If the Miami Dolphins are trying to instill confidence in starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, let’s just say they’re doing a damn good job of it, from Tyreek Hill gassing up his new signal-caller while oddly demeaning his former quarterback in Patrick Mahomes to now head coach Mike McDaniel joining in on the love fest with the former Alabama star.
All offseason Hill has had nothing but great things to say about Tagovailoa, now McDaniel is signing his praises. If this is there to motivate Tua to be great, it could work or backfire, because of the lofty expectations that come with this type of hype.
During a recent interview on “The Dan Le Batard Show,” first-year head coach Mike McDaniel raved about his quarterback.
“The skill set’s crazy. I mean the dude is right-handed, do you hear me? And he’s lefty, and when he throws the ball, every lefty I’ve been with, the ball kind of tails like this … his doesn’t. It’s the most accurate, catchable ball I’ve ever seen. For me and the way I’ve learned football, and some of the stuff we got really good at in San Francisco was yards after the catch and all those things, which is maximized by the ball placement and these things.”
McDaniel continued, “My job is to make sure his best years as a football player are right in front of him, right now.”
"It's the most accurate, catchable ball I've ever seen." – Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel on what he's seen so far from Tua Tagovailoa.
Full interview from the Miami Dolphins training facility
with Dan, @Stugotz790 and @MichaelRyanRuiz available now: https://t.co/7wU6zGN1F3 pic.twitter.com/twXwliCbmh— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) August 18, 2022
That’s high praise and it also brings unwanted pressure on Tua to perform at a high level.
Tyreek Hill Has Been Screaming These Same Sentiments:
McDaniel isn’t the first to lay on the superlatives about Tua’s accuracy. In fact, new Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill has been singing that tune since he arrived via blockbuster trade in March. He’s also attempted to boost Tua, while oddly taking shots at his former quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
During his podcast “It Needed To Be Said,” Hill said that Tua is more accurate than Patrick Mahomes. That’s a quote that even Hill doesn’t believe, as he was obviously trying to be petty.
Tyreek Hill says that @Tua is a more accurate QB than @PatrickMahomes pic.twitter.com/LUbhp2n8YK
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) June 11, 2022
Hill even took his newfound love for Tua or just plain pettiness toward Mahomes and the Chiefs one step further. During an interview on ESPN’s First Take, Hill talked about why he chose the Dolphins over the Jets.
“I just feel like a lot of people haven’t seen the young Tua’s full potential. … I had a chance to practice with him … I see a lot of similarities when I look at him and when I see Patrick.”
“[The Jets’] Zach Wilson is a dog, but I’d rather play with the most accurate quarterback in the NFL.”
When it comes to stats and accuracy for that matter, Tua can only hope to have the career trajectory Mahomes is on. As of now it’s no comparison between the two, and Hill knows that.
Mike McDaniel just referred to Tua as the “Leader of our team”.
Something I don’t think we ever heard from prior Miami Dolphins regimes. #FinsUp
— Big E (@ian693) July 27, 2022
Hill And McDaniel Setting Tua Up For Failure?
All this hype from two guys who are directly tied to the success of Tua, could end badly. If he doesn’t perform to these lofty expectations, then what? He’s in that crucial third year where the Dolphins have to decide if they wanna continue this experiment or begin looking elsewhere.
In the words of Russell Wilson, “Let’s Ride.”
