Two more impressive changes for Dolphins’ Tagovailoa. And injury news from practice
A six-pack of Dolphins notes on a Wednesday:
▪ Tua Tagovailoa has grown in so many impressive ways, and two more were on display Sunday against the Giants:
The first: He changed a Mike McDaniel play call in the huddle, instead shifting to the play that resulted in his 69-yard touchdown throw to Tyreek Hill.
“One of the play calls was tough for me to envision us running; I called one I’m very comfortable with,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday. “Thank the good Lord it worked. It would have been bad if it didn’t.”
Of changing McDaniel’s call in the huddle, Tagovailoa then acknowledged that “there’s no way I did that my rookie year or the following year.... Mike makes you feel very comfortable being yourself. He’s OK with many things I do; he’s comfortable with things I do... It’s a testament to Mike and the guys he brought in.”
Tagovailoa also mentioned this week about how he’s better about bouncing back from interceptions.
After his interception that was returned for a touchdown by the Giants, Tagovailoa promptly led a nine-play, 50-yard drive in one minute, 40 seconds, resulting in a field goal just before halftime.
After his second interception Sunday, he immediately led an eight-play, 75 yard TD drive.
“When I came into the league, it was a lot different when I would throw an interception, the mindset I’d have,” he said. “I’d throw an interception, and I’d feel the need to press and think that I need to make a play for our guys.”
The fact that McDaniel and quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell don’t sharply admonish him after interceptions has been helpful in his improved ability to put mistakes behind him without allowing them to affect his performance on the next possession. But there’s more to it.
“It’s something I’ve been working on for myself,” Tagovailoa said. “It’s one of those things you can’t have back. If you ponder it, you can’t go out with a clear mind to help your team. Plays like that are going to happen. It’s how you come back from those. We’ve done a good job coming back from those.”
But of his two interceptions Sunday, he said: “That’s not something I should be doing. I’m very aware of that, working as best as I can to eliminate those in the upcoming games.”
▪ Tagovailoa, who hasn’t missed a snap due to injury this season, said he’s feeling great. “I feel really good physically, the best any quarterback could feel at this point in the season,” he said.
He has 1,614 passing yards, a pace that would set an NFL record. He acknowledged “that’s definitely cool.” But “if we don’t get where we want [as a team], none of that would mean anything to me. If we can get to where we want to get to and those stats would follow in helping win games, I would be very happy.”
▪ Three Dolphins missed Wednesday’s practice: center Connor Williams (groin), fullback Alec Ingold (foot) and cornerback Xavien Howard (rest).
Williams missed the Buffalo game with a groin injury but played every snap Sunday against the Giants. His status did not come up during McDaniel’s news conference before practice Wednesday, and players who don’t practice aren’t permitted to speak to reporters that day.
Ingold’s foot was in a boot Monday, but he said Monday that his foot was fine and he wouldn’t miss any time.
Seven Dolphins were limited in practice Wednesday: running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (ribs/finger), receiver Braxton Berrios (knee), receiver Tyreek Hill (rest), running back Raheem Mostert (rest), guard Robert Jones (knee), cornerback Nik Needham (Achilles) and linebacker Jaelan Phillips (oblique).
Phillips said he’s feeling better than last week, acknowledging that with injuries involving “soft tissues, it’s hard” to predict a timeline. “We’ll see how it goes this week,” he said.
The Dolphins have 13 more days to move Needham and Jones to the 53-man roster; otherwise they would be out for the season.
The Dolphins have 20 days to do that with Wilson, who practiced Wednesday for the first time since August. Jones and Wilson are on injured reserve; Needham is on the physically unable to perform list.
▪ McDaniel cracked that he has a name for the speedy lineup featuring Hill, Waddle, Mostert and now-injured De’Von Achane.
He joked they call it “Slow Guys Personnel.”
But seriously... “Generally, when you have a fullback, running back, two receivers and a tight end, you call that 21,” McDaniel said. “And when you exchange a fullback for another halfback, you call it Fast 21. So [that package is] called Fast 21. It’s always been named Fast 21. It just so happens that there’s some fast people in Fast 21 now.”
Hill cracked: “I’m the cheetah. I’m the fastest in the game, and I’m the fastest in real life, too though. I’ll never let anybody take that crown from me. I’m going to hold onto that forever. De’Von Achane, he’s fast. But I’m 9.98 fast. I’m Triple Crown high school fast. Junior Olympic fast.”
Achane will miss at least a month with a knee injury.
▪ The Dolphins are 4-1 despite a minus-3 turnover differential that ranks ninth worst in the league. Miami’s five takeaways on defense are the 11th fewest.
“It’s something we emphasize and practice and try and focus on,” defensive lineman Christian Wilkins said. “I feel like we have the right mind-set when it comes to that.”
▪ Quick stuff: Dolphins fans and coaches weren’t the only ones delighted by the razzle/dazzle on the team’s electrifying first touchdown drive against the Giants — an eight-play, 89-yard march that included three plays of 20 yards or more. Players knew the flashy stuff that McDaniel had planned and eagerly awaited the results.
“The amount of explosive plays that we got there right off the bat was exciting...new things, so many new wrinkles,” Ingold said...
Williams said guard Robert Hunt “is playing the best football he has.”...
Dolphins defenders appreciate what they’re witnessing from the team’s offense. The Dolphins have more yards after five games than any team in NFL history. “I’m enjoying it,” Wilkins said. “It’s added motivation to get off the field to watch our offense go.”
Waddle said of the Dolphins’ offense: “The best is yet to come.”
