Tua Tagovailoa: Cut on arm was gross, but interceptions are even worse
MIAMI GARDENS — Tua Tagovailoa might be going out on a limb in this era of eBay.
Tagovailoa was discussing the injury to his right (non-throwing) arm suffered against the Jets on Black Friday. Although he didn’t realize it at the time — teammate Mike White had to point it out — a chunk was torn out of his arm during a play. Tagovailoa required multiple stitches to close the wound.
“It was a nice chunk that came off, so someone can find that piece, that's yours,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday.
Tagovailoa wasn’t done seeing humor in the situation. He said he wasn’t certain how many stitches he received, only that it “looked very complex for them to put it together.”
However it heals, especially with the very complex tattoo Tagovailoa sports on that arm, will live in family lore for ages.
“It’d be a great story for Ace (his son) when he grows up,” Tagovailoa said before imagining the tale: “I saved three people in the ocean and I got by, I mean, a 500-pound shark. I killed it.”
Tagovailoa’s wife also will have stories to tell.
“I was told by my wife that like she didn't see it,” Tagovailoa said. “But then she got text messages from people about what it looked like and they said it was disgusting while they were eating their leftover meals.
“Sorry, I couldn't help you there.”
The upbeat Tagovailoa was in direct contrast to the one coach Mike McDaniel experiences on the sideline whenever Tagovailoa throws an interception. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, that has happened 10 times this season, compared to only three at this point last year.
“There's literally no one on the planet that's more angry every time there's a turnover,” McDaniel said.
It happened twice in rapid-fire succession late in the first half against the Jets, including a pick-6. Rather than criticizing his quarterback when he came off the field, McDaniel chose to encourage him to put it behind him, a conversation captured by NFL Films.
“He's got to use it constructively,” McDaniel said of those situations. “And it can't be absolute. It can't just be like, ‘Don’t throw picks.’ ”
Tua remains candidate for MVP honors
Tagovailoa has frequently been mentioned as an MVP candidate during Miami’s 8-3 start, but the Dolphins were 8-3 last season as well. Last year at this time, Tagovailoa had passed for 2,464 yards, 19 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 115.7 passer rating. This year, he has 3,177 yards, 22 TDs, 10 interceptions and a 103.7 rating. He has avoided an interception in three games.
“I would say any quarterback in the league would probably get down on themselves the way I get down on myself when it comes to turnovers,” Tagovailoa said. “You know, especially when your defense is playing well and you turn the ball over, none of us try to do that. We don't ever want that to happen, but we do know it's a part of the game that we play.”
So how to work through it? By telling himself there’s time to make up for what went wrong.
“Games are never won in the first, second or third quarter,” he said. “And I understand that. And as we went into halftime, I knew that I just had to come out and just continue to play the football that I should be playing, to the standard that I expect for myself and my teammates expect from me.”
The Dolphins outscored the Jets 17-7 in the second half en route to a 34-13 victory, with most of the damage coming on the ground. Miami ran 21 times for 115 yards in the second half. Tagovailoa passed only seven times, completing six for 72 yards.
Tua appreciates Mike McDaniel's positive attitude
Tagovailoa said he appreciates McDaniel’s encouraging words in the face of interceptions but still takes it upon himself when they happen.
“If it’s not the right coverage that we want that play in, to get us out of it, throw the ball away,” Tagovailoa said. “Do something, but not throw a pick-6 in that situation. So I appreciate the trust that he continues to have in me. But that’s something that I can’t do.”
Tagovailoa also took a moment to recognize the contributions of receiver Jaylen Waddle, who caught all eight of the passes thrown his way in the Jets game for 114 yards. It was only his second 100-yard game of the season. Waddle has 691 yards this season while Tyreek Hill continues on a record pace with 1,324 yards.
“I think he's done a really good job, sort of mitigating the outside noise,” Tagovailoa said of Waddle. “I do understand as a competitor he wants to be in the mix with ‘Reek of continuing to make plays for the team. He does have big games but it's sort of minimized because of the production that Tyreek gives our offense. But I think highly of Jaylen and I mean he's going to continue to do things that we need for him to do to help us win games down the stretch.”
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa laughs off cut on arm, but not his INTs
