Dolphins’ Tagovailoa says McDaniel built him up after Flores tore him down as young NFL quarterback

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa left no doubt he likes playing for Mike McDaniel a lot more than he did Brian Flores.

Fresh off signing a four-year contract extension last month, Tagovailoa said he appreciates McDaniel’s positive coaching style after dealing with Flores’ negativity during his first two seasons in the NFL.

“To put it in simplest terms, if you woke up every morning and I told you you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy should be here, that you haven’t earned this right. ... And then you have somebody else come in and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit for us, you are accurate, you are the best.’ How would it make you feel listening to one or the other?” Tagovailoa said in an interview that aired Monday on “The Dan LeBatard Show”.

Tagovailoa said the criticism beat him down to the point that he began to believe it. He was the No. 5 overall draft pick in 2020 and won the starting job, but he was pulled twice in the fourth quarter of games for Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The following season Tagovailoa’s future with the Dolphins was in doubt amid speculation they were seeking a trade for Deshaun Watson.

“I don’t care who you are. You can be the president of the United States. You have a terrible person that’s telling you things that you don’t want to hear or that you probably shouldn’t ever hear, you’re going to start to believe that about yourself. And so that’s sort of like what ended up happening,” Tagovailoa said.

The Dolphins fired Flores and replaced him with McDaniel for the 2022 season. Tagovailoa said it has taken two years to train the negative thoughts out of his head. With McDaniel devising schemes to suit Tagovailoa’s skills, the Dolphins averaged an NFL-leading 401 yards per game last season. Tagovailoa threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards.

Asked about Tagovailoa’s comments Monday, McDaniel said, “I am not spending much time patting myself on the back for much. I think there’s a lot of players that have grown since I’ve been here. And that growth is all that I care about.”

Flores, now the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator, is scheduled to meet with reporters Tuesday.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said he wouldn’t comment on a matter involving another team.

“I can just tell you, I know the players ‘Flo’ works with, he’s got great relationships here. He really has,” O’Connell said. “I know you guys have heard a lot of them talk about how much they enjoy playing for him and how much I enjoy working with him every day, and that’s all I can really comment on.”

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