Tua Tagovailoa on outside criticism: 'I am the worst football player, if that’s what you want.'

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa has never liked to make things about himself.

Somehow, the Miami Dolphins quarterback is always a topic of discussion.

Tagovailoa has been one of the NFL's most-discussed quarterbacks since the Dolphins selected him with the No. 5 pick in 2020, from debates about his health and work ethic to criticism about his arm strength and ability to lead the Dolphins for years to come.

Tagovailoa has insisted that he doesn't care about those outside discussions, but Wednesday, he made it clear that he hears it.

“I understand that my platform and who I am in this league as a quarterback makes me, if you want, polarizing,” Tagovailoa said. "Whether I’m the best, whether I’m the worst, I could care less.”

He added: “I keep receipts. We all have a way of how we do things.”

Tagovailoa entered the NFL with high expectations after leading Alabama to a national championship in college.

But his first two NFL seasons were wrapped in turmoil as Miami's offense struggled and rumors swirled of a strained relationship between Tagovailoa and then-Miami coach Brian Flores.

Tagovailoa is having one of the best seasons of his career in 2023: He leads the NFL with 3,921 yards and is on pace to become Miami's first 4,000-yard passer since Dan Marino threw for 4,116 yards in 1992. Tagovailoa also ranks second in passer rating (106.0), is tied for fifth in passing touchdowns (25) and is second in yards per pass attempt (8.6).

He and Tyreek Hill are one of the best quarterback-receiver duos in the NFL. Hill has caught 97 passes and 12 touchdowns and leads the league in receiving yards (1,542) even though he missed last week's win over the New York Jets with an ankle injury.

Despite his gaudy stats, some pundits and fans have questioned if Tagovailoa's performance this season is more about the pieces around him than his actual improvement. The Dolphins have one of the NFL's most creative play-callers in coach Mike McDaniel, are first in scoring and top five in the league in rushing, red zone efficiency, run defense and sacks.

Hill entered Week 15 on pace for the first 2,000-yard receiving season in NFL history, and running back Raheem Mostert has boosted Miami's run game with a league-high 20 total touchdowns and 966 yards rushing, which is third in the NFL.

Tagovailoa has given his teammates praise for the success of the AFC-East leading Dolphins, but he's also taken notice of the outside noise.

On Wednesday, as the Dolphins prepared to host the Cowboys in Week 16, a game that could clinch Miami a playoff berth with a win, Tagovailoa was candid about some of the “narratives” he's seen about himself.

“Yeah, sure, I am only good with Tyreek in,” Tagovailoa said sarcastically. "You’re right. That is the only time I am at my best. You’re right, I’m only good when Jaylen’s (Waddle) in. Like, I could care less about it. Like sure, if Jaylen and those guys aren’t out (there), I’m only as good as Raheem Mostert allows me to be.

“If that’s what the narrative needs to be, and we’re able to win games and we’re able to go where we want to go as a team, I am the worst football player, if that’s what you want. Like I don’t care. Whatever it is, whatever you need on your show, take clips out of what I just said. Do what you need to do. I’m just here to do my job, and my job is to help our guys win games.”

It's not the first time that Tagovailoa has responded pointedly to discussions about himself.

When ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark questioned Tagovailoa's offseason work ethic in August and said he “wasn’t in the gym,” Tagovailoa responded by telling Clark to keep “my name out your mouth.”

“He probably knows more about me than I know about myself,” Tagovailoa said then. “Ryan’s been out of the league for some time. I don’t know. It’s a little weird when other people are talking about other people when they’re not that person. It was just a little weird."

McDaniel has lauded Tagovailoa's growth from the beginning of last season to now, pointing out his growth both on the field and as a leader in the locker room.

“What he’s doing is he’s learning from everything because he’s not pointing a finger or hiding from it,” McDaniel said. “He’s really holding himself fairly accountable for everything, but not backing down from anything. You’re seeing a guy develop as we’ve seen him develop really since I’ve been here. So should it surprise us that he continues to improve his game? Well, if we’re blindfolded with earplugs, it should surprise us. That’s what you know about Tua. His hunger is deep within himself and that will continue.”

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