Miami Dolphins Media Conference

Friday, November 12, 2021

Miami, Florida, USA

Tua Tagovailoa

Postgame Presser


Dolphins 22, Ravens 10

Q. We see Jacoby had an unfortunate injury. What's going through your mind. You're preparing but maybe not really expecting. What's going through your mind at that moment?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: I got to go in. That's all that was going through my mind. I got to go in, so we were talking through some plays, and that happened on the third down, so fourth down we had to punt, so we were on the sideline talking through some plays and what not that I liked. That's kind of what we did.

Q. How comfortable were you? You hit Jaylen for the 35-yarder and at the sideline for the catch and run. How comfortable did you feel throwing down field?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think the guys did a good job getting open. You just got to get it to them. I tried my best to do that tonight. Here's the result.

Q. Tua, can you tell what it's like in that room right now. What is the feeling of the team?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: It means a lot. We beat a really, really good team. This is a tough team to beat, but the guys are happy. They're sore, but at the end of a win, nothing really hurts, so feels good.

Q. Take us to the moment where you rushed in the touchdown near the end of the game. What were your emotions at that time?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, you know, we wanted to score on that drive, and that's what we got accomplished. I just think in the heat of the moment when you score, I mean, it's a sigh of relief. It's a sigh of the week that you had, you know, with the guys. Obviously, I wasn't in, but, you know, just the hard work that they put in and being able to finish the drive like that, it feels really good.

Q. What's your view of Rob Hunt's non-touchdown?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: I mean, I think Rob is just trying to be an athlete. Try to make a play for us, but, unfortunately, a lineman can't catch the ball, so it's illegal in the NFL and in football. Can't do that.

Q. Flores said that a lot of times he is trying to protect you from yourself. Did you feel like you could have played not just this week, but the previous week and how difficult was that to actually watch instead of be involved in the action?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah. I mean, that's really how it's been when I had my rib injury too. I wanted to play, but obviously, Flo got with Kyle, and they had their discussions, came up to me, and they made the decision to try to protect me from myself, obviously, but it's the same thing with my finger. You just got to be ready at any time I would say. I would say I was ready, but, you know, that's -- that was Flo's decision, that was his call. You just got to be supportive of the next guy up, so just try to support Jacoby when he was in because every time I'm in, he does the same for me.

Q. Tua, how is your finger doing?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: It doesn't feel good, I can tell you that. Got it banged up a little bit in the game, but it's good. You know, we got about ten days to heal up, rest up, so we'll take all the time we can.

Q. On some of the throws when you first got in, was it more than a finger, or was it just getting into the rhythm and flow of the game halfway through?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: I don't want to use any excuse, but, yeah, just got to get back into the rhythm and the flow of the game. Yeah, that's all it was.

Q. That down field throw to Waddle, were there limitations --

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Waddle or Albert was in?

Q. The 35-yard one to -- I'm sorry. That was Ford.

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Was that Ford? I wasn't in on that. That was Jacoby.

Q. Yeah. That was the long one.

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Oh, it was Waddle? That was a good grab by Waddle.

Q. Was that like anything you had done in practice these last two days with the limitations?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: I didn't have any reps with the first group. Just mental reps just watching it, and then when we go inside and watch it on film that's kind of where I get my reps.

Q. Was there extra on that throw?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: I mean, I was warmed up by that time, so to me it was just another throw. Just going through my reads.

Q. (Off mic)

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, yeah. I mean, it's tough because you've got to get timing with everyone, and not everyone gets reps, so, yeah.

Q. How does your finger change how you grip the football or how you've been able to grip the football?

TUA TAGOVAILOA: Man, it's tough when it's fractured, you know, trying to grip a ball. I don't know if you have had a fracture before with anything, but it hurts to do things with it, so just tough. Just got to fight through it.

Thanks.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
114675-1-1878 2021-11-12 06:18:00 GMT

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