Needham, Kader Kohou, Elijah Campbell and Noah Igbinoghene.
Safety Eric Rowe, a former cornerback, said the team hasn’t broached a return to cornerback.
He said he considers himself a safety but “I can try to do some corner, too, if things get really bad.”
▪ Receiver River Cracraft had an amusing moment with coach Mike McDaniel when McDaniel informed him last week that he was being promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
“He pulled me aside and told me I’m on the 53. I tried to be calm” and reacted without much emotion.
Cracraft said McDaniel then jokingly told him: “Calm down! Don’t get too excited!’”
▪ Jaylen Waddle indicated that even with Tyreek Hill playing with him, there isn’t a significant difference in how much single coverage he’s getting.
“I can’t say it’s been that,” Waddle said when asked if he’s getting a lot more single coverage than in 2021. “Teams are giving us a lot of different looks, making us ready and stay true to our details.”
Waddle feels a comfort level with Bridgewater: “I’m very familiar with Teddy. We did a lot of work in the offseason together, got a lot of reps in training camp.”
Beyond the fact that Tagovailoa is left-handed and Bridgewater is right-handed, is there any other big difference in catching passes between the two?
“No, not really to me,” Waddle said. “Catching the ball is catching the ball. It doesn’t really matter the rotation or how you spin it.”
How do the two quarterbacks differ personality wise? “They’re [both] more on the quieter side,” Waddle said. “Teddy can be vocal when you have to. He’s more upbeat I feel like.”
▪ More reaction on Bridgewater: Hill said Bridgewater “will keep us with the same momentum. He understands what coaches want” — to get the ball to the team’s playmakers and “let the weapons be the weapons.”
Fullback Alec Ingold said Bridgewater conveys a “sense of calmness, knowing he’s been there before.”
This story was originally published October 5, 2022 at 4:21 PM.
