MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa addressed reporters on Wednesday at the team’s training facility in Miami Gardens, speaking about football-related matters for the first time since the Fins’ busy offseason.
Tagovailoa was asked about Miami acquiring Tyreek Hill. He said, “It’s fun. You catch glimpses of his speed and you obviously have played against him, seen him play... He’s explosive. He can turn a -2-yard swing route into a 20-yard touchdown.”
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The quarterback described the Dolphins offseason, saying, “I just feel like there’s so much things that have happened, a lot of changes. A lot of good changes, I guess. The guys we’ve picked up… The locker room feels different, we’re all excited.”
He noted that this is the first time that he’s seen a lot of veterans show up to the first phase of offseason workouts.
Some outsiders have said that Tagovailoa will feel more pressure this year because of all the addition and the fact that he’s heading into year three.
In response to that, Tagovailoa said, “I think pressure is going to be there every time. I don’t feel more pressure now that we’ve acquired these guys. I feel it’s an opportunity that we all get as a team to show what we can do this year.”
Tagovailoa said his biggest point of emphasis this offseason has been to improve his footwork.
As for his new head coach Mike McDaniel, Tagovailoa said, “Very supportive. He wants to hang out. I go up there to his office and tell him that I have a few guys coming to hang out and he feels bad that he doesn’t get to hang out… It’s been different, but it’s been super cool.”
Tagovailoa said McDaniel wants the young quarterback to lead the offense, the way that he leads.
When asked about the firing of Brian Flores, Tagovailoa said, “I have no comment towards any of that just because I don’t up with those decisions, I don’t make those decisions.”
As for his relationship with Flores, Tagovailoa said, “I’m very thankful that he drafted me to come play for the Miami Dolphins, so that’s it.”Tagovailoa said that he was going to workout this offseason in cold weather because he struggled mightily in the Dolphins loss to Tennessee in the season’s penultimate game.
The quarterback said he went up to Maryland to see his brother and throw in the cold.
Tagovailoa said he had the opportunity to throw in the snow. He said throwing in the snow was easier than if it’s just cold and windy.
As for having 6 different offenses in the past few years, Tagovailoa said he’s become more comfortable studying.
His method is to draw up the offense and then use family members to help him picture the offense.