19 August 2023 , 23:40
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A seemingly minor detail in Saturday's Miami Dolphins preseason game may have revealed a genuinely important development from Tua Tagovailoa. The quarterback with a scary track record of concussions deftly rolled to the turf without banging his head when taking his first hit — a sign his recent martial arts training is paying off.
Much was made of Tagovailoa's inability to avoid dangerous helmet-to-ground contact when falling last year. The Dolphins twice placed him in concussion protocol; he appeared to wobble upon getting to his feet on another occasion.
Tagovailoa took judo classes during the offseason to learn how to maintain proper balance under pressure from pass rushers, as first revealed by teammate Alex Ingold. "Tua's awesome, to be able to see his smiling face and get him back in the facility, when we are going to meetings and stuff, it's cool to see," Ingold said on the "Adam Schefter Podcast."
"Being himself, being healthy, being happy. I know he's talking about doing judo classes now to learn how to fall right, I have no doubt that man's going to be on a mission next year. It's going to be fun to watch."
The former Alabama star confirmed Ingold's claim that he would take falling lessons, telling "Up and Adams": "We've got a plan set up. I'll be doing judo on Fridays just so that I can kind of figure out understanding my body and how to fall. Just trying to help myself."
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While Tagovailoa earned praise from Dolphins fans on social media for handling the hit from Houston Texans defender Sheldon Rankins, his preseason performance was underwhelming. On the game's first snap, he rolled to his left and threw an interception off one foot with the closest receiver more than five yards away from the pick. He finished an abbreviated outing 5-for-7 passing with 61 yards.
The 25-year-old was limited to 13 games last season because of his concussions. He performed well, throwing 25 touchdowns to eight interceptions, but he seems to carry rust as he returns to action.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniels is hopeful Tua Tagovailoa can last an entire season without injury. (Getty Images)Miami drafted Tagovailoa at No. 5 in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Alabama and have surrounded him with high-quality wide receivers; Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle represent one of the best downfield tandems in the NFL.
The left-handed passer knows this is a crucial campaign — hence his injury avoidance training — but finishing atop the competitive AFC East could prove challenging. The New York Jets traded for superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers, while the Buffalo Bills remain a threat under the guidance of Josh Allen. Still, the Dolphins are full of confidence that they can make noise in 2023 as long as Tagovailoa protects himself.
"Obviously we got one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL and I'm sticking to my stance on that," Hill said at the start of the offseason. "So having Tua at quarterback and having the offensive guru we have in our head coach is wonderful. Having those weapons at his disposal, he's going to go crazy. ... The sky is the limit for this offense."