Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have a really special relationship. It’s one of the many reasons why the team is considered to be one of the hottest in the NFL right now.
McDaniel’s coaching approach has become famous in South Florida already in his first year on the job. He is known as an incredibly affable character who isn’t afraid to tell his players that he cares about them.
He’s the antithesis of the hard-nosed football coach trope that fans of the game know all too well.
Along with that affability, McDaniel is known to be quite the comedian. In a video that recently made the rounds on social media, the first-year head coach can be seen lightly roasting his ascending star quarterback, telling Tagovailoa that his technique in high school was “trash.”
“Bro, your technique was trash.”
Mike McDaniel didn’t hold back about @Tua’s high school highlights 😂 pic.twitter.com/cfiZcuYuz1
— Inside the NFL (@insidetheNFL) November 29, 2022
“I YouTubed you and saw this Trent Dilfer thing showing all this high school s— from you,” he said after explaining that he had searched Tagovailoa after waking up in the early hours of the morning. “Bro, your technique was trash. You know what I mean? Thank God for for Bev (Darrell Bevell).”
In his classic fashion, however, McDaniel couldn’t help put throw a little compliment in there.
“It was cool though, because you could see little elements of your swag,” he said. “But yeah, you were stressed out.”
These days, Tagovailoa is far less stressed out on the football field. Things have seemingly slowed down in a big way for him, and he seems well on his way to his first Pro Bowl season.
In nine games this season, Tagovailoa has completed 69.7 percent of his throws for 2,564 yards and 19 touchdowns. He’s only thrown three interceptions on the season, with his last pick coming in Week 4.
Tagovailoa has overcome a lot this season. Not only did he silence his many critics that wondered if he had the ability to succeed in the NFL, but he also came back from a scary head injury that he suffered back in Week 4.
He was forced to leave that game with a concussion and missed the subsequent two games. Since his return in Week 7, however, Tagovailoa has looked like a true star in the league.
At times, he has even looked like a future MVP. Without a doubt, his relationship with McDaniel has played a large role in the massive leap forward.
