Tua Tagovailoa holds nothing back with brutally honest takedown of Brian Flores

Going into the 2019 NFL Season, the Miami Dolphins unofficially took part in the “Tank for Tua” campaign for Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins finished with an overall record of 5-11 and slated with the fifth overall pick. Despite getting the fifth overall pick, the Dolphins managed to get Tagovailoa due to the rise of LSU Tigers’ Joe Burrow and the hip injury to Tagovailoa.

Everyone, including bridge quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, was planning on Tua being the star. The one person who didn’t believe in Tagovailoa was then-head coach Brian Flores. Tagovailoa had a rough transition to the NFL due to injuries and philosophical problems. To make matters worse, the locker room was hostile.

Several people knew Flores wasn’t a fan of Tagovailoa, but on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, the situation was much worse than previously anticipated. Tagovailoa had some honest, but brutal words about Flores.

Tua Tagovailoa unloads on Brian Flores with brutal honesty

The moment that Tagovailoa got to Miami, he was given big expectations from fans, media and even coaches. That is not surprising with new quarterbacks joining the franchise, but with Flores, it felt different. For the longest time in Tagovailoa’s rookie season, there were rumors and serious rumblings that the Dolphins were in the market for quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was with the Houston Texans at the time.

Tagovailoa faced the constant pressure of having to hear his name in trade talks brought on by Flores all in his first two years. What made Tagovailoa’s development difficult, on top of injuries, were the constantly harsh criticisms day-in and day-out he faced. He noted how bad it got with Flores and how unhealthy the relationship was in his eyes, more importantly too how it compared to now-head coach Mike McDaniel:

"If you woke up every morning and I told you, 'You suck 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, that you haven't earned this right', and then you have someone else come in here and say, 'Dude, you are the best fit for this. Like, you're accurate, you are the best whatever, you are this, you are that," how would it make you feel listening to one or the other?"

In 23 games played with 21 being a starter, Tagovailoa was 66.2% of his passes for 4,467 yards, 27 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 88.8 while being sacked 40 times. These were good, but not great numbers compared to Burrow and Justin Herbert with the Los Angeles Chargers. He was told to do more with less and stop playing terribly under Flores.

The Dolphins let Flores go as head coach after a 9-8 season in 2021. The team hired former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who believed in Tagovailoa the moment he stepped into the office to be interviewed.

It wasn’t until the first year of McDaniel that Tagovailoa was told he could be successful in the NFL. McDaniel had to inspire his new quarterback because Flores tore down Tagovailoa in his first two years in the league.

Not only did McDaniel believe in Tagovailoa, he built his whole system around him. Tagovailoa learned how to be a more NFL-ready quarterback to focus on the timing of the plays and watch out for opposing pass rushers. The results are huge, especially after the Dolphins traded for Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs.

In these past two seasons with a solid relationship between Tagovailoa and McDaniel, the Dolphins had one of the most explosive offenses. Tagovailoa has completed 67.4% of his passes 8,172 yards, 54 touchdowns, 22 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 102.9.

Tagovailoa finished the 2023 NFL season as the top passer in the league with 4,624 yards. The Dolphins finished the regular season first in the league in passing yards per game (265.5) and total yards per game (401.3) thanks to a series of weapons, an MVP-like season from Hill and McDaniel’s offense, but Tagovailoa has shown he can thrive in the league when someone gives him a chance.

Tagovailoa will be asked to replicate this season again, this time with a better postseason with the team chipping in. It is a task he is willing to re-do as opposed to the two dreadful seasons he suffered under Flores.