ESPN analyst, former NFL QB ‘bothered’ by Tua Tagovailoa’s comments about calling plays
By SDS Staff
Published:
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck was alarmed by recent comments from Tua Tagovailoa.
When meeting with the media, the former Alabama quarterback revealed he wasn’t comfortable calling plays as a rookie. Appearing on “NFL Live,” Hasselback had a strong reaction, calling it a bad look.
“I have to be honest, I kind of read some of the comments, (but) that’s the first time I had heard him say it in that way. It kind of bothered me,” Hasselbeck said. “That should never, ever, ever happen with a quarterback, a guy that’s drafted in the first round that’s going to be the guy. I get it, the offseason was weird, it was hard, but I don’t want to hear Joe Burrow or anybody else talking about, ‘Hey, I didn’t learn the playbook.’ That, to me, is bad. Look, I do think he’ll be better, but sometimes, maybe, you don’t have to give everybody all of your information.”
The comments came from Tagovailoa’s first news conference since the end of the 2020 season.
“I wasn’t as comfortable just in general,” Tagovailoa told reporters, per the Miami Herald.
“I wasn’t comfortable calling plays. I think the guys that were here last year were phenomenal. I just didn’t have the comfortability of checking plays, alerting plays and doing that. I just rode with the play, even if I knew it wasn’t going to work. I was going to try to make it work still.”
The Herald notes that Tagovailoa elaborated on his understanding of the playbook.
“I didn’t actually know the playbook necessarily really, really good and that’s no one else fault but my fault. Our play calls were simple when I was in. I didn’t have alerts and checks. Where now, I feel comfortable and I can maneuver my way through these things now.”
Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in 2020, started nine games last season posting a 64.1 completion percentage and 87.1 passer rating while throwing for 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
[H/T 247Sports]
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