Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has taken over for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts as “NFL QB That Some Media Members Have Decided Is Only Good Because of the System He Plays In.”
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is having none of it.
Miami’s offense has been a juggernaut so far this NFL season and Tagovailoa is at the center of their success. Heading into Week 7, the signal-caller leads the league in passing yards (1,876) and is tied for first in touchdowns (14). It’s been a huge change of pace for the NFL MVP candidate, who struggled under center before McDaniel arrived in Florida.
The flip side is that it makes a lot of people wonder if McDaniel’s offensive system is the true hero and Tagovailoa is simply benefitting from being in the right place at the right time.
Wednesday, McDaniel was asked during his press conference if he felt like many other quarterbacks around the NFL might also “excel” while playing in his offensive system. The second-year head coach did not mince words in his cheeky-but-serious response.
Mike McDaniel took significant exception when asked if he thought any QB could succeed in this situation:
“I’m about to push this podium over. My answer to that would be who the F cares? I’ve coached a long time and I haven’t seen people do what our guys do.” pic.twitter.com/25R63PYeKN
— King of Phinland🐬👑 (@KingOfPhinland) October 18, 2023
“I’m about to push this podium over,” McDaniel said. “My answer to that would be, who the F cares? Because it is a team, we’re working together, and I know one thing: I’ve coached stuff a long time. I haven’t seen people do what our guys do – to their credit, to their ability, and their commitment to their craft.”
Mike MCDaniel’s first impulse when asked about those who think any QB could flourish in this offense was to topple over his podium. pic.twitter.com/OK1tzRLvgr
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) October 18, 2023
For McDaniel, his focus isn’t on just the quarterback, but the entire team.
“As a teammate, we’re all dependent on each other. I’m not in any hurry to prove myself without those guys because those are part of who we are. To say it’s this person or that person is kind of missing the point. It is a team working together, people working together. Myself, Tyreek Hill, Tua, cool, but what if no one’s blocking anyone? You know what I mean? We’re all connected in that way. That’s why, I think, a lot of the guys … Tua’s success in their success, Tyreek’s success, Waddle’s, Raheem’s, etc.”
The second-year head coach continued to say that statistics are great but its the full commitment of everyone on the team and in the organization that matters.
“It’s a journey that we’re experiencing together. Somebody will get the statistics from it, but none of those statistics are worth anything if you don’t have a full support from your players across the board, all 11, and then it goes down to the organization and all those things combined. But I know this: Our players run a lot of plays that I have a lot of history with, and it looks different, and that’s because of hard work and unbelievable abilities.
“Don’t try me on other players. I’m not trying to prove that.”
It’s a thoughtful answer that is surely appreciated back in the locker room by not just the stars of the team but the unsung heroes who help them get those stats.
That narrative that Tua is succeeding because of McDaniel’s system was never louder than Tuesday when Stephen A. Smith said on First Take that the Dolphins QB was “dipping it two yards” to Tyreek Hill most of the time and the wideout was doing all the legwork. The irony was that as Smith was saying that, most of the highlights next to him showed Tagovailoa launching the ball deep for long gains.
"I don't know if y'all watching Miami enough. All of these passes ain't for 19, 20, 30, 40 yards. You just got Tua dipping it two yards to [Tyreek Hill]." – Stephen A. Smith.
We counted five long passes by Tua in the accompanying highlights package, while all of Tua's short… pic.twitter.com/btq7YALLTj
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 17, 2023
So deluded was this take that Smith didn’t remember that he lambasted Chris Russo for saying the same thing just one year ago.
Like Hurts last season, this narrative might just follow Tua around all season long, especially if Miami proves to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. He probably won’t be able to prove some doubters wrong short of winning a championship, and even then who knows? But none of that matters much to McDaniel and his team.
[King of Phinland, Adam Beasley]
