Dolphins goinginto hard stretch, however Tua Tagovailoa is more than prepared

Look at the Miami Dolphins’ schedule and it would be simple to state the mostdifficult stretch stays ahead of Tua Tagovailoa. He may respectfully disagree.

Sure, on paper, the Dolphins have a penalizing midwinter rightaway inthepast them, with 5 groups on the docket all above .500 who have a integrated record of 34-21, plus the who-knows-what-now Green Bay Packers.

Yet Tagovailoa, as things continue to go well in South Beach and “MVP” chants resound at Hard Rock Stadium with increasing frequency, might be forgiven for pointing out that at least in his view — he hopes — the hardest part is securely behind him.

For 2 strong years, the Dolphins quarterback discovered himself in a extremely attempting scenario that he hasn’t got enough credit for withstanding. He was a novice, coming off hip surgicaltreatment in 2020, and suffered the ignominy of typically being benched mid-game, not constantly with great factor.

Last year, he ran behind an offensive line about as helpful as a cardboard stop indication, got hurt and had to withstand trade chatter constantly connecting Miami with options like DeShaun Watson and Tom Brady.

Even when things started to circulation this season and Miami ran to a hot begin, he suffered injuries in successive weeks — initially a back problem that was atfirst explained as a head injury and saw him return to the field in doubtful scenarios. Then, versus the Cincinnati Bengals, he was tossed to the ground, brought off the field and missedouton the next 2 videogames.

Yet here he is, rising, clocking off the weeks and the wins — havingactually taken his group to the leading of a department, the AFC East, that is jointly flying. Five straight triumphes have the Dolphins right where they desire to be, priorto a calendar that consistsof the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills, back-to-back-to-back.

Get through that untouched, and the Super Bowl talk will be inescapable.

“(Tua) is extremely precise,” stated FS1’s Colin Cowherd, on “The Herd.” “And, with a little defense, is extremely efficient.”

When Tagovailoa has played either the whole videogame (or 3 quarters priorto being rested, like last weekend), the Dolphins are 8-0. His numbers are extraordinary: 2,564 backyards, 19 goals and simply 3 interceptions.

He is moving through the project with all the trademarks of a positive gamer, leading some to concern where that self-confidence came from, offered the unsteady start to his expert profession.

Last weekend, one capacity response began to emerge.

Miami first-year head coach Mike McDaniel, it turns out, thought adequate in Tagovailoa after getting the task to makeup a 700-play emphasize reel of the QB’s finest minutes and sat through viewing it with him. It was an workout intended at bringback belief. It appears to have worked.

McDaniel figured that Tagovailoa was in his own head, that the criticism and unpredictability had made him feel like a bad gamer. That part was real — Tagovailoa hasactually confessed he utilized to appearance in the mirror and marvel “if I drawn.”

“I would not desire to trade locations (with) anyone truly to be prepared very high and then fall brief of the franchise’s expectations,” McDaniel stated. “That is a difficult location to live in. That was the inspiring aspect behind whatever. Understanding that, wow, it’s difficult adequate to play an challenger. There (were) a lot of things that are informing me that this gamer might not have the self-confidence that he should.”

Tagovailoa doesn’t constantly speak especially effusively, and likes to downplay concerns rather than lean into them. But while he might neverever love the existence of microphones, it was clear he was grateful for McDaniel’s technological effort.

“I think anybody here can testify to somebody thinking in them and how that modifications how they see themselves however likewise things around them,” Tagovailoa informed pressreporters. “There’s a lot of information that require me sitting down with him and other things as well, however it’s remarkable. It’s actually cool.”

Ahead of this weekend’s clash with the 49ers, it was not all feel-good news. Left dealwith Terron Armstead has a torn pectoral muscle that will keep him out for most of the routine season, at finest.

And when things haveactually gone finest, it has usually been when Tagovailoa hasactually been most stoutly safeguarded.

But this is a variation of Tagovailoa that looks allset to dealwith the pressure. Rather than being cowed by his hasahardtime, he hasactually grown from them. For he keepsinmind when his time in Miami appeared to be done. When his status as a real NFL starter was under danger.

When all the buzz appeared to be for absolutelynothing.

All he has to do now is play videogames. Challenging ones, however simply videogames. The hardest part, the one cluttered with doubts and satanicforces, is gone now.

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Martin Rogers is a writer for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. You can subscribe to the everyday newsletter here.