Tua Tagovailoa will be looking to bounce back from a rookie season that he found to be underwhelming. In Wednesday’s press conference, Tagovailoa expressed his dissatisfaction with last year’s performance. When asked about what part of his game he was disappointed in, he said everything.
“Every aspect,” Tagovailoa said. “Getting to the line of scrimmage, getting that order of operations out. My cadence, my pre-snap reads, my post-snap reads.”
Many analysts and fans have theorized that Tagovailoa was still dealing with repercussions from the serious hip injury he sustained while playing for Alabama.
This offseason, Tagovailoa noted that he has been able to devote more time to strength training, as opposed to rehabilitation. He says this has led to his hip feeling “ten times better than it did last year.”
“[The workouts] have been full body, I wanted to get stronger with my shoulders, biceps, triceps, my core. The focus on leg days would be the glutes to help with the hip.”
All Good Things Come From Mobility @Tua 🎯 pic.twitter.com/59qkfRUL8l
— PER4ORM (@PER4ORM) May 18, 2021
Tagovailoa notes that this newly acquired strength in his hip has helped with his ability to throw the football.
“Last year, I wasn’t necessarily thinking about [my hip] when I was making throws,” he said. “I just think coming into this year, throwing isn’t as much arm as it was last year. It’s using my legs, using my core and the arm is just following, similar to golf.”
Despite feeling like his rookie season was a disappointment, Tagovailoa led the Dolphins to a 6-3 record as the starter, throwing 11 touchdowns in those games. With the Dolphins additions of rookie Jaylen Waddle and Will Fuller, the young quarterback from Hawaii appears to be in prime position to take the next step.