Tua Tagovailoa has repeatedly said that he doesn't hear the outside noise from the media and fans. He is about to listen to the noise from within, however, and he can't escape that.
A day after taking his problems public, the Miami Dolphins' starting quarterback is learning what it means to keep things in-house. From Mike McDaniel to the players in the locker room, Tagovailoa is being called out by the silence in the room. Tua specifically called out teammates for showing up late, or not at all, to player-only meetings.
McDaniel spent most of his Monday afternoon press conference answering calls about Tagovailoa's comments on Sunday. For nearly 20 minutes, McDaniel was bombarded and actually looked relieved when the questions were for something else.
Tua Tagovailoa gets a life lesson in leadership from his teammates' silence
"Now that I've heard [Tagovailoa's postgame comments] — you guys caught me before I heard them — after a loss as a franchise quarterback, that's not the place [to say] that," McDaniel said. "He knows that now. I honestly believe there was no ill intention."
The questions continued throughout the press conference, but if Tagovailoa was worried about what his coach might be thinking after the ill-advised tossing of his teammates under the bus, the players may have made a louder statement by saying nothing.
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Immediately after the game, linebacker Jordyn Brooks was asked about Tagovailoa's comments and declined to answer. On Monday, Patrick Paul and Aaron Brewer were asked about it. Both players told the media that team matters should remain within the team.
I guess we will see if the Dolphins quarterback learns anything from his momentary lapse of discretion, but what should be asked is whether or not Tagovailoa can recover from it internally. Judging by the players' comments, they will keep that inside the building.
Tagovailoa may have just lost the team's respect, and as a leader, that is hard to regain when you are the quarterback for a poorly coached team that isn't winning. When losses pile up due to coaching issues, players often look to themselves. In most cases, that means the quarterback. On Sunday, Tagovailoa became a bigger part of the overall problem.