Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa didn’t mince words when describing the vastly different coaching styles of Brian Flores and Mike McDaniel.
On Monday, Tagovailoa opened up on his tumultuous first two seasons in the NFL under Flores. While appearing on "The Dan LeBatard Show," the 26-year-old revealed that the then- Dolphins head coach routinely talked down on his skills - a stark contrast to McDaniel’s coaching method of building him up.
“If you woke up every morning and I told you, you sucked at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy should be here, you haven’t earned this right,” Tagovailoa began. “Then you have someone else come in and say, ‘Dude, you’re the best fit for this, you are accurate, you’re the best whatever, you are this, you are that.’ How would it make you feel listening to one or the other? You see what I am saying?”
As a wide-eyed rookie and developing sophomore, Tagovailoa struggled to find consistent success on the football field, amassing 4,467 yards, 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions through the air over 23 games. On more than one occasion, Flores benched the Alabama-product in favor of journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Due to the continuous criticism and lack of belief shown by Flores, Tagovailoa began to question if he had what it takes to excel in the NFL. With the help of McDaniel, he’s continued to work on regaining trust in himself.
“You hear it, regardless of what it is, the good or the bad,” Tagovailoa said. “You hear it more and more, you start to actually believe that. I don’t care who you are. You can be the president of the United States, you have a terrible person that’s telling you things you don’t want to hear or things you shouldn’t be hearing, you are going to start to believe that about yourself.
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“That’s sort of what ended up happening. It’s been two years of training that out of, not just me, but a couple of guys that have been here since my rookie year.”
Since McDaniel replaced Flores on the heels of the 2021 season, Tagovailoa has rediscovered his dominant form, throwing for 8,172 yards, 54 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in the last two seasons. Over the offseason, the Dolphins inked him to a four-year, $212.4 million extension, making him the fourth highest-paid signal-caller in the NFL behind Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow, Green Bay Packers’ Jordan Love and Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence.
Flores, meanwhile, sued the NFL for discrimination after the Dolphins surprisingly fired him following the 2021 season. He’s since served as the linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, and was most recently hired to be the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator in 2023.
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