Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa emphasizes factors that have helped him take play to 'another level'

Tua Tagovailoa has come into his own as quarterback of the Miami Dolphins in the last two seasons.

Tagovailoa showed what he’s capable of when he doesn’t have to compete for the starting job each week and – at least this year – showed what he can do when he’s 100% healthy. 

For the fifth-year quarterback, he chalked it up to at least two things that have helped him out tremendously: the weapons put around him and the head-coaching style of Mike McDaniel.

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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talks with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Dec. 24, 2023. (Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)

The Dolphins traded for Tyreek Hill, signed Raheem Mostert and drafted Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane in the last two years. It’s helped the Dolphins go from the top 25 in yards and scoring to the top 10 in each category, including first in yards and second in points in 2023.

"It’s been all of it. I would be [remiss] to say it was one person and miss out the other people. But for sure, the guys that I’m surrounded with help me take my game to another level. And I would say the same if it were vice versa; I am also able to help those guys take their game to another level."

As fans may have seen on HBO’s "Hard Knocks," it’s not exactly a house of pain in the Dolphins' locker room.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa throws a pass during the second half of the AFC wild-card playoff game against the Chiefs in Kansas City, Missouri, on Jan. 13, 2024. (Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)

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Tagovailoa highlighted McDaniel’s approach.

"Now, with our head coach … I think the thing that he’s done that’s been really good is he has a heightened sense of emotional intelligence in reaching out to guys. … Coaching is trying to get guys to do the same thing at once," he told Fox News Digital. "But some guys don’t learn the same way as others. And so, he tried to find ways around: ‘How can I get this guy to be on the same page as that guy? OK, that’s how he learns? That’s how we’re going to do it.’"

"I think taking that sort of approach has really helped everyone on the team throughout the past two years."

Tagovailoa suggested that he relished being able to "actually be myself" and that he didn’t have to "pretend to like this play."

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa talks with head coach Mike McDaniel during a time-out in the second quarter of the game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, on Dec. 3, 2023. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

The 2023 season was Tagovailoa’s best by far, despite only making it to the divisional round once again.

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He led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards and had 29 touchdown passes as well.

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