Tua Tagovailoa’s admission that he wasn’t comfortable with the Miami Dolphins’ playbook last season didn’t sit well with an NFL analyst and former quarterback.
Tagovailoa started nine games in his rookie season for the Dolphins, but ESPN’s Tim Hasselbeck took issue (at the 3:15 mark) with Tagovailoa or any other rookie offering such comments in public.
“I have to be honest, ” Hasselbeck said. “I kind of read some of the comments, (but) that’s the first time I had heard him (Tagovailoa) say it in that way. It kind of bothered me. That should never, ever, ever happen with a quarterback, a guy that’s drafted in the first round that’s going to be the guy. I get it, the offseason was weird, it was hard, but I don’t want to hear Joe Burrow or anybody else talking about, ‘Hey, I didn’t learn the playbook.’ That, to me, is bad. Look, I do think he’ll be better, but sometimes, maybe, you don’t have to give everybody all of your information.”
For the year, Tagovailoa threw for 1,814 yards and 11 touchdowns, with the offense he was running set up to provide for safer play-calling by the newcomer.
Tagovailoa was the fifth overall pick in last year’s draft and is considered to be the Dolphins’ quarterback of the future. He was also coming off major hip surgery, which was another reason why the playbook was more basic in nature.
Now, with a full season under his belt and with his hip apparently now in excellent shape, Tagovailoa will be working with a new offense designed by the team’s new offensive coordinators.
Tagovailoa has previously shown that he’s not afraid to put in the time to get back on the field. With the Dolphins designating him the starter, he now figures to be much happier with the team’s offense, which may or may not appease Hasselbeck.
