Patriots

In the discussion surrounding Tua Tagovailoa's possible future following his recent concussion, a former Patriot has a novel perspective on what the Dolphins quarterback is currently going through.

So Bruschi, who returned to the NFL after a stroke in 2005expressed his opinion on Tagovailoa's situation during a segment on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown.

“A lot of people had different opinions about whether you should return to a sport where you're battling 300-pound men after a stroke,” Bruschi explained bluntly. “Tua is going through the mental side that I had to go through.”

Bruschi elaborated, noting that even with the very best medical advice, the choice ultimately rests with Tagovailoa.

“You go to as many doctors as you can,” Bruschi said. “He has support within the organization, I understand that. But the doctors only give you gray areas, and they don't give you black and white. I have personal experience with that.”

“I have an implant in my heart,” he continued. “If I get caught off guard, will the implant even move? 'It shouldn't, the chances are slim,' but they give you all this information, but ultimately they say, 'It's something you have to live with.'”

In addition, there are larger life circumstances that have to be considered.

“Can your wife and your family live with that? It's a whole different dynamic. They could put on a whole different show about what it was like convincing my wife to let me play football again,” Bruschi admitted.

“So should he quit or play? I did both,” said the previous Patriot, “because when I had my stroke, I couldn't see anything in the left field of my eye. I was blind [to the left]. I couldn't see. I was done. I went to Bill Belichick's office and told him I was done. I left. But you get better, and I'm sure Tua is the same.

Bruschi concluded that Tagovailoa will undoubtedly also reflect on his legacy as a football player.

“The other thing you might have to take into consideration is: I can't stop like this,” he said. “I just can't stop like this. I can't finish like this, because how we finish our careers is so necessary to all of us.”

Ultimately, the retired linebacker said he would support Tagovailoa if he wanted to return to the field.

“You have your individual end in mind here. Tua still desires to win, and he still desires to have a profession, and I might support him if he wanted to come back back.”

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa described a stark contrast between the type of his current head coach Mike McDaniel and that of his former head coach, current Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, on the Dan Le Batard Show on Monday.

When asked concerning the differences between the 2 coaches, Tagovailoa bluntly described Flores' style as abrasive.

“To put it very simply, if you woke up every morning and I told you, 'You're bad at what you do, you don't belong here, you shouldn't be here, that guy should be here, you don't deserve it,'” Tagovailoa said. “And then someone else (McDaniel) comes along and tells you, 'Dude, you fit the best here, you're precise, you're the best, whatever. You're this, you're that.' How would you feel listening to one or the other?”

Flores coached the Dolphins from 2019 to 2021. He was fired in January 2022 – and McDaniel was hired in February 2022 – after posting a 24-25 record in three seasons on the helm. Tagovailoa entered the league in 2020, when he threw for 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games.

Tagovailoa threw for about 2.5 times that quantity of yards last season, scoring 29 touchdowns and throwing 14 interceptions, and helped Miami to an 11-6 record.

Tagovailoa said the coaching methods had affected his confidence and that lately he felt he had regained his confidence after being so heavily criticized during his time under Flores.

“No matter what it is, the good or the bad,” he said, “when you hear it more and more, you actually start to believe it.”

“And that's how it turned out. It's basically the result of two years of training – not just from me, but also from a few other guys who have been here since my first year and are still here today.”

The Dolphins recently signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension, making him one among the highest-paid quarterbacks within the NFL.

Required reading