Miami Dolphins fans were left laughing at the way Tua Tagovailoa recently handled a Zoom call with Atlanta reporters. His flippant approach left even his most loyal supporters questioning him.
The former Dolphins starter discussed the team's troubles last season and implied that the coaches were part of the problem. He now has a new coach, Kevin Stefanski, and his full support. Stefanski met with the media on Sunday and believes that his new QB will take advantage of the fresh start.
The Falcons' head coach seems to be watching the wrong tape if he believes that Tagovailoa can turn it around. The problems are not with his talent; it's how he uses it.
Falcons' Kevin Stefanski is clearly watching the wrong Tua Tagovailoa tape from his time with the Miami Dolphins
The NFL's Annual League Meetings took place over the weekend, and Stefanski spoke with NFL insider Mike Garafolo, taking questions about his current stable of QBs.
"There's something to be said when you're fired," Stefanski said. "I can attest to that. You want to prove people wrong. You have a chip on your shoulder. I think where I'm coming into this, where Tua's coming into this is, listen, this is not exactly how you thought it would go, but guess what, that's the reality, and how are we gonna respond?"Kevin Stefanski
On the one hand, the change of scenery was needed. Fans knew that since the end of the 2024 season, he was unable to come close to the success of 2023. His regression on the field only raised more questions.
"I think that's what he's made of. You look back at his career, Stefanski said, you look back at his college career, he's responded."
Under Brian Flores, he struggled to earn the coaches' trust and respect. He was torn down, and Mike McDaniel rebuilt him. Despite the concussions that ended his season in 2022, Tagovailoa bounced back in 2023.
Everything needed to click for the Dolphins' quarterback that season, and it did until the final month of the schedule. Miami lost three of its final five games, and it lost in the first round of the playoffs. In the final five games, they lost in the first round of the playoffs. Tua's completion percentage dropped below 70 for all of those games except against the Jets in Week 14.
Stefanski thinks that Tagovailoa is resilient and can bounce back from the last two years due to his competitive nature, but he hasn't shown he is capable of doing so, at least not consistently. If this were one season, we might believe it, but it's multiple seasons now of the same trend.
The biggest problem for Tagovailoa may be the mental part of his game. Before McDaniel gave up on him late last year, the quarterback was going through the motions. His gameplay and style changed. He was more skittish in the pocket, far less mobile, and accuracy dipped to his Flores-era levels as he threw the most interceptions of his career.
Tagovailoa knows his play last season wasn't good enough, but he still managed to find a way to blame others as well. Those leadership concerns will follow him to the Falcons as well.
Dolphins fans don't wish ill on Tagovailoa, but the reality is he hasn't been the elite game-changing QB that he was expected to be. If he is going to turn around his career, he needs to go all-in with his gameplay. If he continues to play as though he is worried about his health, there is no chance of him rebounding, and Stefanski is going to learn that quickly.