Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa says he misplaced consciousness after being hit

MIAMI — Talking Wednesday for the primary time since sustaining a concussion on Sept. 29, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa mentioned he remembers most of that night time however misplaced consciousness after successful that despatched him to a neighborhood hospital.

He was concussed in Miami’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4 when he hit his head on the bottom whereas making an attempt to increase a play, and was briefly hospitalized earlier than being discharged and returning to Florida with the workforce after the sport.

Tagovailoa mentioned he does not bear in mind what occurred instantly after hitting his head on the bottom and shedding consciousness, however does bear in mind being pushed to the College of Cincinnati Medical Middle through ambulance, in addition to his journey again to Miami along with his teammates early the subsequent morning.

“I would not say it was scary for me on the time as a result of there was some extent the place I used to be unconscious, so I could not actually inform what was happening,” he mentioned. “Once I did come to and form of realized what was happening and what was occurring, I did not consider something long run or brief time period. I used to be simply questioning what occurred.”

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel mentioned Monday that it is within the quarterback’s aggressive nature to attempt to prolong performs — however he spoke with Tagovailoa about recognizing when it is time to concede in any given play and throw the ball away.

Tagovailoa admitted that though it is at all times been his mindset to make one thing occur when he is on the sphere, he must study when to simply accept {that a} play is lifeless.

“Throwing the ball away hasn’t been one thing that I’ve executed previously rather well,” he mentioned. “As a result of I am making an attempt to make performs and so simply studying from that — if it is not there, it is OK to throw it away. It is the longevity of me simply with the ability to be the quarterback for this workforce and never attempt to make one thing out of nothing.

“Performs will come to us and that is form of what our mantra for our offense is.”

Tagovailoa mentioned the assist he obtained following the concussion stands out most to him concerning the occasions of the previous few weeks.

Past the messages and tweets from fellow gamers across the league, Tagovailoa mentioned his neighbors introduced over home-baked items, candies and notes and art work from their youngsters — all of which, he mentioned, made he and his household really feel the assist from his group.

What made his practically two weeks away from soccer tough, nonetheless, was having to face by idly because the Dolphins skidded to a three-game shedding streak in his absence. Tagovailoa was current all through the power whereas in concussion protocol and sought to assist nonetheless he may. Nevertheless it was irritating not with the ability to assist out on the sphere.

“There’s issues you are able to do within the locker room to maintain the fellows inspired, to maintain the fellows going motivated,” he mentioned. “Nevertheless it sucks. As a competitor, I wish to be on the market with the fellows. I would like to have the ability to go on the market and assist our guys win video games. And that is a horrible feeling that I may solely watch from the sidelines.”

Tagovailoa cleared concussion protocol Saturday, though he was not energetic for the Dolphins’ sport towards the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6. He’s getting ready because the workforce’s starter this week for Sunday night time’s sport towards the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The NFL’s chief in QBR on the time of his harm in Week 4, Tagovailoa mentioned the method of his return to the sphere was “fairly irritating,” together with his interviews with the NFL and NFLPA as a part of its joint investigation into how he was dealt with.

The Dolphins have seen a pointy decline of their offensive effectivity with out Tagovailoa on the sphere. By way of the primary three weeks of the season, they ranked first and second within the league in factors per drive and offensive anticipated factors added, respectively. Within the time since, they’ve fallen to twenty eighth in offensive EPA and twenty ninth in factors per drive.

It is a comparable scenario as Tagovailoa confronted final season, when he returned from a rib harm to a workforce on a four-game shedding streak. He mentioned that have taught him to not press upon his return and that he’s not solely liable for the Dolphins’ success.

“I simply gotta be myself — I am not the savior of this workforce,” he mentioned. “I do not simply are available in and we begin successful video games. It is a workforce deal. The protection will get us stops, the offense goes and places factors on the board and the protection may also help put factors on the board in addition to particular groups. So for me, I simply take a look at it as coming into this week and simply be myself. Do not attempt to power something. Do not attempt to make performs that are not there — simply give our playmakers the ball and allow them to go to work.”