Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel intent on maximizing Tua Tagovailoa

It should be the job of every coach to stand behind their players and find ways to maximize their talents. In 2021, it seemed from an outsider’s perspective that the Miami Dolphins weren’t very good at that. The number of stories surrounding the relationship of QB Tua Tagovailoa and former head coach Brian Flores is well-documented. The relationship had degraded beyond repair.

However, now it seems that Tagovailoa is going to have an ally in his new head coach.

During his flight to Miami, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel got on a video call with Tagovailoa. In it, strong declarations were made.

“We’re going to have an extensive professional relationship, my man,” McDaniel told Tagovailoa. “One thing I know about you is you have the ambition to be great. My job is to coach you, to get all that greatness out of you. And it’s going to be fun, man. It’s going to be work, but I know you’re not afraid of that. So this is an awesome day for me, and I’m damn sure going to make sure that when you look back on this day, you’re going to be like, ‘Damn, that was one of the best days of my career,’ too. OK? But I’ll earn that from you. You got me?”

“My job is to coach you, to get all of that greatness out of you”

Coach McDaniel 🤝 @Tua pic.twitter.com/QP9QeNmYwk

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) February 8, 2022

After a long season of trade rumors and lack of support both on and off the field, this undoubtedly is a breath of fresh air for the Alabama standout. McDaniel comes from a tradition of building a scheme from the ground up. Hence, he looks at the players at his disposal and designs the offense based on that.

Naturally, McDaniel is going to put heavy focus on a running game. He’s expected to reevaluate the blocking scheme and get the most out of the team’s running backs, which will take a lot of pressure off Tagovailoa. McDaniel isn’t coming to fix the quarterback, he’s coming to fix the offense.

Obviously, the offense needs a lot of work. Miami ranked 22nd in total offense in 2021, with the rushing offense ranked 30th in the league. It’s difficult for any quarterback to find success when he has to find ways to overcome so many obstacles. However, with McDaniel, fixing the run game is undoubtedly going to be priority one.

Any quarterback will tell you that having a strong running game makes their job much easier. Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert are benefitting immensely from having the likes of Joe Mixon and Austin Ekeler standing behind them. That’s something Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t have.

Yet.

All of a sudden, things seem much brighter for the Miami Dolphins. Having a balanced offense will undoubtedly force defenses to not focus on only one aspect. With this in mind, a proper evaluation of Tua Tagovailoa can finally begin. He’s going to get a real chance to prove himself as worthy of being a 1st round draft pick. And Mike McDaniel is going to do everything he can to make a scheme that will let Tagovailoa succeed.

“It’s on, bro.” He said to Tagovailoa. “If you don’t have any eyeblack at home, you better get some eyeblack. ‘Cause we’re going.”

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for over seven years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

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