The very last thing Tua Tagovailoa remembers was getting tackled by Cincinnati Bengals nostril deal with Josh Tupou.
After that, it wasn’t till he was on the hospital at College of Cincinnati medical amenities and a few of the ambulance trip there when he regained consciousness following his Sept. 29 concussion suffered within the second quarter of that Thursday evening loss to the Bengals.
“I keep in mind all the evening as much as the purpose the place I acquired tackled,” mentioned Tagovailoa on Wednesday, the primary time he has spoken to the media since being taken off the sphere at Paycor Stadium on a stretcher and strapped to a backboard.
“After I acquired tackled, I don’t keep in mind a lot from there. Getting carted off, I don’t do not forget that. However I do keep in mind issues that have been occurring once I was within the ambulance after which on the hospital.”
If something, not less than it distanced his thoughts from the truth of the scary expertise.
“I wouldn’t say it was scary for me on the time,” mentioned Tagovailoa, who's slated to begin for the primary time since his concussion when his Dolphins tackle the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday evening at Exhausting Rock Stadium. “There was some extent the place I used to be unconscious, so I couldn’t actually inform what was occurring. After I did understand what was occurring, what was occurring, I didn’t consider something long-term or short-term. I used to be simply questioning what occurred.”
However now Tagovailoa, after lacking the Dolphins’ previous two losses in opposition to the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings and having his head harm spark rule adjustments within the NFL, can safely get again to doing what he loves, taking part in soccer.
“It’s been a course of. That’s for certain,” mentioned Tagovailoa, who was cleared from protocol on Saturday however knew he would sit out in opposition to Minnesota. “Having to take care of interviews with the NFL, NFLPA, after which having to go and see docs exterior with second opinions. A whole lot of it has been hectic, however all of it’s performed for participant security.”
Making that course of simpler for Tagovailoa, he mentioned Wednesday his neighbors’ children despatched him playing cards, candies and baked items whereas he recovered.
This week, Tagovailoa will get to organize because the starter, though he mentioned he already approached the earlier week, which allowed him restricted practices on Wednesday and Thursday plus a full-participation slate on Friday earlier than his Saturday clearance, the identical manner.
Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned he doesn’t have to see something further from Tagovailoa in the way in which he prepares.
“What I need to see is identical locked-in man that I do know, when he’s on it, he’s laser targeted, he’s in his regular temper, however he doesn’t lose consideration span on the activity at hand,” McDaniel mentioned Wednesday. “That’s what I’ve grown to like concerning the man.”
Mentioned star large receiver Tyreek Hill, who's on a report tempo for receiving yards in a season regardless of catching passes from three completely different quarterbacks in Tagovailoa, Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson via six video games: “Having Tua again goes to be nice. His entire method to the sport, his mentality, his mindset. … I can see everybody within the huddle having a superb time. We’ve been doing that the previous weeks, however with Tua, it’s a unique degree. He comes into the huddle along with his swag, joking, doing his factor.”
Tagovailoa’s first sport again will likely be in opposition to his former coach, Brian Flores, who's now a defensive assistant with the Steelers.
Tagovailoa didn’t have a very pleasant relationship with Flores when the 2 have been collectively in Miami. When he regarded again on his time along with his former coach within the offseason, the best reminiscence he supplied was the day he acquired drafted.
When requested about Flores being on the opposite aspect Sunday evening, he didn’t take a jab however, reasonably, expressed respect for what he — and the Steelers, traditionally — do defensively.
Will Flores’ familiarity with Tagovailoa think about on Sunday?
“Yeah, in fact,” Tagovailoa mentioned. “I’ve been with him for the previous two years, so he positively is aware of what I like, what I don’t like. However then once more, schematically, that is Mike’s offense. This isn’t the identical offense that I’d been operating whereas he’s been right here for the previous two years.”
And Tagovailoa’s return comes on the nationwide stage, “Sunday Evening Soccer” on NBC.
“It’s prime time, in order that’s what excites me,” he mentioned. “We’ll be the one sport on Sunday evening. That’s thrilling. You dream of being in these type of video games as a child, and we get this chance, in order that’ll be enjoyable.”
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