Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa highlighted the need to improve several internal aspects of the team after the season start with a 1-5 record. One of the key points he mentioned was attendance at player-led meetings.
After the 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Tagovailoa was asked how the players can avoid frustration. The Dolphins have lost four games this season in which they were losing by a single point in the last two minutes.
Tagovailoa, who threw a touchdown pass to take the lead, but also suffered three interceptions, talked about possible changes in the players’ meetings throughout the week.
I think it starts with leadership, helping articulate that to the guys and then what we expect from them. We’re expecting this, are we getting it? Are we not getting it? There are guys who are late to player-only meetings, guys who don’t show up to player-only meetings. There’s a lot that goes into that. Do we have to make this mandatory? Do we not have to make this mandatory?
Tua TagovailoaThe quarterback emphasized the importance of attending to these details to achieve significant improvements in the team’s performance.Tua Tagovailoa dijo el domingo que algunos jugadores de los Dolphins llegan tarde o no se presentan a las reuniones dirigidas por jugadores.In the game against the Chargers, the Dolphins had only a 7% chance of winning at the start of the fourth quarter. Despite overcoming a 10-point deficit and taking the lead with a pass from Tagovailoa to Darren Waller, the Chargers managed a game-winning field goal.
Tagovailoa described the defeat as a “shock” and took responsibility for his three turnovers. Already focused on the next match against the Cleveland Browns, the player highlighted the need to analyze and solve the team’s internal problems.
The only place we can go is next week. We talk about solving this. We talk about coming together collectively. What are the problems, what are the problems and are they being solved? Are they not being solved? Why aren’t they being solved? Or if they are solved, how do we prevent it from happening again? Things of that nature.
Tua Tagovailoa
Linebacker Jordyn Brooks, also team captain, declined to comment on player meetings. Coach Mike McDaniel noted that these meetings are “outside of what I demand” and that he has seen players take responsibility within what he asks of them.
McDaniel emphasized the importance of direct communication and individual responsibility within the team.
The coach also mentioned that tardiness and absence issues were prevalent in the Dolphins organization last year, where he often fined players without success. A source who played for Miami under McDaniel said that players often arrived late to meetings and practice since McDaniel’s first season in 2022, but the behavior was not reprimanded because the team was winning games.
Sources confirmed that Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill were the most notable offenders.
McDaniel acknowledged the difficulty of losing games in the final minutes, as has happened to the Dolphins on four occasions this season. He highlighted the perseverance of his players as a positive aspect, but insisted that there are no moral victories at this level.
The coach and his team will work to solve the Dolphins’ problems in the final moments of the games.
