Why Tua Feels He Still Has Something to Prove

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa discussed his mobility, leadership, and Trevor Lawrence in his media session before Week 1 of the 2024 season.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) runs on the field after passing the football against the Washington Commanders during the first quarter of a preseason game at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Tua Tagovailoa has checked off quite a few boxes over the past couple of years, the latest being the massive contract extension he signed over the summer.

But that doesn't mean there isn't work left for the Miami Dolphins quarterback, and he explained Wednesday why he feels he still has something to prove.

"Yeah, I think that's how you got to come into the season every year," Tua said. "You've got to come in with something to prove every time. Everyone else is. The rookies are. The 17-year vets are, so I don't think anyone comes into this season thinking, ah, no, let me just see if this is going to be a season where I'm healthy, if there's a season where I could do good, I could be average, or whatever.

"I think everyone wants to be really, really good at coming in this first week and trying to sustain that throughout the entire year."

In regards to being really good in this first week, Tua has quite the tough act to follow after the show he put on against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in the Dolphins' 2023 opener.

He passed for 466 yards and three touchdowns that day, including the game-winning 4-yard pass to Tyreek Hill, to lead the Dolphins to a 36-34 victory against the Chargers. The passing yardage total was the third-highest in NFL history for opening day, behind only Tom Brady's 517 against the Dolphins in 2011 and Dan Marino's 473 against New England exactly 30 years ago (on September 4, 1994).

While he's confident the Dolphins will succeed on offense again in Week 1, Tua did acknowledge the uncertainty of season openers.

"You want to think you're ready for anything, but you never know until you go out there schematically," he said. "We think we know what they're going to do, but until we go out and run our plays and get a feel of what they're doing with their run fits, with the back end in coverage, how they're trying to marry both up with each other, you really don't know if you are. You've just got to go out there [and] get a feel.

"They haven't really put on film as a team, what they what they do, and what they do well. So I think it's also for them. They're trying to figure that out as well."

TUA TAGOVAILOA AND TREVOR LAWRENCE

The matchup against Jacksonville will mark Tua's third battle with Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, dating back to the 2018 national title game when Clemson defeated Tua's Alabama team 34-22.

Lawrence also came out on top during the 2021 NFL season when Jacksonville defeated the Dolphins, 23-20, on a last-second field goal for his first victory as a pro after a 0-5 start.

While Tua aptly pointed out that Sunday's game isn't about Tua vs. Lawrence because they don't face each other, they will most definitely be in the spotlight.

They also have similar career paths as high school phenoms, college phenoms, and high first-round picks who struggled a bit at the start of their NFL journey but were still anointed as franchise quarterbacks this summer.

"Yeah. I mean, congratulations to him and his wife," Tua said. "I think they just had a newborn, so congrats to them on that as well. I mean, when I'm trying to connect both of our journeys, I would say definitely two different journeys, two different journeys, that's for sure. But also there's some similarities in a way. But I think the way he's handled everything that he's gone through there in Jacksonville has been really commendable, and it's been really good for him. And as you can see, it's worked out really good. So I'm very happy for him. "

Tua would be even happier sending Lawrence home with a loss on Sunday.

He will focus on his team and try to start what everyone around the Dolphins facility hopes will be a long and successful season.

To that end, Tua says he shares Tyreek Hill's extra sense of excitement.

"Yeah, I do feel that. I say that just because of the practices that we've had, the intensity that we practice with going against our ones and the ones going against us there's been a lot of a lot of things that have trickled into the locker room that hadn't happened in years prior," Tua said. "And so I would say that's just the feel of, dang, this does feel different. And like we we got some dogs on the team."