Monday, October 21, 2024
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(What did the medical experts clear you for? Did they clear you for not having an advanced risk of concussion this season? When you talked to them, what did they clear you for?) – “They cleared me from my concussion that I had.”
(OK and there was no future risk?) – “None of that, no.”
(We skipped the most obvious question, how excited are you to be back to practicing this week?) – “How excited are you?”
(Very.) – “I’m very excited, too.”
(So they cleared you from the concussion, about how long have you been symptom-free for and how long have you been cleared from that concussion for?) – “I would say for myself, I’d been symptom free from the next day after the game.”
(So all of the – I guess what was it like for you? I don’t know how much attention you’d pay to it when so many people in the outside world are saying, “He should retire, don’t play,” this and that, while you’re symptom-free the next day?) – “I wasn’t paying attention to any of it. None of it.”
(You said last time you had that discussion with your family in the offseason. Did that discussion come up in the last month?) – “Nope. Nope, none of that.”
(Will you wear a guardian cap?) – “Nope.”
(Why?) – “Personal choice.”
(Will this change your style of play? Your decision to scramble or run or things like that?) – “Just got to be smart, that’s it. Just got to be smart. My entire time playing football, I’ve been a competitor and that is or was sort of my edge when I would run from high school, even in college I would do the same thing. But it’s a professional setting; this is the professional level, the best of the best, you just cant be doing that. So definitely got to stay more available for the team, for the organization, for our guys.”
(What caused the concussion? Was it hitting Damar Hamlin or when your head hit the ground?) – “I don’t know. Is that a good answer to that question? I don’t know.”
(What did your family say about you coming back and how deep was that discussion?) – “Nobody – no one’s sort of advice had affected anything that I thought in terms of returning, so no one had an effect on it. Had some conversations with my wife, but that was it.”
(How frustrated are you to have to go through this again and to have to answer all of these questions again? It’s going to be something that we’ll probably ask you about…) – “Hey, I’m frustrated but this is what it is. Do I want to be known for this? No, I don’t but that’s the cards I’ve been dealt with given the history of it. So it is what it is.”
(What have you learned about this process?) – “That it’s not good to get concussions.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned earlier that you’re not expected to come in and kind of be the savior for this team, but you have watched, I imagine, from the sideline as the offense has struggled. How do you balance coming in and trying to spark a turnaround while also not trying to overcompensate and be a hero?) – “I don’t think for myself I put any pressure on myself coming back and having to save the team. I think what we have to do is we’ve got to look at this past game, all 11 guys on the field, were we given an opportunity with the plays that were called to score on every drive? And if we can say yes, then we can look at ourselves and see what we can do to get better moving forward.”
(If you were symptom-free since after that game, how frustrating has it been to have to watch from the sidelines?) – “It’s been frustrating. Frustrating for sure, but I’ve tried to stay in it with meetings with the guys, trying to continue to be the leader for guys in multiple position rooms in terms of what we’re looking at, how you can make the quarterback’s job a little easier by doing this, by doing that and then also some nuances within the offense as well, trying to help everyone.”
(It sounds like your peace of mind comes from the way you reacted to this concussion, like you probably felt you were fine that day or the day after. Is that where you’re coming from?) – “I mean yeah, it’s just frustrating that I couldn’t have helped in any way outside of trying to coach and just talking to guys. It’s been a different type of way of leading with our guys.”
(Do you think you should have been put on injured reserve?) – “What I do know is that I think the team did what was best in the interest of me knowing that I’m a competitor, and given what the doctors have told me that having a substantial amount of time to rest and recover would have been good for me, I think they did what was best in terms of protecting myself from myself.”
(While you were sidelined, did you notice any different way to get the ball to WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle? Everybody is playing the two-high safety, did you come up with anything? Anything different from earlier this season?) – “Listen, I think it’s really tough to ask any of our quarterbacks to come in to do the footwork that we’ve been doing for the past two years, to see fast guys running and seeing the space that’s there and asking them to kind of process all of that. We looked at film, we were able to see what we missed and what we could’ve got better with, but it’s a team sport. It shouldn’t take one position for this whole thing to crumble, everybody needs to be on their Ps and Qs as well.”
(There were a lot of people out there that legitimately worried about your health and making sure that you’re OK. What you would you say to those that are worried that you might get hurt again and it’s just something that’s going to continue?) – “I appreciate your concern, I really do. I love this game and I love it to the death of me, that’s it.”
(What are those conversations like on the sideline? I see you talking to a lot of guys on the sideline, not just the quarterbacks. What have those conversations been like and even with Head Coach Mike McDaniel during the game?) – “Just trying to get the pulse of the team and the guys and to be able to relay some of that information to Mike, ‘Hey, we need to get this guy more involved. Hey, this guy needs to get this or that.’ Or ‘Did you see on the last third down what they were doing,’ communicating that throughout the coaches and with what I’m hearing with the players as well.”
(It’s documented with each concussion the chance of getting one is exponentially more. Has that ever been discussed with you by doctors? Not this time and the last few times, because this is the third time you’ve had one since you’ve been with the Dolphins. Has that been discussed, and did you ask questions about that?) – “Yeah, it’s been discussed with me and the doctors. And I’ve asked questions about it, all of that.”
(And they’ve said it still – that would not be an issue?) – “I think the brain is – there’s just a gray area when it comes to that. If you do know that you’re going to get long-term disease from it, or if you’re not, I just think there’s a lot of gray with it. For me, this is what I love to do. This is what makes me happy and I’m going to do it, that’s it.”
(The gravity of the situation at 2-4, just thinking you guys might need to go 8-3 the rest of the way, perhaps 7-4, what does that mean to you? Do you think about that? Have you looked at the standings and thought about playoff hopes?) – “It doesn’t. I don’t think in any of the records, what if this, what if that – focus on this week. Focus on getting a win and hoping to build off of that.”
(Is there a scenario ever where you would envision yourself blowing back in terms of how much doctor say you should miss? Because you obviously want to continue playing, it’s your life, it’s your decision. Would there ever be a time where they’d say, “Because you’ve had so many, you need to sit out five weeks or six weeks,” and you would say, “No, I’m not sitting out that length of time again,” or do you think you should always defer to what the doctors advise with timetables?) – “Man, I just think it’s based off whatever that individual feels. If you feel like you can go, you can go. This is only – I just think this is only becoming a thing just because of what ended up happening two years ago for myself within the sport. I hate that it’s happened, but we don’t look at boxers the same way. We don’t look at hockey players the same way, but I just think because of what happened in the magnitude that that had that it’s becoming more of an issue here in the league.”
(This latest incident, would it affect your honesty with a trainer if they asked you about your health?) – “No. No, it wouldn’t affect any of that.”
(What have conversations been like between you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel? Has he kind of just deferred to medical experts and you and your family? Or has he been vocal about how he wants you to protect yourself and what that looks like for you?) – “Yeah, he’s been – the conversations have been more with Mike (McDaniel) and the medical experts. The same information that I’ve been given is the same information that he’s been given around the concussion history and then the long-term health with the brain. So outside of that, he’s been focused on the other quarterbacks and getting them right for the game plan and that game week.”
(I imagine the immediate aftermath was probably murky, but what do you remember about that period of time as you left the field? And then, I think Head Coach Mike McDaniel said that you joined your family in the locker room.) – “I remember everything. It was just as I was getting up to leave off the field some things were spotty, but outside of that I remember the play, I remember seeing my family, I remember everything.”
(With your return, do you expect the deep ball and everything to be like it was? Or will it take a little bit of time for this offense to kind of find its footing do you think?) – “I’ve been working my butt off as if I was getting ready to play every game for every week; looking over the gameplan, going out and working with the athletic staff to go stand in a spot and I throw it to them and continue to work the timing of my footwork and all that to stay in shape and just to get ready. I expect us to come out – whether we throw it deep or we don’t, expect us to come out and execute all of the plays that are given to us.”
(How long have you been throwing?) – “For five weeks.”
(You had a chance to throw with WR Odell Beckham Jr. I’ve heard?) – “A little bit.”
(How excited are you to get back into the flow with all the guys?) – “I’m excited. I’m excited.”
(You’ve said it’s obviously your decision and you have so much more information than we do, but how much risk do you think you’re taking to play again? Any more than the normal player?) – “Well, how much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to go drive to work? Get into a car crash, I don’t know. Everything I think takes risk. So to answer that question, every time we all suit up, we’re all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt, whether it’s a concussion, a broken bone, anything. You get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentially could risk you spraining your ankle. There’s just risk in any and everything and I’m willing to play the odds, that’s it.”
Monday, October 21, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(A – will QB Tua Tagovailoa practice on Wednesday? And B – will Tua play on Sunday if he clears protocol this week?) – “Our plan is to start him practicing on Wednesday and the clearing doesn’t come until after some of the activity, but we’re obviously doing so in the hope of everything going well so that he can play Sunday, but that will be to be determined.”
(Why is this the right week to bring him back?) – “Following – specifically with concussions, but just any injury in general, just following the directive and the opinion of medical experts. I think the reason why he’s coming back now is because the medical experts have deemed it safe for him to return. So I don’t mess with timelines or try to overcook or forecast. You lean on experts for matters of the career and that’s what we’re doing here.”
(The decision to place him on injured reserve, did that also come from medical experts’ recommendation or was that more of a team being precautionary or erring on the side of caution with him?) – “This will be a good one to tweet out – I feel like I’ve answered it like six times – but the medical experts deemed that he would be best served with time. And in terms of the roster and equating what that timeline looked like, it was a little unknown, and so when the brain’s health will be determined by the time, you make that decision. Each concussion is unique to its own, but that’s why you have to really rely upon people that study the brain for a living and that was the driving force.”
(Will QB Tua Tagovailoa wear a guardian cap when he returns?) – “That’s a great question for Tua (Tagovailoa). I think contrary to popular belief, as it’s collectively bargained, we aren’t allowed to mandate things that aren’t mandated in terms of their attire. I think in terms of his career, we just have a high priority to pass forth information and knowledge so that decisions can be made with the full breadth of information. I think that I always preach that it is the individual player’s determination if they want to do so, and so what you don’t do is skirt the information gathering process and you make sure they’re well-informed and they have access to all the available options which is supremely important to me. And then players, when they’re making choices that relate to they’re playing their careers as it’s negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement, I appreciate the individual determination for how they play. Good question for him.”
(Do you have a sense of who his backup will be this week?) – “Not as of yet. It’s to be determined. Some information still needs to be gathered, and I heard you guys didn’t want to wait till like, 6 or 7 tonight for this press conference.”
(Is it your sense that QB Tyler Huntley’s injury might be season ending?) – “My sense is I have no senses about it yet. It went from, ‘All right, we’ll keep you updated and abreast on whether or not he can come back into the game,’ to ‘He will not be coming back into the game.’ So there’s still some stuff going on with the evaluation process and I’ll make my determination on that alongside the coaching staff and Chris (Grier). That’ll probably come tomorrow where I’m kind of making those thoughts out.”
(If I remember this correctly the last time QB Tua Tagovailoa came back from a concussion in 2022, in that first game there was a moment where he lowered his shoulder and kind of initiated contact at the end of the run, comes back to the sideline, is like, “sorry Coach, I needed that one.” What’s the messaging from you to him this time around about protecting himself in situations like that?) – “I think he has a better understanding of his responsibility towards to the entire organization at this point. My answer would be, ‘You don’t need that one’ this time around. And I think it’s been eye-opening, too, for him where he was at a place where he really felt comfortable attacking the nuances of the game and he’s just in a different place as far as a leader of this team and feels tremendous responsibility to do everything in his power to be on the field, so part of that is protecting yourself. I’ve got to make sure that he’s properly protected, but at the same time I can’t control everything and he has to be able to protect himself for him to – regardless of the first down conversion that he’s trying to get – for him to be on the field with his team that he needs to be smart about how he engages in contact.”
(I just wanted to follow up – I know this offseason he talked about losing weight partially to have more mobility. Does that plan change at all, the mobile aspect of his game?) – “It’s more about extending plays and being able to move within the pocket for that extra hitch or two. It’s not really like a quarterback run game type of thought process, but for him – I think one of the reasons why this time around he was so diligent and deliberate on excessive running and staying in shape to keep that what he feels, and I think I would agree, is a competitive advantage for his game is being able to move his body around in the best way that allows him to make the plays that he’s capable of making. I wouldn’t say that from a schematic standpoint things would alter that much. I think that comes into making sure that the protection plans are right and the hot routes that are within the concept are right and that they’re going to be good for him to get the ball out, and then him being smart and utilizing his football IQ and his acumen as the quarterback of the team and be able to protect himself with his skills as the team needs him to.”
(Obviously the night he had a concussion was a very emotional night all around for this team. So what does it mean for you to have QB Tua Tagovailoa back?) – “I think it means any time you have teammates that you grow together with, I think it feels a little off when he’s not in the mix as much and you’re not calling plays for him. So I think it’s meaningful for the whole team considering he’s been a captain every year I’ve been here but has completely – I can’t remember the number – but he’s continued to grow how many votes he gets and he’s really the – across the board, I think everyone would say that he’s the leader of this team, so I think that’s a powerful thing that his team will appreciate. But I think it’s important to state – what I just finished talking to the team about is that he’s not the savior either. There’s a lot of things that have to be looked at from an individual’s game and all three phases to get better because it’s not ‘All right, Tua is here, he’s going to fix the issues.’ Everyone has to be on board to do their part to getting results that we want.”
(WR Tyreek Hill seemed a little upset after the game. Have you talked to him? Or has anyone talked to him? How is his mindset?) – “I sit probably 20 yards away from him on the plane. I think Tyreek (Hill) led the charge last week on selfless football and really honing in on fundamentals and technique that I thought he had his best game so far with how he was attacking defenders from the line of scrimmage and running some routes that didn’t show up on the box score because he didn’t get the ball. I think Tyreek is a model competitor for this football team that has no problems with what’s going on in the game as long as it’s done in the name of victory. I think it’s very frustrating as a receiver to lose and to not feel like you had the moment where you could help dictate the outcome, however he is learning how much he’s a part of each and every play. I think he was frustrated and was really a good example of – was saying what a lot of guys weren’t saying but were feeling. You’re never anything but happy when you have the right competitors on your team that don’t like to lose because that helps the preparation for the whole team. His competitive edge, how he goes about his business helps dictate the terms of how everyone gets better. Frustrated as we all are for losing football games.”
(How would you evaluate in the four games QB Tua Tagovailoa missed the play at the quarterback position?) – “I would say that in some challenging situations, there were some things that I was happy with in terms of giving other players a chance to do their jobs and have good football, but overall I would say there was a solid amount of time where the overall play wasn’t good enough. I think that’s a collection of things; I think some teammates could have executed some things a little better. This past game, I thought we missed some ops that were there that teammates did do enough to put themselves in position to give the team a chance to make a play and the play didn’t get made. I don’t think anything is totally good enough in 1-3 football.”
(What have you learned about QB Tua Tagovailoa throughout this entire process?) – “This process, I’ve learned where he’s at in distinction to the two previous years. I think he used this time to find ways to improve things while I’m going through all of the endeavors and finding out all of the information being super diligent. He’s really shown his maturity that continues to evolve and I think he’s found a way to be even more of a leader just by investing in his teammates when he can’t play. I’ve learned that he takes the responsibility of being the franchise quarterback in a way that you desperately need your franchise quarterback to approach it, and I think he’s taught a lot of his teammates about himself and how much he’s along the ride with them. Because in circumstances like this, it would be very easy and you could totally justify someone thinking about their own issues and problems the entire time. To be able to take the whole situation in, to be able to have conviction by way of seeking out information and then all the while making sure that his teammates know that he is right there with them and he’s keeping track of all the things that are going on within the offense, talking to every position group about certain things that he sees that aren’t up to the standard – whether that’s a Monday film review or that’s a Wednesday practice – he hasn’t taken a day off from them, and I think that’s a big deal.”
(To drill down on what QB Tua Tagovailoa heard from concussion experts and what questions were asked, was he cleared from a higher concussion risk this season? Or was he cleared from long-term damage? And we’re all the opinions unanimous?) – “Yeah, I think he – it is probably a better quote coming from none other than Tua himself, but I think that the resounding thing was that we need some time and he needed the appropriate circumstance and the environment and needed it not skirting any detail. Like I said before, each concussion is unique to its own and I think he’s very well-versed and bottom line is the medical experts, he really got some strong feedback to allow him to effortlessly make this decision which I’m sure he’s eager to talk to you about.”
(I know the offense was largely built around QB Tua Tagovailoa and he’s a lefty. A lot of your backups have been righties. I’m curious how much of a factor that is for the offense having to shift or not shift this last month?) – “The bottom line is anytime you try to max out your output with your given skill sets of your roster and the players you have on it and try to feature their skill sets, it is an adjustment. I think righty to lefty, I think beyond the quarterbacks having to inverse things when they’re watching cut ups and we’re talking technique from that of Tua’s tape, I think it’s less, ‘Everybody catch it,’ – most guys work out every offseason with almost primarily righties. There’s always things when you are trying to really fit your scheme to your players, and I would say the list is multiple and they probably are all about the same vastness of all right, it’s a little different because Tua throws a different ball and Tua’s timing is unique to him and he’s really exceptional at it. The timing, cadence, the types of plays that we’re doing, that was all an adjustment, for sure, that you prepare within your scheme but it’s always something of a hurdle that teams have to – there’s plenty of teams that win football games with various quarterbacks. So the reason why we didn’t win wasn’t exclusive to the quarterback position, and in times when you have one of your best people out, other people have to step up including coaching.”
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 | POSTGAME QUOTES
DOLPHINS TIGHT END JONNU SMITH
What are you guys feeling right now?
“This is one of the toughest places we’ve been and it felt like this is one we let get away from us. We have to have a short term memory and get ready for next week.”
What makes you confident that this team can turn it around?
“I’m extremely confident. It’s just a few mistakes here and there. The Colts didn’t beat us. The Dolphins beat us today. Don’t get me wrong, all respect to them that came out here and did enough to win. But from us, for our perspective, I feel like the Dolphins beat us today.”
Can you tell exactly where the game got away?
“It wasn’t one specific play. It was us collectively, all 11 in all three phases. We didn’t do enough and didn’t play to the standard that we all play at, including myself. Nobody is excluded from this.”
Do you feel more comfortable in Week 7?
“I feel the more time you get with your guys, the more time you have to build your chemistry. We’re even trying to get together during the bye week, and it was big for us. We haven’t had plenty of reps together since he came in, so we were trying to take advantage of all the opportunities we can. We are trying to build a tighter chemistry so that when we get out here on Sundays, we’re on the same page.”
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 | POSTGAME QUOTES
DOLPHINS DEFENSIVE TACKLE ZACH SIELER
What is your perspective on being 2-4 at this point in the season?
“We talked about this when we were 1-2 or 1-3. We’ve been 1-7 out of eight. We’re in double digit games and there is enough time to come back. It’s a long season. Everyone is counting things out. It doesn’t matter. We’re 2-4. There is a lot that could happen. There is a lot of ball left to play.”
How do you get out of making self-inflicted problems?
“We need to get on top and stay on top of each other more in a sense of holding ourselves accountable every single day. There is no, ‘I’ll get it right the next play,’ or ‘I’ll fix this right now.’ We need to get a stop, reload it, get it right and stop those little mental errors. We have a great team. I know we have a great team. We can beat these guys. We can beat any team in the NFL. It’s just a matter of doing the little things right and focusing on those things.”
What is the frustration level after playing well but still losing?
“It comes back to the first question. It’s things we need to make sure we are correct on the little things. Our fits, our security or whatever the play entails. You’re one piece of 11. Do your job and don’t try to do too much. Everyone falls victim to that. You try to make a big play and then things can happen. Let’s do our jobs, focus on that, be right on every play. When you do that, that’s when you do that, that’s when you win games.”
Can you take me through the fumble recovery?
“I haven’t watched the tape yet. I don’t know what happened. I know we had the puller, played back to the center and tackled and I saw them bobbling it around coming off of the edge. I jumped on it and tried to keep hold of it.”
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 | POSTGAME QUOTES
DOLPHINS RUNNING BACK DE’VON ACHANE
What is your perspective on being 2-4 right now in the season?
“All of our loses have been one possession games. It’s not like we are going and getting blown out. It’s not like the team is hurting us. We are beating ourselves. We had two turnovers today. We had a lot of penalties as well. We just have to correct the little things. We get a rhythm and then we get penalties.”
What did you think of the run game as a whole today?
“We ran the ball great. All of the backs had great running games today. When we do these runs and get penalties, it puts us in a bad spot.”
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 | POSTGAME QUOTES
DOLPHINS HEAD COACH MIKE MCDANIEL
What would be your explanation as to the difficulties getting the ball to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in this game?
“Compounding. I think they were phenomenal all game. They’ve really looked at their role in an expansive way. They’ve been trying to do whatever we can to win the football game. When you run the ball 40 times, it does minimize your opportunities and then if you’re trying to take advantage of a defense over playing and doubling them and getting the ball to the tight end, then they have less opps (opportunities). I always look at that as part of my job, to find ways anyway. So, it was frustrating this game. Didn’t anticipate some of the game shaping out that way. I have to find a way, specifically when they are doing their jobs at a high level. They were very involved in the run game in blocking. And contrary to popular belief, they do play every play. They’re one of 11 in terms of not just passes. Sometimes they’re limited to requiring a lot of attention and emphasis from the defense, which gives other guys opportunities. But we have to take advantage of those opportunities, and I need to find ways to get them involved.”
It felt like, over the past couple weeks or past couple games that defenses have specifically tried to take away Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and make you use your other guys. Have there been opportunities to get them involved?
“I think every team goes with that objective, because they know how good they are. I think that there have been games in the past that maybe as they reviewed the tape and where they’re at in their careers, where they’re trying to be great. They’ve acknowledged sometimes that they’ve minimized their involvement by certain things that they can do in their game. However, this game, I didn’t see that. Teams always do. So, you have to continue to problem solve. Sometimes you think that you have solved the problem, and then you find out you haven’t. That will always be the case with them. So, I can’t look at it like – I have to keep them involved. But they were very active in the game without the ball. So that was a good thing.”
The turnovers. The big one that leads to a touchdown, and then one on the 14 or 15-yard line, where it takes you out of scoring position, and derailed where you were going. It looked like both sides of the ball were playing at a pretty good level. And that kind of just flipped the script a little bit?
“Absolutely. They were tough ones. Raheem (Mostert) has had 400-plus carries since he’s been here with us. That’s what’s tough about it. He has his fourth fumble out of those 400 touches. The timing of that was, was rough. And then Alec Ingold is a captain, because he’s one of the best players, people and really a playmaker for us a lot of times without the ball and with the ball. I thought that was unfortunate in that situation, because I think there was an opportunity for him to not be strung out sideways and have the ball. If we would have executed like I anticipated, it would have gone a different spot. But it’s also a game of accountability and at the same time, they know they can’t do that. Some players from the team didn’t know where my head was at, so they came and made sure that they were given an opportunity, and that they all still believed in them, which I already knew. So that’s why they continue to get opps (opportunities). But they can’t do that. Just like the game of accountability – it doesn’t matter. If there are good calls, it doesn’t matter. Collectively as a team, we just have to play smarter football – it’s crazy. So that starts with me. It’s always rough for me when guys that are very ball secure do have fumbles. They get picked too and things happen. I’m very frustrated because you think you emphasize things correctly, and you think you have certain things fixed, and when they’re not, it’s not going to be anybody else’s fault but me. I was definitely wrong. And you have to approach it that way. We have retooled stuff to clean up our game with the penalties and it’s still killing us. I need to figure out something better, which is what I’ll be doing starting the second this press conference ends.”
Would you be able to say that Tua Tagovailoa will begin his practices this week?
“I think tonight, when we’re talking about a game that people played in, I think talking about guys on IR I don’t think is appropriate and doesn’t hit me right. So, I’ll be more than happy to address that tomorrow. But tonight, I’ll try to keep it about guys tonight.”
What were the conversations that led to De’Von Achane wearing the Guarding Cap?
“I think you on the front end, embrace player safety with your team. So, if you are very open about, this is a tool that, if you’re comfortable for your professional career and playing football and regular season games and whatever – absolutely, if you want to do that, we support it. So, I do think that’s important to support it – allowing players to have those types of decisions to make for themselves. But I support all that. That’s why if anybody wants to wear thicker elbow pads or a thicker helmet, I have no problem with that. We support that.”
Would you recommend Tua Tagovailoa wear it?
“I do the same thing that I do for every player. You don’t skirt information. I force guys to have knowledge of what they would be turning down on what they would be doing. I just support any of that for all players, with no exception to be Tua (Tagovailoa).”
What did you think of how Tyler Huntley played today? Do you have an update on his status?
“I don’t have an update. He’s a tough dude. Coming off the field, he was trying to say he was going to be good. When the paid professionals that are on our medical team talk to him about the things that he’d have to do, and put him through some strength testing stuff, I think he wasn’t. I don’t really know the extent of it, but I know it was going to take a lot to keep him out. I thought he did a good job with command. I thought he gave the offense a chance to win. I will have to look at the tape. There were a couple things that I thought were there that maybe we didn’t execute, but it’s short sighted to place blame on any one individual. But I think he had us in a position to win this, which is all you can ask for. And I thought he made a couple plays that were report, both with his throws and with his feet. So, he’s continued his progression, which was good.”
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 | POSTGAME QUOTES
DOLPHINS QUARTERBACK TIM BOYLE
How much work did you get with the offense this week in order to get thrown into the game in the situation you were in?
“Most of the time, the backup quarterbacks don’t really get any reps during the week. Snoop (Tyler Huntley) took the good majority of them. Being pros, making sure you are getting mental reps. Coach (Darrell) Bevell will make sure that we all have enough good reps with drill work, but from the bulk of the work standpoint, not a lot of reps.”
What was your mindset as you did ultimately end up going in?
“You’ve got to go in and step in and not skip a beat. I think Snoop (Tyler Huntley) did a really good job the first half and beginning of the third quarter. He was playing a really good game, and it’s unfortunate what happened to him. I hope he’s okay. I haven’t seen him yet, but you have to step in and run the offense like nothing happened. We did a good job driving the ball, we just got to hang on to the ball in certain situations, and we got to tighten up the end of the game situation.”
Can you take me through the final fourth down play?
“It was a play call with the coverage they gave me. I tried to put it in a spot where only (Malik Washington) could get it, but we all got to be better at the end of the game. Players and coaches. We win and lose as a team.”
Why do you think there were so many issues getting the ball to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle for a majority of this game?
“I think defenses do a really good job of taking those guys away, and we have to be creative with the ways we get them the ball. But when you have really good players like that, the defense is game planning them too. So, a lot of the game they were, they were (inaudible) Tyreek (Hill). We see a lot of that. This defense was primarily going into the game a one high structure defense, and they played us a majority two high, and that’s to take away our guys outside. So, we took what the defense gave us, but we got to find ways to get those guys the ball, because they’re really good players.”
What have you been seeing lately out of Tua Tagovailoa internally as now his window could potentially open up on the other side of this?
“He is hungry to get back. He’s been around every meeting (and) every practice. He’s a bright light for this team right now, and I know he’s excited to get back and hopefully he can do that here soon.”
