Tua Tagovailoa has looked more and more comfortable as the starter for the Miami Dolphins—aside from one game against the Denver Broncos.
Despite Tagovailoa's struggles versus the Broncos, Chan Gailey accepted the blame for the rookie's shortcomings in that game.
“I think Denver did a great job,” [offensive coordinator Chan] Gailey said this week, via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. “They did some things that we didn’t plan on, and it hurt us. That’s my job. It wasn’t him as much as it was me in that ball game. I think we’ve progressed and [we’re] learning where he’s comfortable . . . and how we can incorporate what’s comfortable to him. It takes time. You don’t like to say that. You want it all to come together immediately. I think we’re working toward what we can be for some time. I don’t think we’ve gotten there. We’re still progressing, but we’ve made some progress.”
Ever since the Dolphins named Tagovailoa the starter, they've gone 5-2 and are positioned to possibly make the playoffs. At the same time, the rookie first-round pick has thrown for 1,350 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions in his first seven starts.
Though, against the Broncos in Week 11, Tagovailoa looked out of sorts with only 83 passing yards on 11 completions and one touchdown. He was also sacked a total of six times due to him holding onto the ball too long in Miami's loss to Denver.
For the most part, Tagovailoa has looked the part of being the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, drawing compliments from even Bill Belichick. And even in the one game he sputtered, his Dolphins offensive coordinator believes he could have done a better job putting him into positions to succeed.