MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 and showed similar sharpness for much of this season.
But on Wednesday, Tagovailoa took some of the blame for his surprising 5-7 start, saying that spending a month on injured reserve with a concussion played a big role in how this season unfolded.
“I don’t think that (record) represents our character as a team,” Tagovailoa said. “That’s not indicative of the work we put in this offseason.
“No one would say that but me and I feel like this has a lot to do with myself.Obviously in the second game I put myself at risk and I went down and basically the team “I take it to heart.” Similarly, I don’t want to do that to my peers again. ”
During their recent three-game winning streak, the Dolphins appeared to be returning to last season’s form, but after a lackluster performance last Thursday at frigid Lambeau Field, where the temperature at kickoff was around 70 degrees. , questions about Miami’s toughness resurfaced.
According to Next Gen Stats, Miami had 20 missed tackles and allowed 114 yards on the ground, but only 39 yards rushing. Tagovailoa has been fired five times.
The Dolphins have lost their last 12 regular-season or postseason games in which kickoff temperatures were below 40 degrees, with additional cold-weather games likely later this season at Houston, Cleveland and the New York Jets. There is sex. Miami went 4-10 in games played after December the past two seasons.
“Everyone has to come together and have the same mindset,” Tagovailoa said of Miami’s toughness. “That’s why we have team football, that’s why you participate in team sports. You have to think about whether you’re mentally tough or physically tough. I think they have to go hand in hand. If there’s a twist in either of them, it could go either way.”
Weeks after former Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott said the Dolphins were “soft” when he played there, linebacker Jordyn Brooks said after the loss to Green Bay. He criticized the team’s toughness.
“I feel like we let the elements control our play,” Brooks said after the 30-17 loss. “As a group, we thought we were soft. It’s very simple.”
Coach Mike McDaniel said he expects all kinds of criticism if his team doesn’t live up to expectations, but added that he uses game tape to gauge toughness.
“If you have an example of a weakness of mind or a situation where a player is refusing something or slacking off because of the outcome, you can coach on that,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said he didn’t see anything on the tape to indicate the players weren’t giving their best effort, but that the tackles were due to force or poor technique (not putting their feet through the tackle). He added that there were many cases of failure. The match continued.
He also said that players would have insisted on benching him if his teammates were “lazy” or refusing assignments, but suggested that did not happen.
“I am very aware that there is a story,” McDaniel said. There’s one way to change that. It’s about winning the game against the New York Jets.
“And you know what? People might not say you’re tough yet. Nice. As a head coach, I’m responsible for things that help me fulfill my responsibilities. We take it very seriously to provide information that is actually helpful rather than judgmental.”
Some Dolphins players disagreed with the idea that the team wasn’t tough enough.
“I think we need to prove that wrong,” defensive tackle Zach Sheeler said. “If people think that, we have to go out there and beat it. I don’t think that’s the case. I think we play physically up front. I think we’re playing physical in every aspect, and I think we’ll definitely have to show that on Sunday.”
Precautions
Miami placed backup cornerback Cam Smith on injured reserve after dislocating his shoulder against Green Bay. The Dolphins also removed tackle Jackson Carman from the practice squad and added cornerback Jason Maitre to the practice squad. … Edge rushers Bradley Chubb and Cameron Good practiced Wednesday for the first time this season, and McDaniel did not rule out the possibility of one or both playing Sunday. Chubb tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Week 17 of last season, and Good tore his patellar tendon in the final game of the season.
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