After the Dolphins beat the Cardinals last Sunday, NFL Films captured quarterback Tua Tagovailoa giving a game ball to head coach Brian Flores as they made their way off the field.
Tagovailoa thanked Flores during the exchange and he expounded on his decision to give Flores the ball when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday.
“It was just one of those, ‘Thank you for taking a shot on me.’ Like I said a year ago, who would’ve known? . . . But the Miami Dolphins decided to take a chance on me. That’s awesome,” Tagovailoa said, via Safid Deen of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The uncertainty that Tagovailoa referenced was created by the hip injury he suffered at Alabama last season. It’s been nearly a year since Tagovailoa went down and he said Wednesday that he’s not sure “if I’ll ever be my old self” because of the toll a traumatic injury can take.
While offensive coordinator Chan Gailey is a little surer of how much Tagovailoa has regained, the first-round pick called it a “continuous process” for him as he moves forward with his playing career.