Tua Confirms Brian Flores was a Bad Head Coach
Tua Tagovailoa’s career with the Miami Dolphins was… up and down. Actually, it was mostly down. There are many reasons why that was the case. The roster wasn’t a competitive one, Tua was coming off a horrific hip injury, and the head coach did like the franchise quarterback. On Thursday Tua Tagovailoa, while being asked about his leadership, talked about his time under the previous regime. The short of it is Tua confirms Brian Flores was a bad head coach. Tua’s exact quote is “… with how I was told I should have led. It just wasn’t the way I felt comfortable with and so I didn’t lead in that sense…”. Here’s a cut with the full context.
I am so grateful that Mike McDaniel is the coach of the Miami Dolphins. Tua says here that he didn’t feel like he could lead the team like he wanted to under the previous regime and that Mike let’s him do that. Brian Flores legitimately almost ruined a franchise QB. pic.twitter.com/b8lmiyTpU5
— King of Phinland🐬👑 (@KingOfPhinland) October 5, 2023
Mike McDaniel
We’ve heard for years that good coaches don’t fit players into their system, the fit their system to their players. The same would apply here, if not more so. Telling a player there is only one way for a quarterback to lead a team is one of the more ridiculous things I’ve heard recently. Tua is his own man and to be anything other than would be disingenuous on his part. Thankfully for Tua and us Dolphins fans, Brian Flores is gone and Mike McDaniel is in. On top of being one of the smartest minds to partner with a young quarterback, McDaniel has empowered Tua to be his own person and lead the way he sees appropriate. Just watch the first interaction between Tua and McDaniel.
New Dolphins’ HC Mike McDaniel talking to Miami QB @Tua for the first time.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 8, 2022
📹 @MiamiDolphins pic.twitter.com/sBG0Zbjqoy
This is Leadership
This is how one gains respect and becomes a leader in the NFL. The days of “my way or the highway” are over. That is certainly true in some instances, but it’s not the only rule to live by. McDaniel has shown not just Tua, but the entire roster what it means to be a leader. Be genuine to who you are and always have the best interest of your teammates. Is McDaniel goofy? Sure. Does he look like a traditional head coach? Probably not. But he looks out for his guys and wants them to succeed. This is what leadership looks like in 2023.