Tua Tagovailoa out of Dolphins’ playoff matchup with Bills
As the Miami Dolphins move toward the wildcard playoff matchup against the Buffalo Bills, the organization has cleared up its quarterback dilemma.
Head coach Mike McDaniel announced Wednesday that Tua Tagovailoa has been ruled out of the game. As a result, Skylar Thompson will be prepped to start.
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“I would say it’s conflicting,” McDaniel said of Tagovailoa’s reaction to being ruled out via ESPN. “He, himself, is learning that he needs to listen to the advice of doctors and medical professionals. Tua understands the severity of doing that, so there’s a little bit of things that he can’t control. He was an incredible part of the entire season. I think eight of our wins were as a result of him playing quarterback, among the team, and that did not come because it was just gifted. That was a lot of work and preparation, so it’s very frustrating, much as a lot of things in life and football are.”
As much as McDaniel and the Dolphins desire to play Tagovailoa, it’s not an option. The Alabama product has suffered three concussions this season, and the last wasn’t known until a day after the game.
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Miami is aware of the risks that are in play with putting Tagovailoa back onto the field too soon. His NFL career is already tittering with being put into jeopardy, and suffering a concussion could prove much more dangerous than sending him into early retirement.
