Tua Tagovailoa reveals alarming contrast between being coached by Mike McDaniel vs Brian Flores
Miami Dolphins quarterback |A|
Tua Tagovailoa was shaping |B|
up to be a |C|
draft bust after his |D|
first two NFL seasons. |E|
A few changes, including |F|
at head coach, seemed |G|
to have the biggest |H|
influence in turning his |J|
career around. Now, Tagovailoa |K|
is shedding light on |L|
what life was like |M|
with Brian Flores versus |O|
Mike McDaniel. The history |P|
between Tagovailoa and Flores |Q|
is well-documented. Flores wanted |R|
Miami to land Tom |S|
Brady as its quarterback, |U|
but got handed Tagovailoa. |V|
The defensive-minded coachs style |Y|
clashed with Tagovailoa, leading |Z|
to the young quarterback |A|
struggling and forcing Miami |B|
to make a much-needed |C|
change. During an appearance |D|
on The Dan le Batard |E|
Show, Tagovailoa shed light |F|
on what it was |G|
like playing for Flores |H|
and how the former |J|
Dolphins head coach treated |K|
him. It was a |L|
stark contrast to the |M|
level of respect and |O|
appreciation McDaniel shows for |P|
him now. Tua |Q|
Tagovailoa stats (Pro Football |R|
Reference): 101.1 QB rating, |S|
4,624 passing yards, 69.3 |U|
percent completion rate, 29-14 |V|
TD-INT ratio, 8.3 yards |Y|
per attempt To put |Z|
it in simplest terms. |A|
If you woke up |B|
every morning and I |C|
told you that you |D|
sucked at what you |E|
did, that you dont |F|
belong doing what you |G|
do, that you shouldnt |H|
be here, that this |J|
guy should be here, |K|
that you havent earned |L|
this right. Miami Dolphins |M|
QB Tua Tagovailoa on |O|
the experience playing under |P|
Brian Flores Its the |Q|
type of situation that |R|
can leave a young |S|
quarterback questioning everything, doubting |U|
his own abilities and |V|
struggling with confidence. That |Y|
all changed once McDaniel |Z|
arrived in Miami and |A|
Tagovailoa saw an immediate |B|
difference in the messaging. |C|
|O| dir="ltr">Tua Tagovailoa on his |P| experience being coached by |Q| Miami Dolphins coach Mike |R| McDaniel
Tua Tagovailoa |S| contract (Spotrac): $1.125 million |U| base salary in 2024, |V| $25.046 million base salary |Y| in 2025, $53.1 million |Z| average annual salary
The |A| difference in coaching style |B| and messaging had an |C| undeniable impact on Tagovailoa. |D| In his first two |E| NFL seasons, the Dolphins |F| quarterbacka veraged an 88.8 |G| QB rating, 6.6 yards |H| per attempt, a 4 |J| percent touchdown rate and |K| 194.2 passing yards per |L| game. In two seasons |M| under McDaniel, Tagovailoa has |O| a 102.9 QB rating, |P| averages 8.5 yards per |Q| attempt, a 5.6 percent |R| touchdown rate and averages |S| 272.4 passing yards per |U| game.
While McDaniels system |V| certainly helped and Tyreek |Y| Hill also has a |Z| huge influence on Tagovailoas |A| success, the mental side |B| of football is just |C| as critical. McDaniel helped |D| restore Tagovailoas confidence and |E| that made all the |F| difference in the world |G| for the Dolphins quarterback.
|H|
