Tua Tagovailoa recently shared his contrasting experiences under former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and current head coach Mike McDaniel. In an appearance on the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,” Tagovailoa candidly compared the communication styles of both coaches, revealing the impact it had on his mindset.
Tagovailoa described his time under Flores as challenging, saying, “To put it in simplest terms, if you woke up every morning and I told you that you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy should be here, that you haven’t earned this right.” In contrast, he highlighted the positive reinforcement he receives from McDaniel, stating, “And then you have somebody come in and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit for this, you are accurate, you are the best whatever, you are this, you are that.'”
The quarterback elaborated on how these different approaches have shaped his mentality. “How would it make you feel listening to one or the other? … And then you hear it, regardless of what it is, the good or the bad, and you hear it more and more, you start to actually believe that,” Tagovailoa said. He further explained, “You could be the president of the United States. You have a terrible person that’s telling you things you don’t want to hear or that you probably shouldn’t be hearing, you’re going to start to believe that about yourself. That’s sorta what ended up happening.”
Tagovailoa’s first two NFL seasons were under Flores, during which he compiled a 13-8 record. Despite this winning record, his performance fell short of expectations for a top-five draft pick. Over those two seasons, he recorded 27 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, averaged 6.6 yards per pass attempt, and 194.2 passing yards per game.
However, under McDaniel’s guidance, Tagovailoa’s performance has seen significant improvement. In the past two seasons, he has thrown for 54 touchdowns, 22 interceptions, with an average of 8.5 yards per attempt and 272.4 passing yards per game. Tagovailoa acknowledged that the transition wasn’t easy, noting, “It’s basically been two years of training that out of not just me, but a couple of the guys as well that have been here since my rookie year.”
Flores, who was dismissed from his role as the Dolphins’ head coach after three seasons with a 24-25 record, is now serving as the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. Reports at the time of his dismissal cited strained relationships with Tagovailoa and Dolphins general manager Chris Grier as contributing factors.
