Texans' Christian Harris Refused To Be Tricked By Tua Tagovailoa
HOUSTON — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left the first day of joint practices against the Houston Texans with two interceptions.
Tagovailoa wishes he could have another chance with the second interception. But when it came to the first, picked off by linebacker Christian Harris, Tagovailoa said his former college teammate refused to be tricked by his trademark no-look pass attempt.
"On the first interception, I think it’s what I’ve done best is looking guys off and no-looking throws into holes like that," Tagovailoa said. "I talked to Christian Harris and told me, ‘Dude, you did that so much to us last year that, like, I was like, OK, just trust my drop in this area.’ And he’s like, ‘I’m not falling for it.’
"So, it’s a good play for him. You know, the mind game of that. It’s like, ‘Wow, I never thought that you’d figure that out. That piece of the game out.’ So, kudos to him."
Harris' interception came during the first set of 11-on-11 play at the Houston Methodist Training Center Wednesday morning. It marked Harris' second takeaway of training camp and pick-six recorded by the Texans to open their joint practices against the Dolphins.
Tagovailoa said it was good to catch up with Harris despite the interception. They played one season at the University of Alabama when Harris was a freshman in 2019.
Harris was a part of the Texans' 30-15 loss to the Dolphins last season at Hard Rock Stadium. Tagovailoa played one half and went 22-for-36 for 299 yards and a touchdown. Miami held a 30-0 lead over Houston at the half.
"Christian has been doing a great job all throughout camp," coach DeMeco Ryans said. "It was good to see him make a play, make a play on the ball – that’s what we want to do. We want to be about the ball, attacking the ball defensively. And to get a couple [interceptions] today, it’s encouraging for us."
The Texans picked Tagovailoa off for the second time during a team scrimmage to end the practice. Safety Jalen Pitre picked off Tagovailoa's pass attempt to wide receiver Robbie Chosen.
After scoring the defensive touchdown, Pitre screamed, "Get the F*** out of here! Go home!"
"That one, I was trying to maneuver someone, and it didn’t work out with one of the receivers," Tagovailoa said. "I probably should have just sailed it to the ground, but it was a good play by him."
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