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Year anniversary of Tua's injury is this Monday. Hard for me believe it has not quite been a year since the injury occurred. Wolfe did a good job on this piece.
www.espn.com
Some tidbits:
Monday will mark one year since Tagovailoa suffered a scary hip injury at Alabama that could have ended the career of a player who might become one of this generation's best. The journey began with a helicopter ride off the field to the hospital and continued through months of rehab and outside uncertainty about whether Tagovailoa would ever be the same football player.
"Tua's ability to overcome adversity speaks for itself," Alabama coach Nick Saban told ESPN. "I don't think that anybody has had to work harder or do more to get back to playing relative to his situation."
"It's a freak-type injury," Bell said. "It's what we call a high-energy injury, meaning you're more likely to see something like this in motor vehicle accidents."
His teammates and coaches say Tagovailoa has regained his athleticism.
"It looks like it to me. I can't see a real difference," Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said. "Physically is the one thing you had the concern about and I think he kind of relieved all our thoughts about that."
The Injury
"It was one of the most devastating feelings I've ever had as a coach," Saban said. "You hate to see anybody get injured, but you certainly hate to see guys get those sort of injuries, especially at that station of their career. I can't tell you how bad I felt for him, his family and our team and how bad our team felt for him."
Six-month Journey
"He had a very serious injury, which was a very difficult rehab. With all his dreams of playing at the next level, it seemed like all of a sudden it's going to be an uphill struggle to get back to where [he] was," Saban said. "Those types of things make you stronger. He has a strong will, a good work ethic and he's certainly demonstrated it."
"When something dramatic like that happens, it's just a continuous process for me," Tagovailoa said. "Continuing to focus on what I need to do to continue to strengthen the muscles around my hip. And just continue to stay on rehab. But I mean it's been a journey.
"Looking back at that whole process. Literally almost a year from now, we were making a decision to decide if I was going to be able to play again or not, so I'm just blessed to be here."
NFL Draft
The Dolphins assigned Thomas Byrd, a hip specialist in Nashville, Tennessee, as an independent evaluator for Tagovailoa's combine medical recheck, sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen. Tagovailoa's X-rays looked "pristine," and the player "looks as good as [he has] ever seen five months out after similar injuries," Byrd told ESPN. The Dolphins felt comfortable betting on whom they perceived as the better prospect.
"Football is a violent game. Guys are going to get hurt," Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in April. "We felt very comfortable and our doctors and trainers did a lot of work on him, so for us, it wasn't that difficult of a decision."
The Waiting Game
The waiting game began. Fitzpatrick, Tagovailoa's self-proclaimed "placeholder," started the Dolphins' first six games and served as the rookie's mentor by answering his questions and hyping him up. On game days, Tagovailoa had an earpiece in, listening to Gailey's playcalls. During the week, Tagovailoa spent extra time with quarterbacks coach Robby Brown figuring out what makes him comfortable in the Dolphins' offense. He also had weekly Tuesday meetings with head coach Brian Flores to learn the defensive side of the game.
In practice, teammates saw dramatic improvement. Every week, Tagovailoa flashed athleticism and playmaking ability that looked closer to the quarterback who led Alabama to a national title.
"I've seen a lot of him in practice and how athletic he is, how incredible of a player he is," Dolphins defensive end Shaq Lawson said. "That's why I think he's so dangerous and he's athletic. His IQ for the game -- you wouldn't think he's a rookie if you watch him in practice. He looks like he's been around the game a long time."
"It was a very special moment for me," Tagovailoa said. "The biggest thing that really stands out to me is just being able to make my parents proud. So whether that's Tua as a football player, Tua as a person, Tua as a son, I think that's what brings me the most joy is seeing how happy my parents get and then seeing how happy my family gets, as well, with who I am and then also what I do."
Tua's First Start
"He's just getting started," Flores said. "I've been around a lot of young players. Every game is an experience. Good plays, bad plays, you learn from them and hopefully you get better. Again, he's still young. ... The way he practices, the way he prepares, how much he cares about it; it gives him a good opportunity to have some success."
Tua's Second Start
Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker said Tagovailoa's open-field elusiveness surprised him. Flores concurs. It's clear through their words that they believe Tagovailoa is their franchise QB.
"He has a tremendous feel for the game," Gailey said. "That allows him to see some things and do some things and throw the ball in some spots that other people might not do. He just went out and played the game. He didn't care who was there or who wasn't there. He was playing the game and that's what you like about him. He doesn't think about adversity. He thinks about, 'OK, how can we go be successful?' That will carry a person a long way."
Flores added: "He made a lot of plays for us, a lot of big plays, especially down the stretch when we needed it. ... The stage wasn't too big for him."
From career in peril to Miami Dolphins' future: Inside Tua Tagovailoa's journey back from injury
Monday marks the anniversary of the quarterback's career-threatening injury. The milestones and memories of the past year have fueled the rookie, who will make his third NFL start Sunday.
Some tidbits:
Monday will mark one year since Tagovailoa suffered a scary hip injury at Alabama that could have ended the career of a player who might become one of this generation's best. The journey began with a helicopter ride off the field to the hospital and continued through months of rehab and outside uncertainty about whether Tagovailoa would ever be the same football player.
"Tua's ability to overcome adversity speaks for itself," Alabama coach Nick Saban told ESPN. "I don't think that anybody has had to work harder or do more to get back to playing relative to his situation."
"It's a freak-type injury," Bell said. "It's what we call a high-energy injury, meaning you're more likely to see something like this in motor vehicle accidents."
His teammates and coaches say Tagovailoa has regained his athleticism.
"It looks like it to me. I can't see a real difference," Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said. "Physically is the one thing you had the concern about and I think he kind of relieved all our thoughts about that."
The Injury
"It was one of the most devastating feelings I've ever had as a coach," Saban said. "You hate to see anybody get injured, but you certainly hate to see guys get those sort of injuries, especially at that station of their career. I can't tell you how bad I felt for him, his family and our team and how bad our team felt for him."
Six-month Journey
"He had a very serious injury, which was a very difficult rehab. With all his dreams of playing at the next level, it seemed like all of a sudden it's going to be an uphill struggle to get back to where [he] was," Saban said. "Those types of things make you stronger. He has a strong will, a good work ethic and he's certainly demonstrated it."
"When something dramatic like that happens, it's just a continuous process for me," Tagovailoa said. "Continuing to focus on what I need to do to continue to strengthen the muscles around my hip. And just continue to stay on rehab. But I mean it's been a journey.
"Looking back at that whole process. Literally almost a year from now, we were making a decision to decide if I was going to be able to play again or not, so I'm just blessed to be here."
NFL Draft
The Dolphins assigned Thomas Byrd, a hip specialist in Nashville, Tennessee, as an independent evaluator for Tagovailoa's combine medical recheck, sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen. Tagovailoa's X-rays looked "pristine," and the player "looks as good as [he has] ever seen five months out after similar injuries," Byrd told ESPN. The Dolphins felt comfortable betting on whom they perceived as the better prospect.
"Football is a violent game. Guys are going to get hurt," Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in April. "We felt very comfortable and our doctors and trainers did a lot of work on him, so for us, it wasn't that difficult of a decision."
The Waiting Game
The waiting game began. Fitzpatrick, Tagovailoa's self-proclaimed "placeholder," started the Dolphins' first six games and served as the rookie's mentor by answering his questions and hyping him up. On game days, Tagovailoa had an earpiece in, listening to Gailey's playcalls. During the week, Tagovailoa spent extra time with quarterbacks coach Robby Brown figuring out what makes him comfortable in the Dolphins' offense. He also had weekly Tuesday meetings with head coach Brian Flores to learn the defensive side of the game.
In practice, teammates saw dramatic improvement. Every week, Tagovailoa flashed athleticism and playmaking ability that looked closer to the quarterback who led Alabama to a national title.
"I've seen a lot of him in practice and how athletic he is, how incredible of a player he is," Dolphins defensive end Shaq Lawson said. "That's why I think he's so dangerous and he's athletic. His IQ for the game -- you wouldn't think he's a rookie if you watch him in practice. He looks like he's been around the game a long time."
"It was a very special moment for me," Tagovailoa said. "The biggest thing that really stands out to me is just being able to make my parents proud. So whether that's Tua as a football player, Tua as a person, Tua as a son, I think that's what brings me the most joy is seeing how happy my parents get and then seeing how happy my family gets, as well, with who I am and then also what I do."
Tua's First Start
"He's just getting started," Flores said. "I've been around a lot of young players. Every game is an experience. Good plays, bad plays, you learn from them and hopefully you get better. Again, he's still young. ... The way he practices, the way he prepares, how much he cares about it; it gives him a good opportunity to have some success."
Tua's Second Start
Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker said Tagovailoa's open-field elusiveness surprised him. Flores concurs. It's clear through their words that they believe Tagovailoa is their franchise QB.
"He has a tremendous feel for the game," Gailey said. "That allows him to see some things and do some things and throw the ball in some spots that other people might not do. He just went out and played the game. He didn't care who was there or who wasn't there. He was playing the game and that's what you like about him. He doesn't think about adversity. He thinks about, 'OK, how can we go be successful?' That will carry a person a long way."
Flores added: "He made a lot of plays for us, a lot of big plays, especially down the stretch when we needed it. ... The stage wasn't too big for him."