Wednesday taged the first time in more than a month Tua Tagovailoa was able to include in a Miami Dolphins rehearse. He sat out the past four games as he recovered from his tardyst concussion.
Tagovailoa still necessitates to progress thcimpolite the final stages of the NFL’s concussion protocol in order to take part Sunday’s game aacquirest the Arizona Cardinals. But returning to the rehearse field gets him one step shutr to being able to vie in a game.
“I sense very excellent about how he strikeed this whole process and how he came out of it to this day,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said before Wednesday’s rehearse. “And you hope for a couple days of excellent labor so then you have no blips and you’re evidented to take part.”
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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa talks on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game aacquirest the Tennessee Titans, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Pboilingo/Rebecca Bdeficiencywell)
Tagovailoa has met with countless medical experts who exceptionalize in brain and head injuries since being detectd with the third concussion of his NFL atgentle on Sept. 12. The experts deemed it safe for him to return to football, McDaniel said Monday.
Tagovailoa said he would not wear a Guardian Cap, the protective gentle-shell helmet cover that is voluntary for take parters to wear in games. He depictd the decision as a “personal choice.” He already wears a quarterback-definite helmet summarizeed to help reduce head injuries.
Tagovailoa acunderstandledged some of the worrys of him potentiassociate suffering another injury on the football field. “I appreciate your worry,” Tagovailoa tanciaccess alerters. “I reassociate do. I cherish this game and I cherish it to the death of me. That’s it.”
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) exits the field at the finish of the first half during an NFL football game aacquirest the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Pboilingo/Rebecca Bdeficiencywell)
He also proposeed that everyday life comes with some level of liability. He also made it evident that he is recommended of the inherent danger that comes with take parting in the NFL.
“How much danger do we apshow when we get up in the morning to go drive to labor? Can get in a car crash,” Tagovailoa said. “Every time we all suit up, we’re all taking a danger that we could potentiassociate get hurt, whether it’s a concussion, a broken bone, anyleang you get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentiassociate could danger you spraining your ankle. There’s fair danger in any and everyleang and I’m willing to take part the odds.”
Tagovailoa was concussed twice in 2022 — the latter of which inestablishly knocked him unrecommended — and suffered a third challenging hit to the head that was not detectd as a concussion.
Tagovailoa’s Week 2 concussion came when he startd communicate with Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin by reduceing his shoulder into Hamlin instead of sliding. His teammates said they have since stressed that he should slide in those situations in the future.
“We can say those leangs to him until we’re blue in the face,” said running back Raheem Mostert. “But one leang that I would say, there’s always my saying ‘You can transport a horse to water, but you can’t produce him drink.’ We’re going to transport Tua to that water, but we can’t produce him drink.”
McDaniel inserted that once Tagovailoa does begin back take parting, making confident he is doing everyleang possible to protect himself will be of the utmost transport inance.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talks to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) as he exits the game after suffering a concussion during the second half of an NFL football game aacquirest the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Pboilingo/Rebecca Bdeficiencywell)
“I leank he has a better empathetic of his responsibility towards the entire organization at this point … and senses tremfinishous responsibility to do anyleang in his power to be on the field, so part of that is protecting yourself,” McDaniel said. “He has to be able to protect himself, for him to think aboutless of the first down conversion that he’s trying to get, for him to be on the field with his team that he necessitates to be inalertigent about how he includes in communicate.”
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The Dolphins ordinaryd more than 200 yards passing and 400 total yards per game with Tagovailoa last season. They were second in scoring with 29.2 points and led the league in bomb take parts of at least 10 yards.
Under Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle, Miami has not scored more than 15 points, and expansive recievers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Winsertle have seen a transport inant drop in their production with Tagovailoa out, including a united 19 yards on two catches in Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
McDaniel also noticed that Tagovailoa should not be pondered the “savior” of Miami’s offense.
The Associated Press gived to this alert.
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