Patriots explain why Tua is ‘underestimated.’ And fun stuff from Hill and Armstead update
Tua Tagovailoa has never lost in four starts against Bill Belichick’s Patriots. And the Patriots gave him his proper due this week.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of Tagovailoa this week: “The quarterback’s played very well, and he’s had tremendous production over the last couple of years, led the league in a lot of different categories passing the ball. So, they’ve got a really efficient guy running the offense.”
Cornerback Jonathan Jones told The Boston Herald: “It’s underestimated how good he really is. He’s won. If you look at his record for how long he’s been there [22-13 as a starter], he’s won a lot of games. Regardless of what people say, he’s won games. … He’s a winning quarterback, so we’ll have our work cut out for us.”
Defensive lineman Lawrence Guy, via The Boston Herald, said: “He has a big arm. I know a lot of people don’t say that, but he does have an arm on him, and he can get out of the pocket and get it down the field. So those quick passes are there, but we have to understand there’s also another threat we have to be worried about.”
DEFENSE CHATTER
What was defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s tone with his players following a disappointing defensive effort in the opener (at least until the final few minutes)?
“He was honest,” Jerome Baker said. “It was one of those things where you don’t have to be angry or upset. Just be honest. We understand our defense was not up to par. Sunday we’re going to come in with mindset that what we showed last Sunday is not who we are. This Sunday is going to be really different.”
HILL PLAN
The Chargers often covered Tyreek Hill with one player, and that approach failed miserably, as Hill closed with 215 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots could try something different.
“You put two guys on me, one guy on me, or three guys on me I’m still going to run my route to get open,” Hill said Thursday. “I’m still going to dominate no matter what.”
McDANIEL ON ARMSTEAD
Coach Mike McDaniel said left tackle Terron Armstead will participate fully in practice for the second day in a row, but his status for Sunday’s game at New England hasn’t been determined. Armstead missed the opener with three injuries.
“We’ll make a decision before [Sunday night’s] game,” McDaniel said.
[4 p.m. update: Armstead, Jaelan Phillips (sustained back injury at Friday’s practice), Elijah Campbell and Julian Hill are listed as questionable.]
▪ McDaniel was asked how much time he spends on defense each week, and with Fangio overall compared with predecessor Josh Boyer:
“I’m never too busy to work together specifically with Vic,” McDaniel said. “He offers different variables that can assist me doing my job, seeing he’s been a coordinator in the league since I was 12, seeing how he’s been a head coach. There’s a lot of overlap.
“He’s very well versed in game management. This year is different for me where I’m not the new guy. All those things lead to we have more things to discuss and I would be a foolish man if I didn’t utilize his resources.”
▪ McDaniel hasn’t felt compelled to warn his team against buying into the hype after one week because “I honestly feel like they understand a one-win team is not a very good team. Last year, was a big help in that, understanding what happens when you have any sort of win streak.”
This story was originally published September 15, 2023 at 12:51 PM.
