Read the full transcript from Mike McDaniel's press conference on October 21, 2024.
Q: A – will QB Tua Tagovailoa practice on Wednesday? And B – will Tua play on Sunday if he clears protocol this week?
"Our plan is to start him practicing on Wednesday and the clearing doesn't come until after some of the activity, but we're obviously doing so in the hope of everything going well so that he can play Sunday, but that will be to be determined."
Q: Why is this the right week to bring him back?
"Following – specifically with concussions, but just any injury in general, just following the directive and the opinion of medical experts. I think the reason why he's coming back now is because the medical experts have deemed it safe for him to return. So I don't mess with timelines or try to overcook or forecast. You lean on experts for matters of the career and that's what we're doing here."
Q: The decision to place him on injured reserve, did that also come from medical experts' recommendation or was that more of a team being precautionary or erring on the side of caution with him?
"This will be a good one to tweet out – I feel like I've answered it like six times – but the medical experts deemed that he would be best served with time. And in terms of the roster and equating what that timeline looked like, it was a little unknown, and so when the brain's health will be determined by the time, you make that decision. Each concussion is unique to its own, but that's why you have to really rely upon people that study the brain for a living and that was the driving force."
Q: Will QB Tua Tagovailoa wear a guardian cap when he returns?
"That's a great question for Tua (Tagovailoa). I think contrary to popular belief, as it's collectively bargained, we aren't allowed to mandate things that aren't mandated in terms of their attire. I think in terms of his career, we just have a high priority to pass forth information and knowledge so that decisions can be made with the full breadth of information. I think that I always preach that it is the individual player's determination if they want to do so, and so what you don't do is skirt the information gathering process and you make sure they're well-informed and they have access to all the available options which is supremely important to me. And then players, when they're making choices that relate to they're playing their careers as it's negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement, I appreciate the individual determination for how they play. Good question for him."
Q: Do you have a sense of who his backup will be this week?
"Not as of yet. It's to be determined. Some information still needs to be gathered, and I heard you guys didn't want to wait till like, 6 or 7 tonight for this press conference."
Q: Is it your sense that QB Tyler Huntley's injury might be season ending?
"My sense is I have no senses about it yet. It went from, 'All right, we'll keep you updated and abreast on whether or not he can come back into the game,' to 'He will not be coming back into the game.' So there's still some stuff going on with the evaluation process and I'll make my determination on that alongside the coaching staff and Chris (Grier). That'll probably come tomorrow where I'm kind of making those thoughts out."
Q: If I remember this correctly the last time QB Tua Tagovailoa came back from a concussion in 2022, in that first game there was a moment where he lowered his shoulder and kind of initiated contact at the end of the run, comes back to the sideline, is like, "sorry Coach, I needed that one." What's the messaging from you to him this time around about protecting himself in situations like that?
"I think he has a better understanding of his responsibility towards to the entire organization at this point. My answer would be, 'You don't need that one' this time around. And I think it's been eye-opening, too, for him where he was at a place where he really felt comfortable attacking the nuances of the game and he's just in a different place as far as a leader of this team and feels tremendous responsibility to do everything in his power to be on the field, so part of that is protecting yourself. I've got to make sure that he's properly protected, but at the same time I can't control everything and he has to be able to protect himself for him to – regardless of the first down conversion that he's trying to get – for him to be on the field with his team that he needs to be smart about how he engages in contact."
Q: I just wanted to follow up – I know this offseason he talked about losing weight partially to have more mobility. Does that plan change at all, the mobile aspect of his game?
"It's more about extending plays and being able to move within the pocket for that extra hitch or two. It's not really like a quarterback run game type of thought process, but for him – I think one of the reasons why this time around he was so diligent and deliberate on excessive running and staying in shape to keep that what he feels, and I think I would agree, is a competitive advantage for his game is being able to move his body around in the best way that allows him to make the plays that he's capable of making. I wouldn't say that from a schematic standpoint things would alter that much. I think that comes into making sure that the protection plans are right and the hot routes that are within the concept are right and that they're going to be good for him to get the ball out, and then him being smart and utilizing his football IQ and his acumen as the quarterback of the team and be able to protect himself with his skills as the team needs him to."
Q: Obviously the night he had a concussion was a very emotional night all around for this team. So what does it mean for you to have QB Tua Tagovailoa back?
"I think it means any time you have teammates that you grow together with, I think it feels a little off when he's not in the mix as much and you're not calling plays for him. So I think it's meaningful for the whole team considering he's been a captain every year I've been here but has completely – I can't remember the number – but he's continued to grow how many votes he gets and he's really the – across the board, I think everyone would say that he's the leader of this team, so I think that's a powerful thing that his team will appreciate. But I think it's important to state – what I just finished talking to the team about is that he's not the savior either. There's a lot of things that have to be looked at from an individual's game and all three phases to get better because it's not 'All right, Tua is here, he's going to fix the issues.' Everyone has to be on board to do their part to getting results that we want."
Q: WR Tyreek Hill seemed a little upset after the game. Have you talked to him? Or has anyone talked to him? How is his mindset?
"I sit probably 20 yards away from him on the plane. I think Tyreek (Hill) led the charge last week on selfless football and really honing in on fundamentals and technique that I thought he had his best game so far with how he was attacking defenders from the line of scrimmage and running some routes that didn't show up on the box score because he didn't get the ball. I think Tyreek is a model competitor for this football team that has no problems with what's going on in the game as long as it's done in the name of victory. I think it's very frustrating as a receiver to lose and to not feel like you had the moment where you could help dictate the outcome, however he is learning how much he's a part of each and every play. I think he was frustrated and was really a good example of – was saying what a lot of guys weren't saying but were feeling. You're never anything but happy when you have the right competitors on your team that don't like to lose because that helps the preparation for the whole team. His competitive edge, how he goes about his business helps dictate the terms of how everyone gets better. Frustrated as we all are for losing football games."
Q: How would you evaluate in the four games QB Tua Tagovailoa missed the play at the quarterback position?
"I would say that in some challenging situations, there were some things that I was happy with in terms of giving other players a chance to do their jobs and have good football, but overall I would say there was a solid amount of time where the overall play wasn't good enough. I think that's a collection of things; I think some teammates could have executed some things a little better. This past game, I thought we missed some ops that were there that teammates did do enough to put themselves in position to give the team a chance to make a play and the play didn't get made. I don't think anything is totally good enough in 1-3 football."
Q: What have you learned about QB Tua Tagovailoa throughout this entire process?
This process, I've learned where he's at in distinction to the two previous years. I think he used this time to find ways to improve things while I'm going through all of the endeavors and finding out all of the information being super diligent. He's really shown his maturity that continues to evolve and I think he's found a way to be even more of a leader just by investing in his teammates when he can't play. I've learned that he takes the responsibility of being the franchise quarterback in a way that you desperately need your franchise quarterback to approach it, and I think he's taught a lot of his teammates about himself and how much he's along the ride with them. Because in circumstances like this, it would be very easy and you could totally justify someone thinking about their own issues and problems the entire time. To be able to take the whole situation in, to be able to have conviction by way of seeking out information and then all the while making sure that his teammates know that he is right there with them and he's keeping track of all the things that are going on within the offense, talking to every position group about certain things that he sees that aren't up to the standard – whether that's a Monday film review or that's a Wednesday practice – he hasn't taken a day off from them, and I think that's a big deal."
Q: To drill down on what QB Tua Tagovailoa heard from concussion experts and what questions were asked, was he cleared from a higher concussion risk this season? Or was he cleared from long-term damage? And we're all the opinions unanimous?
"Yeah, I think he – it is probably a better quote coming from none other than Tua himself, but I think that the resounding thing was that we need some time and he needed the appropriate circumstance and the environment and needed it not skirting any detail. Like I said before, each concussion is unique to its own and I think he's very well-versed and bottom line is the medical experts, he really got some strong feedback to allow him to effortlessly make this decision which I'm sure he's eager to talk to you about."
Q: I know the offense was largely built around QB Tua Tagovailoa and he's a lefty. A lot of your backups have been righties. I'm curious how much of a factor that is for the offense having to shift or not shift this last month?
"The bottom line is anytime you try to max out your output with your given skill sets of your roster and the players you have on it and try to feature their skill sets, it is an adjustment. I think righty to lefty, I think beyond the quarterbacks having to inverse things when they're watching cut ups and we're talking technique from that of Tua's tape, I think it's less, 'Everybody catch it,' – most guys work out every offseason with almost primarily righties. There's always things when you are trying to really fit your scheme to your players, and I would say the list is multiple and they probably are all about the same vastness of all right, it's a little different because Tua throws a different ball and Tua's timing is unique to him and he's really exceptional at it. The timing, cadence, the types of plays that we're doing, that was all an adjustment, for sure, that you prepare within your scheme but it's always something of a hurdle that teams have to – there's plenty of teams that win football games with various quarterbacks. So the reason why we didn't win wasn't exclusive to the quarterback position, and in times when you have one of your best people out, other people have to step up including coaching."
