Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa sets the tone for the 2024 NFL season

Respect in the NFL is earned, not given, and the quarterback position on an NFL team is the face of the franchise, an ambassador in the business world, and the team’s leader on the field.

While a quarterback is usually the leader, it never starts that way. Whether the quarterback is a high draft pick, a low draft pick that earned a starting spot, or an incoming veteran, they not only have to play at a level high enough for their teammates to believe in them, they have to put in the work day after day and lead by example.

In the case of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, it’s been an uphill battle not only to gain the respect of teammates but also to have the confidence to demand the best out of them.

Tagovailoa’s first two years in the Brian Flores era, he was subjected to massive scrutiny by his head coach and subsequently by media and teammates to a degree. He was always on the chopping block to be replaced, whether with Deshaun Watson, Tom Brady, or Lamar Jackson.

Although he showed flashes during the Flores era, the team and coaching staff weren’t the right fit to bring out the best of his abilities. Those Dolphins teams were defensive-led with a Bill Belichick-like coaching style from Flores. Tagovailoa was in a “just don’t mess it up, and let the defense win it for you” type of situation. There’s no way a quarterback can lead a team under those circumstances. Luckily for him, general manager Chris Grier also saw this.

The Dolphins fired Brian Flores after the 2021 season and brought in the polar opposite of him in current head coach Mike McDaniel. McDaniel is an offensive-minded players-coach, who started to build Tagovailoa’s confidence from the ground up.

Mike McDaniel put together a 700-play highlight tape of the Dolphins quarterback to show how good he was compared to how he felt about himself.

From there, Tagovailoa’s confidence skyrocketed over the next two years from the unwavering belief from his head coach, the backing of the franchise’s newly acquired superstar receiver Tyreek Hill, and his overall play.

You could see Tagovailoa’s confidence grow and grow like a plant on steroids. It was evident by how he would join teammates in choreographed touchdown dances and from his scenes from the 2023 in-season Hard Knocks.

Speaking of Hard Knocks, there’s a scene during halftime of the Dallas Cowboys games where Tagovailoa spoke to fellow leader and star tackle Terron Armstead, and you can see a level of leadership that wasn’t there before.

Skip forward to training camp of the 2024 season, and Tagovailoa’s attitude as a leader is at its peak. While being asked about the twenty-four-year playoff drought and how the Dolphins can secure their first playoff win, this was his response:

Leadership from the quarterback position isn’t rare in the league, but it’s something that’s been missing in Miami since the Dan Marino era.

Tagovailoa has grown into a quarterback that’s confident and comfortable enough to hold everyone accountable, including himself. From the looks of the answer he gave, the vibe is different in Miami this year.

Let us know in the comments how you feel about the leader Tagovailoa has transformed into compared to his first few years.