Rejoice, Miami Dolphins fans! Tua Tagovailoa is set to return to the field in Week 8 as the Dolphins take on the Arizona Cardinals.
The Dolphins are 4-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook and as much as we are excited for the former No. 1 to get back on the field, we can’t forget the amount of concern we felt for him after he exited Miami’s Week 2 matchup against the Buffalo Bills following another concussion, the third of his NFL career. Mike Golic Jr. and Mike Golic Sr. weighed in on Tua’s return on Friday’s edition of GoJo and Golic.
The guys kick off the segment with comments from Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who was HYPED for Tua’s return: “When Tua is a part of this offense, can’t nobody stop us, bruh. We should score every drive.” Jessie Coffield asked Senior and GoJo if the guys had a different impression of Mike McDaniel and how he has run this offense in the absence of Tua? GoJo recalls his recent appearance on This is Football with Kevin Clark where he discussed the takes he had gotten wrong entering the season and would like a mulligan on. Mike McDaniel came up as one of those situations where everyone was a bit stunned about a coach that all have a lot of respect for and someone who has received a ton of credit for Tua Tagovailoa’s success in Miami. Not only did McDaniel take on the Tua reclamation project, produce the rip of 700 plays in the reel to rebuild his confidence, but he’s also someone who is seen as a great run game architect and did all these things with these fast wide receivers. Therefore, the lack of a coherent plan with the backup quarterback has a lot of people reconsidering some of the things not only about him but also the conversation around Shanahan-McVay quarterbacks going forward.
Senior adds that you still have two fast receivers and two good running backs as well. Even with Tua out, Miami still has the bones of a good offense, but the Dolphins just couldn’t get a viable replacement to run that offense competently. Senior says it certainly falls on the players that you have as backups in a situation like this, but also the coaches to game plan for those players because we have seen other backups come in and succeed Senior points out that as Tua’s been out the backup quarterbacks have been a part of the game plan, it’s not like it was a sudden situation where Tua was hurt mid-week and then somebody else had to come in with a gameplan thrown together for a backup. Senior notes that Miami has had WEEKS now with backup quarterbacks to prepare gameplans for them, for what they do well, while staying away from the things they don’t do well, and it just hasn’t gone that well for Miami. And for Senior, there’s definitely an amount of that which falls on the coach.
GoJo says it will be tough to predict what type of player Tua will be in his return to the field. If he was coming from a wrist injury or a hip injury and had been working his way back, it would be one thing. Even though Tua mentioned he was symptom-free from the day after the injury til now since he was on IR, there is only so much you can do to ramp up when you are in the league’s concussion protocol. Senior adds that we have NO CLUE what will happen to Tua if he gets another head injury. A lot will fall on this offensive line to protect him, according to Senior. He mentions the mental hurdle that players have to overcome coming back from injury and questions whether Tua will have some happy feet or get the ball out quicker. He doesn’t think he will, but it is a hurdle to overcome nonetheless.
GoJo addresses the elephant in the room — the concern many former players have for Tua’s long-term future and the decision he will have to make about stepping back on the field. He adds that it will be an uncomfortable watch for everyone involved, given what we know about the long-term impact of potential head injuries potentially pose. He compares it to former NFL quarterback Alex Smith’s return from a knee injury to face the Aaron Donald-led Los Angeles Rams. Senior points out that Damar Hamlin returned from DEATH. Players make their decisions and while Senior empathizes with fans and others about their concerns and says he cares about everyone’s health, but if you’re going to play, you must play the game at 100% and not worry about injury. He stresses that Tua’s decision is between him and his family, the doctors have done their “doctoring” as he puts it so the decision on whether to play or not play is on Tua. GoJo says that we can all be genuinely concerned, and we have an inherent conflict to make peace when we watch football because of the violent nature of the game. Tua has heightened those concerns over the last couple of years with what has happened to him publicly, but his return to the field will be something all will monitor closely.
Watch or listen to the full show below and tune into GoJo and Golic weekday mornings from 8-10 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Hour 1: Puka Nacua Dominates TNF, Tua’s Controversial Return, DeAndre Hopkins’ Chiefs Debut + NFL Week 8 Acrostic
Hour 2: Rashod Bateman, Ravens WR on Lamar Jackson & Divisional Match Up in Cleveland + CFB Week 9 Preview and Uncrustables
VIDEO
Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show is also available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
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