ReportWire

Tag: Tua Tagovailoa

  • Fins coach: Too early to say who will start at QB

    Fins coach: Too early to say who will start at QB

    7:55 PM ET

    • Marcel Louis-JacquesESPN

    MIAMI — It’s too early to tell whether Miami Dolphins rookie Skylar Thompson will start Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday.

    With quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater both in concussion protocol with no firm timeline to return, the Dolphins may turn to 2022 seventh-round pick Thompson to make his first career start and, ideally, snap a two-game losing streak.

    It’s not, however, something McDaniel feels like he has enough information on to speculate this early in the week.

    “It’s too soon for me to really pinpoint that,” he said. “There’s, again, I kind of have to wait and assess the whole situation, which I do not have in scope. What I do know is that Skylar will be practicing on Wednesday and hopefully Wednesday I’ll have a better feel of the direction that we should go that’s best for the football team.”

    During Sunday’s 40-17 loss to the New York Jets, Thompson filled in for Bridgewater, who was placed in concussion protocol after just one offensive snap. Thompson finished the game with 166 yards on 19-of-33 passing. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble in what McDaniel called a “rough rookie outing.”

    Tagovailoa has been in concussion protocol since Week 4. He has been in the Dolphins’ building but hasn’t progressed enough yet to start doing football activities, McDaniel said, and is being evaluated every 12 to 24 hours.

    Meanwhile, Bridgewater continues to show no symptoms of a concussion after passing his evaluation during Sunday’s game. He was removed from the game after a booth ATC spotter believed he saw Bridgewater stumble after taking a hard hit from Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, triggering the recently added “ataxia” clause in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

    The amendment states that any player who is diagnosed with ataxia — which is an “abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue” — will be prohibited from returning to the game and will require follow-up care.

    Dolphins captains Terron Armstead and Tyreek Hill also sustained injuries in Sunday’s game. Armstead, the Dolphins’ starting left tackle, remained in New York overnight to see a specialist for a toe injury that has bothered him since Week 1. McDaniel said the appointment went well and that Armstead is back in Florida. The hope is for him to play Sunday but McDaniel said he trusts Armstead implicitly in the process.

    “The one thing I’ve learned with Terron is I can trust him as much as I’ve ever trusted any player,” he said. “So I know one thing, he will do whatever it takes to play Sunday. The one thing that myself, the coaching staff and his teammates know is if he’s not able to play, it’s because he’s physically unable to play. So [I’m] trusting that process and excited that he’s taken a step to get that thing healthy.”

    Hill left MetLife Stadium wearing a walking boot on his left foot but McDaniel said the wide receiver “looked pretty good” Monday. He called Hill a “fast healer” and said the Dolphins will take his status day by day.

    Starting cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones also missed Sunday’s game and while McDaniel said he doesn’t expect to activate Jones, who is on the physically unable to perform list after Achilles surgery in March, Howard has a better chance at playing Sunday.

    If Thompson does have to start Sunday, McDaniel said he is confident in what the rookie can accomplish after a week of getting starter’s reps — especially after what he was able to do in his first NFL action.

    “Being a backup quarterback in this league is not easy,” McDaniel said. “And what people don’t understand is you have a finite amount of reps during the week because you can’t deplete your athletes and you can’t have endless amount of reps. So typically, starters get anywhere from 80 to 100% of the practice reps. So a backup quarterback, especially a rookie, it’s a tremendous challenge because you have to own the whole game plan, visualize it, be able to call it, be able to line people up and then execute appropriately.”

    The Dolphins have lost consecutive games after starting the season 3-0. They have a favorable schedule coming up with only one of their next six games coming against an opponent with a winning record — this week’s game against the 4-1 Vikings.

    Regardless of their opponent, they’re not looking too deeply into these losses and are confident in their ability to bounce back.

    “You can have any excuse, any reason for any loss that you want and I think being a professional football player and being a guy in the locker room, you know the talent’s there,” fullback Alec Ingold said. “You know the coaches are there. You know the pieces of the puzzle are there. We’ve proven that, like you said. It’s just about us coming together as a team, finding our formula to win, having a standard and sticking to it.

    “I feel like those are all simple answers that you can give but it’s really hard to do on a week-to-week basis. That’s what separates good teams from great.”

    Source link

  • NFL’s Concussion Protocol Modified After Tua Tagovailoa Review

    NFL’s Concussion Protocol Modified After Tua Tagovailoa Review

    MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to modify the league’s concussion protocol following a joint investigation into the league’s procedures after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered an injury against the Buffalo Bills last month.

    The league and players’ union said in a joint statement Saturday that the outcome of the Tagovailoa case “was not what was intended when the Protocol was drafted.” As a result, language addressing abnormality of balance/stability was added to the league’s protocol list of symptoms that would keep a player from returning to action.

    In the first half of the Sept. 25 game against Buffalo, Tagovailoa took a hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano, which caused him to slam to the ground. He appeared disoriented afterward and stumbled as he tried to get to his feet.

    Tagovailoa was immediately taken to the locker room and taken through the NFL’s concussion protocol, after which he was cleared of any head injury. He started the third quarter, drawing criticism from viewers about why he was allowed to return to the game.

    The NFL and NFLPA said they reviewed video and jointly interviewed members of the Dolphins’ medical staff, the head athletic trainer, the Booth ATC Spotter, the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant and Tagovailoa.

    They found that Tagovailoa did not show any signs or symptoms of a concussion during his locker room exam, during the rest of the game, or throughout the following week. But immediately after he took the hit from Milano, gross motor instability was present.

    After the game, Tagovailoa and Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said the quarterback had suffered a back injury earlier in the game on a quarterback sneak.

    The review said Tagovailoa told the medical staff that he aggravated his back injury on the play in question and that his back injury caused him to stumble. It also said the medical staff determined that the gross motor instability was not due to a concussion.

    Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) is attended by medical staff after being sacked by Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Josh Tupou during the second quarter of an NFL football game at Paycor Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (David Santiago/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

    Miami Herald via Getty Images

    In their statement Saturday, the NFL and players’ union said there was not examination of the QB’s back during the concussion examination, but that they “instead relied on the earlier examination conducted by other members of the medical staff.” The conclusion then was that the back injury was the cause of Tagovailoa’s instability.

    As a result of the joint investigation, the league and union agreed to change the league’s concussion protocol to include the term “ataxia.” In the statement, they defined ataxia as “abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue.”

    Ataxia replaced the term “gross motor instability” and has been added to the list of symptoms that would prohibit a player from returning to the game. The others are confusion, amnesia and loss of consciousness.

    “The Protocol exists to establish a high standard of concussion care for each player,” the league and union’s statement said, “whereby every medical professional engages in a meaningful and rigorous examination of the player-patent. To that end, the parties remain committed to continuing to evaluate our Protocol to ensure it reflects the intended conservative approach to evaluating player-patients for potential head injuries.”

    On Oct. 1, the union fired the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant who handled Tagovailoa’s situation during the game.

    Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president overseeing health and safety, said in a virtual news conference Saturday that he believes this is the first time a UNC has been fired, and that the NFL did not support the decision to fire him.

    Less than a week after the injury, Tagovailoa started against the Cincinnati Bengals in a Thursday night game. He suffered a concussion in the first half after taking a hard sack, and displayed the fencing response after the scary hit. He was stretchered off the field and immediately taken to the hospital. He remains in the concussion protocol and will miss Sunday’s game against the Jets.

    Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s Chief Medical Officer, said that under the league’s amended protocol, Tagovailoa would have been diagnosed with a concussion on Sept. 25 under the ataxia term, thus making him ineligible to come back into that game.

    Sills said there’s no exact timetable for return for a player diagnosed with a concussion, but it would be “extremely unlikely” for a player diagnosed with ataxia to be able to play on Thursday night. The median time out with a concussion is nine days, he added.

    Sills also alluded to how difficult it is to definitively diagnose concussions. He mentioned that blood and saliva tests could help make concussion examinations more accurate.

    Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a fan forum in London Saturday that the NFL will make a “change or two” to its concussion protocol.

    McDaniel, asked repeatedly in the days following the incident about the decision to allow Tagovailoa to return, emphasized his confidence in the team’s handling of the situation.

    “This is a player-friendly organization that I make it very clear from the onset,” McDaniel said last week, “that my job as a coach is here for the players. I take that very serious, and no one else in the building strays from that.”

    Source link

  • Investigation determines Miami Dolphins followed concussion protocol with Tua Tagovailoa

    Investigation determines Miami Dolphins followed concussion protocol with Tua Tagovailoa

    The NFL’s concussion protocol was followed after Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered an injury against the Buffalo Bills last month, the NFL and NFL Players Association concluded in a joint investigation.

    The parties released a joint statement on their findings Saturday.

    “The outcome in this case was not what was intended when the protocol was drafted,” the statement said.

    As a result, the NFL and NFLPA agreed to modify the league’s concussion protocol, adding the term “ataxia,” to the mandatory “no-go” symptoms. In the statement, they defined ataxia as “abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue.”

    If a player is diagnosed with ataxia by the team or other neutral physician, that player will immediately be ruled out of the game and will receive follow-up care.

    Tua Tagovailoa
    Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is carted off the field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 29, 2022, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

    Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images


    In the first half of the Week 2 game on Sept. 25 against the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa took a hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano, which caused him to slam to the ground. He appeared disoriented afterward and stumbled as he tried to get to his feet.

    Tagovailoa was immediately taken to the locker room and taken through the NFL’s concussion protocol, after which he was cleared. He returned to the game to start the third quarter, drawing criticism from viewers about why he was allowed to return to the game.

    The NFLPA later announced that it was launching an investigation into the situation. The union later fired the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant (UNC) who handled Tagovailoa’s injury during the game.

    Less than a week after the injury, Tagovailoa started against the Cincinnati Bengals in a Thursday night game. He suffered a concussion in the first quarter after taking a hard sack, and displayed the fencing response after the scary hit. He was stretchered off the field and immediately taken to the hospital. He remains in the concussion protocol and will miss Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.

    Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president overseeing health and safety, said in a virtual news conference Saturday that he believes this is the first time a UNC has been fired, and that the NFL did not support the decision to fire him.

    The NFL and NFLPA said they reviewed video from the Bills game, jointly interviewed members of the Dolphins’ medical staff, the head athletic trainer, the Booth ATC Spotter, the UNC and Tagovailoa.

    They found that Tagovailoa did not show any signs or symptoms of a concussion during his locker room exam, during the rest of the Bills game, or throughout the following week prior to the Bengals game. But immediately after he took the hit from Milano, gross motor instability was present.

    After the Bills game, Tagovailoa and Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said the quarterback had suffered a back injury a few plays earlier on a quarterback sneak.

    The review said that Tagovailoa told the medical staff that he aggravated his back injury on the play in question and that his back injury caused him to stumble.

    It also said that the medical staff determined that the gross motor instability was not due to a concussion.

    “They concluded the player’s back injury was the cause of his observed instability,” the parties said in the release. “However, the team physician and UNC did not conduct an examination of Mr. Tagovailoa’s back during the concussion examination, but instead relied on the earlier examination conducted by other members of the medical staff.”

    Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a fan forum in London on Saturday that the NFL will make a “change or two” to its concussion protocol as it has fielded criticism in the handling of Tagovailoa’s injury.

    “The protocol exists to establish a high standard of concussion care for each player,” the league and union said, “whereby every medical professional engages in a meaningful and rigorous examination of the player-patent. To that end, the parties remain committed to continuing to evaluate our protocol to ensure it reflects the intended conservative approach to evaluating player-patients for potential head injuries.”

    In an interview the morning after the Dolphins-Bengals game, neuroscientist Chris Nowinski, CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, said that the Dolphins put Tagovailoa’s life in danger and failed to protect him.

    “This is a failure by everybody,” Nowinski told “CBS Mornings.” This is a failure by the medical team. This is a failure by the independent medical team on Sunday. This is a failure by the coaching staff. The problem is all these failures, none of them are going to be punished. The person who is punished here is Tua.”

    Source link

  • Football Concussions—The NFL’s Worst Fear—May Be More Likely On Fake Grass Fields, Study Suggests

    Football Concussions—The NFL’s Worst Fear—May Be More Likely On Fake Grass Fields, Study Suggests

    Topline

    Athletes playing on turf playing fields may have a greater risk of suffering a concussion than ones playing on grass, according to University of Hawaii research published Friday, particularly noteworthy as concerns about head trauma in the National Football League continue to grow.

    Key Facts

    The research found a “significantly greater deceleration impact” on turf than on grass, the paper’s author Ian Chun wrote in an abstract of the research published Friday and to be presented at an American Academy of Pediatrics conference this weekend.

    Researchers strapped a football helmet and sensors to a life-like mannequin and dropped the mannequin on its front, back and side a total of 1,710 on 10 different grass fields and nine turf fields, measuring the fall’s impact with sensor data.

    First invented in the 1950s, the artificial turf market hit a value of $3.2 billion last year and is growing quickly, with turf fields exploding in popularity in amateur and professional ranks in recent years, with scores of high schools nationwide opting for fake grass.

    News Peg

    The study comes at a particularly crucial moment in concussion discourse, as the NFL players’ union conducts an investigation into the league’s handling of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s health after Tagovailoa suffered a gruesome head and neck injury last week when thrown to Paycor Stadium’s artificial turf, four days after suffering a different potential head injury under disputed circumstances.

    Contra

    Chun wrote in an email to Forbes it’s reasonable to conclude “harder playing surface poses an increased risk of injury,” but added he would caution against “generalizing the results of our research to a professional level,” noting turf NFL fields “have strict guidelines and manuals on how to maintain their fields to playing standards which are undoubtedly stricter” than the local high school fields where the research was conducted.

    Key Background

    Previous research has found a greater risk of lower-body injuries on turf and worries about rubber pellets frequently found on turf fields being carcinogenic have previously made waves, but there is little prior research done on how playing surfaces may affect head trauma. Turf’s increasing prevalence is largely due to the significantly lower maintenance costs for the surface. Turf fields typically consist of a layer of concrete followed by the artificial grass and then crumb rubber designed to cushion the impact of falls. Much of the concern about concussions in football centers on the prevalence of the chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative degenerative brain condition with symptoms including severe depression and mood swings which has been found in 99% of the brains of former NFL players, several of whom died by suicide.

    Big Number

    50%. That’s how many NFL teams play their home games on artificial turf fields, according to NBC Sports. Among the 30 NFL stadiums, 14 have turf, including MetLife Stadium and SoFi Stadium, the respective shared home stadiums for the New York Giants and New York Jets and the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams.

    Chief Critic

    JC Tretter, the president of the NFL players’ union, called for the league to make all playing surfaces natural grass in a 2020 essay. Tretter cited league injury data between 2012 and 2018 showing players were 28% more likely to suffer non-contact lower extremity injuries on turf than on grass. A petition for all NFL teams to install grass playing surfaces took off in February after then Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr. tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium, with stars like the San Francisco 49ers’ Joey Bosa backing the measure.

    Further Reading

    NFL stars started a petition to ban artificial turf in football after Odell Beckham’s Super Bowl injury (Business Insider)

    NFL Players’ Union Ousts Doctor Who Cleared Tagovailoa To Play (Forbes)

    Derek Saul, Forbes Staff

    Source link

  • Fins coach not fretting outside criticism over Tua

    Fins coach not fretting outside criticism over Tua

    3:21 PM ET

    • Marcel Louis-JacquesESPN

    MIAMI — Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel isn’t ignorant of the criticism surrounding how quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was handled following an apparent head injury against the Bills on Sept. 25; he’s aware of what people’s opinions are.

    But he says he isn’t wasting thought on them.

    Speaking to local media Wednesday, McDaniel said any skepticism about whether he or the Dolphins were negligent in allowing Tagovailoa to play against the Cincinnati Bengals, four days after suffering the apparent head injury against the Bills, would be “crumbling” if it were coming from the people he’s in service to. Anything outside the Dolphins’ building, he said, is also outside of his control.

    “Everything’s reactionary anyway,” he said. “So if people want to [give their opinion], whatever. … If I’m spending time thinking about that, let’s say Monday night for five seconds — that’s five seconds that I’m not thinking about all the other things that relate to the team and the upcoming game.

    “I fully have way too much respect for the game, for everyone involved, for everybody that’s counting on me that, I mean, I’m actually the anti-T.O. [Terrell Owens]. You know, ‘talk good about me, talk bad about me, just talk about me’ — I’d be cool if no one talked about anything. That’s how I’ve been operating in my whole career. But [I’m] fully expecting that they’re going to have all sorts of opinions because that’s the nature of the beast, that’s what happens when you watch it and are fan of it for your entire life. You see it happen over and over, and nothing I guess in that avenue would really surprise me.”

    Tagovailoa was evaluated for a head injury during halftime of Miami’s win over the Bills in Week 5, after hitting his head on the ground and stumbling on his way back to the huddle. He cleared concussion protocol and returned to the game, with both he and the team stating that it was a back injury he has suffered earlier in the game which caused him to stumble.

    He continued to pass concussion evaluation throughout the week leading up to Thursday’s game and was cleared to play in it, but he suffered a concussion shortly before halftime that required a brief hospitalization. Tagovailoa was discharged and allowed to return to Miami with the team early Friday morning.

    The NFLPA exercised its right to initiate a review of the NFL’s concussion protocol following Tagovailoa’s quick return to the field and terminated the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who performed his initial evaluation after determining he made “several mistakes” in his evaluation, sources told ESPN.

    Multiple sources told ESPN that the review of Tagovailoa’s handling could be completed as soon as Thursday.

    The reaction to Tagovailoa’s injury and handling drew myriad responses on social media and even from fellow NFL coaches. Speaking the day after Tagovailoa suffered a concussion against the Bengals, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he was “astonished” by what he had seen the night before.

    “I’ve been coaching for 40 years in college and the NFL. I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Harbaugh said. “I really appreciate our doctors, appreciate our owner, appreciate our general manager from the standpoint that there’s two things you have to keep in mind: One of them is, a lot of time players want to play. Sometimes, you just have to tell them no. No has got to be the answer.

    “Sometimes, guys might be there physically where they’re sound, but they’re not confident yet, they’re not quite there yet — and we’ve had that this year. We’ve had both those situations this year. You don’t put them out there until they’re ready.”

    New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick told radio station WEEI he had “definitely” ruled out players who appeared incapable of playing, despite them being cleared by medical personnel.

    The Dolphins beat the Patriots and Ravens in their first two games of the 2022 season.

    McDaniel has insisted that Tagovailoa was cleared by an independent neurologist and that he personally interacted with him throughout the week — and saw no signs of a head injury.

    “I’m in steady communication with this guy day in and day out,” McDaniel said. “We’re talking about high-level football conversations about progressions and defenses and recalling stuff from two weeks previous and then him having to reiterate a 15-word play call. All things, absolutely no signs. There was no medical indication, from all resources, that there was anything regarding the head.

    “Beyond an eyeball test, which I know for a fact you guys would not be very comfortable if I was just relying on that — I mean, it’s the reason why we have tests,” McDaniel added. “He did not have a head injury. So guys hit their heads all the time, and that’s why I was adamant [that] he was evaluated for having a head injury, and he did not have one. And when I tell you he was in complete mental concert, talking to us through it, and then he played the whole game and then he did a press conference and then he did media all week.”

    The Dolphins ruled Tagovailoa out for their Week 5 game against the New York Jets, naming Teddy Bridgewater the starter until Tagovailoa is able to return. McDaniel said repeatedly that there is no timetable for Tagovailoa as he remains in concussion protocol.

    Source link

  • Dolphins say QB Tagovailoa ruled out for Week 5

    Dolphins say QB Tagovailoa ruled out for Week 5

    2:00 PM ET

    • Marcel Louis-JacquesESPN

    MIAMI — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets as he continues to progress through concussion protocol, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday.

    There’s no “definite timeline” for Tagovailoa’s return after he left the Dolphins’ 27-15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. Teddy Bridgewater will start Sunday in his place.

    Tagovailoa was taken to a local hospital after his head hit the turf late in the second half of Thursday’s game in Cincinnati. He was diagnosed with a concussion but was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and allowed to fly home with the team early Friday morning. McDaniel said Tagovailoa’s scans came back “clean” — including the MRI he underwent in Miami — but it’s still too early to start thinking about his return to the field.

    “Right now he is in the building. He’s had a couple good days, but he’s just trying to go through with the proper procedure and protocol so that he’s feeling 100 percent,” McDaniel said. “I know he’s gonna be diligent with it. And if there’s obviously any things that are giving him issues in terms of light and those things, then we will shut that down.”

    Tagovailoa was evaluated for a concussion after a similar situation during the Dolphins’ game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3. He hit the back of his head on the ground and stumbled while trying to return to the huddle after the play. He was immediately taken to the locker room with a head injury, the team announced at the time.

    He passed the locker room evaluation, however, and returned to finish the game after halftime with both Tagovailoa and the Dolphins clarifying that his stumble was caused by a back injury he suffered earlier in the game. The NFL’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, said Tagovailoa was tested daily leading up to Thursday’s game, and McDaniel said his quarterback was cleared of any head injury by an independent neurologist.

    The NFL Players Association initiated its right to request a review of the NFL’s concussion protocol following his quick return to the game and terminated the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who initially evaluated Tagovailoa during the Bills game. The NFL and NFLPA also committed to altering the concussion protocol based on what both parties learned during the review. McDaniel said he supports the changes to the protocol and reiterated his confidence in how Tagovailoa’s injury was handled throughout the week.

    McDaniel said he was not directly involved in Tagovailoa’s evaluation process and that beyond making sure his players’ best interests are kept in mind, he does not generally interject into matters that are outside his area of expertise.

    “I’m very much involved in terms of that, that they’re answering and giving me information. I don’t think I should be involved in determining concussion symptoms outside of the obvious,” he said. “One thing that we operate within this organization is they know first and foremost that the players’ health and safety is above all else. The coaches know that’s how we address things and the players know that as well. So mandating, and making sure, and being that extra voice of reason that says, ‘Hey, we’re not trying to ever push through something with unintended consequences being pushed to the player’ — I’ll always stay involved in that way from an enforcer standpoint.

    “But in terms of me interjecting into an opinion that we have people schooled in and years and years of expertise in, I think that would be a little irresponsible if I tried to kick the door in and say my piece as a layman who’s not an expert.”

    Behind Bridgewater, the Dolphins have 2022 seventh-round draft pick Skylar Thompson and they signed Reid Sinnett, who spent the 2021 season with the Dolphins, to their practice squad Monday afternoon.

    A former first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2014, Bridgewater had also spent time with the Jets, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos before signing with Miami this offseason. He’s won both games he played against the Jets in his career, completing 38 of 52 passes for 544 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

    McDaniel expressed confidence in Bridgewater as the team’s starter for however long this stint might last.

    “We’re very, very confident in Teddy Bridgewater. It’s one of the reasons you decide to go that direction in an offseason and prioritize your backup quarterback is for these moments,” McDaniel said. “We went out and signed him, and it’s been one of the better things that could have happened to us for the team’s dynamic — for his contribution in how Tua is playing and his ability to play, as well as his part in the development of Skylar.

    “So he’s had a big role. Everyone’s super confident in him. He’s done it before; it’s a different deal coming off the bench than starting. Teddy knows that and he’ll be fully prepared and ready to go. I don’t think the team will bat an eye when we lace ’em up on Sunday.”

    Source link

  • What we know about Tua Tagovailoa’s injury, and what’s next

    What we know about Tua Tagovailoa’s injury, and what’s next

    The joint concussion protocol of the NFL and NFL Players Association is facing serious questions Friday, one day after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion and was briefly hospitalized during his team’s 27-15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

    The injury occurred with 5 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in the second quarter at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. Tagovailoa’s head hit the ground when he was sacked by Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou. Tagovailoa’s arms grew rigid and his fingers curled in what appeared to be a “fencing response.” Medical officials placed him on a stretcher and wheeled him to an ambulance.

    The timing of the concussion ignited renewed scrutiny of the hit Tagovailoa took four days earlier in Miami when he was shoved to the ground by Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano after throwing a pass. Tagovailoa grabbed his head and then stumbled after getting off the ground. The Dolphins originally labeled it a head injury but then later attributed the stumble to ankle and back injuries and allowed him to finish the game after he cleared an evaluation at halftime.

    “We’ll have all of those interviews,” NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills told the NFL Network. “We’ll review all of the video, we’ll review all of the data. And the purpose of that review is to make sure that the concussion protocol was followed.”

    It was revealed Saturday that the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant involved in clearing Tagovailoa was fired after it was learned he made “several mistakes,” sources told ESPN Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques. The NFL and its players’ union said Saturday that modifications to the concussion protocol are needed.

    Let’s take a closer look at the issues surrounding Tagovailoa’s condition, his next steps and what consequences — if any — will arise from an NFL/NFLPA investigation. –– Kevin Seifert

    Tagovailoa’s stumble after hitting his head on the ground suggested a display of gross motor instability — which, according to the NFL’s concussion protocol, required him to be taken directly to the locker room for evaluation. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa insisted that a back injury he suffered earlier in the game was to blame for the stumble. The quarterback said Monday he had passed his evaluation for a concussion at halftime Sunday and was cleared to return to the game.

    McDaniel said on Monday if “any red flag” popped up during the evaluation, Tagovailoa would not have played. He added that the team and an unaffiliated neurological consultant went “above and beyond” to the point where Tagovailoa was “annoyed” at the amount of questions he was asked about a potential head injury. The Dolphins initially reported him questionable to return with a head injury but later said it was ankle and back injuries. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

    Why would someone with gross motor instability be allowed to go back in a game?

    After absorbing the initial hit in Week 3 against the Bills, Tagovailoa stumbled noticeably after getting up and had to be stabilized by teammates. The NFL concussion protocol refers to that type of stumble as “gross motor instability” and requires an evaluation to determine the cause.

    That section of the protocol concludes: “If the team physician, in consultation with the sideline [unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant], determines the instability to be neurologically caused, the player is designated a ‘No-Go’ and may not return to play.”

    In Tagovailoa’s case, the gross motor instability was attributed to a back injury and not a concussion. Because it was not “neurologically caused,” according to the determination of the team and unaffiliated doctors, he was permitted to play under the terms of the protocol. — Seifert

    What was Tagovailoa’s week like with the team leading into Thursday night’s game?

    Sills said Friday that Tagovailoa was checked for concussion symptoms every day this week, including Thursday. The Dolphins did not practice Monday, which is not unusual after a Sunday game. But they did release an estimated injury report as if they did practice, and Tagovailoa was listed as “DNP” — did not participate — because of back and ankle injuries. McDaniel said Tagovailoa was dealing with ankle and back soreness and would not commit to Tagovailoa’s availability for Thursday’s game. Tagovailoa had limited walk-throughs on Tuesday and Wednesday, and a league source told ESPN he made “good strides” from Tuesday to Wednesday. A final decision on his availability for Thursday’s game was not made until Thursday morning. –– Louis-Jacques

    When Tagovailoa was sacked on Thursday, it was reported he went into a fencing response. What is that?

    The fencing response is an involuntary neurological response to a significant concussive event, in which the forearms become rigidly positioned outward for a brief period. The term originated from the sport of fencing (en garde) with the position of one arm flexed and the other extended. –– Stephania Bell

    What’s Tagovailoa’s current situation, and what’s happened since he was taken off the field?

    Tagovailoa was treated at University of Cincinnati Hospital and was discharged before the Dolphins left the Cincinnati area for South Florida. Tagovailoa underwent testing, which showed no structural damage to the head or neck area, sources said. He was alert and had feeling in his extremities. He accompanied the Dolphins on the team plane and was in good spirits upon arrival, wearing a neck brace as a precaution. Tagovailoa is expected to undergo an MRI and receive a second opinion for his injuries. He’s in the concussion protocol, which includes a five-step process for returning to the field. — Jeremy Fowler

    Tagovailoa is in the concussion protocol, so what’s next?

    Tagovailoa must proceed through a five-step process before returning to the field. This is what it looks like, paraphrasing from the return-to-play portion of the protocol:

    Phase 1: Rest, and then limiting — or avoiding — physical and cognitive activities if they aggravate symptoms. Introduction of limited stretching and balancing work and moving to light aerobic exercise.

    Phase 2: Gradual progress toward cardiovascular exercise, dynamic stretching and more balance work. Neurocognitive and balance testing can be administered. If the results are interpreted as back to baseline (pre-concussion) levels, Phase 2 is satisfied.

    Phase 3: Increased cardio exercise to mimic sport-specific activity, along with supervised strength training. The player can practice with the team, doing sports-specific exercises, for 30 minutes or less.

    Phase 4: The player can advance to noncontact football activities such as throwing, catching and running. Another round of neurocognitive and balance testing is administered to confirm results remain at baseline.

    Phase 5: A club physician must clear the player for full football activity, including contact. Then, an independent neurological consultant (INC), assigned to the team by joint agreement between the NFL and NFLPA, must concur with the team physician that the concussion has resolved. At that point, the player is clear to play in his team’s next game. — Seifert

    What can we expect from the NFL/NFLPA investigation?

    As is its right under the protocol, the NFLPA requested a joint investigation into the Dolphins’ handling of Tagovailoa’s injury in the Bills game. The investigation began immediately. During a conference call three days later, NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said that “every indication from our perspective” suggested that the Dolphins followed the protocols.

    Miller estimated that the formal investigatory response would take one or two weeks.

    Separately, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said in a statement released Thursday night to Amazon that the union would pursue “every legal option” as the investigation continues. Generally speaking, per the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, disputes between the league and union are settled via private arbitration.

    play

    1:37

    Adam Schefter explains how Tua Tagovailoa’s signs of gross motor instability could lead to a violation of the NFL’s concussion protocol.

    On Friday, NFLPA president JC Tretter released a statement that said in part: “We are all outraged by what we have seen the last several days and scared for the safety of one of our brothers.

    “Until we have an objective and validated method of diagnosing brain injury, we have to do everything possible, including amending protocols, to further reduce the potential of human error. A failure in medical judgment is a failure of the protocols when it comes to the wellbeing of our players.” — Seifert

    Will the league revisit its concussion protocol?

    The league and the players’ union issued a joint statement Saturday that said they agree that “modifications to the concussion protocol are needed to enhance player safety.”

    “The NFL and the NFLPA agree that The NFLPA’s Mackey-White Health & Safety Committee and the NFL’s Head Neck and Spine Committee have already begun conversations around the use of the term ‘Gross Motor Instability’ and we anticipate changes to the protocol being made in the coming days based on what has been learned thus far in the review process,” the joint statement said.

    There is recent precedent for making in-season adjustments to the protocol. In 2017, Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage was allowed to return to a game after displaying obvious concussion symptoms following a hit, including the fencing response and twitching fingers. He was diagnosed later with a concussion and did not finish the game.

    After an investigation revealed no protocol violations had occurred, the league and union made a number of enhancements to existing rules to cover such instances. The additions mandated a player be permanently removed from a game if he shows any signs of impact seizure and also required referees who witnessed symptoms to inform team medical staff. Also, the league added an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant to its game-day operations in New York to help supervise the process. — Seifert

    What can we expect from the Dolphins at quarterback if Tagovailoa does not play?

    McDaniel said situations like these are why you sign a veteran like Teddy Bridgewater, who has a 33-30 record in 63 starts for the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos over the past seven seasons. At this stage of his career, Bridgewater is more of a game manager. His highlights on Thursday night were a 7-yard touchdown pass to Chase Edmonds and a 64-yard pass to Tyreek Hill that put Miami deep in the red zone. He also threw a costly interception late in the fourth quarter. Skylar Thompson, a seventh-round pick out of Kansas State in the 2022 NFL draft, is Bridgewater’s backup. — Louis-Jacques

    Source link

  • Consultant who cleared Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to return to game fired by NFLPA

    Consultant who cleared Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to return to game fired by NFLPA

    The NFL Players Association has fired the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who evaluated Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after he stumbled off the field against Buffalo last weekend, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Saturday.

    The person who confirmed the firing, which was first reported by Pro Football Talk, spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because a joint review by the NFL and its players’ union into Tagovailoa’s quick return to Sunday’s game is ongoing. A source also disclosed the firing to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones. 

    A spokesperson for the NFLPA, however, would not immediately confirm the firing when reached by CBS News.

    “This is an ongoing investigation which we are unable to provide any official comment or confirmation on,” NFLPA spokesperson George Atallah said in a brief statement. “When we are able to provide details we will reach back out.”

    Tua Tagovailoa
    Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is carted off the field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 29, 2022, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

    Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images


    There are three unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants (UNC) at each game. They are jointly paid by the league and the players’ union to work with team physicians to diagnose concussions. The NFLPA is exercising its right to terminate the UNC directly involved in the decision to clear Tagovailoa, who sustained a concussion following a frightening hit just four days later at Cincinnati on Thursday night.

    Tagovailoa initially seemed to exhibit concussion symptoms after the hit to his head during the home game against Buffalo, but he was cleared by a team physician and UNC to return. He and the team later explained his legs were wobbly because of a back injury.

    After the hit on Thursday, when 6-foot-3, 340-pound Bengals defensive tackle Josh Tupou slammed him backward into the turf, Tagovailoa’s hands froze up and his fingers flexed awkwardly in front of his facemask for several seconds as he laid on the turf in Cincinnati. He remained on the ground for several minutes until he was taken away on a stretcher and sent to a hospital. He was released from the hospital and flew home with the team hours later.

    It’s unknown whether there’s any correlation between the two injuries. Concussions are common in the NFL, especially when a player is thrown to the ground by a man Tupou’s size and his head hits the turf.

    Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel defended the team’s handling of the quarterback’s injury against the Bills, when he took a hit from linebacker Matt Milano late in the first half and appeared to knock his head on the turf. Tagovailoa stumbled when he got up and was taken to the locker room for evaluation, then returned to the game at the start of the third quarter.

    McDaniel reiterated Friday that Tagovailoa was cleared by several layers of medical professionals during that game and said the QB did not have a head injury, which is why he was not in the concussion protocol heading into Thursday’s game.

    Many observers questioned why Tagovailoa was allowed to return to the field against the Bills. The joint review by the league and NFLPA will examine the steps taken and a report will be issued.

    McDaniel said Friday there is no timetable for Tagovailoa’s return.

    The Sunday incident prompted the NFL and NFLPA to jointly review the extent of his injuries and whether the Dolphins followed proper concussion protocol that day. The results of the joint investigation have not yet been released.

    “Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time that player is ruled out of the game without even thinking,” CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation Chris Nowinski told “CBS Mornings” co-host Nate Burleson on Friday.

    Nowinski, a neuroscientist, said that the Dolphins put Tagovailoa’s life in danger and failed to protect him.

    “This is a failure by everybody,” Nowinski said. “This is a failure by the medical team. This is a failure by the independent medical team on Sunday. This is a failure by the coaching staff. The problem is all these failures, none of them are going to be punished. The person who is punished here is Tua.”

    Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh called the situation “astonishing.”

    “I couldn’t believe what I saw last night,” Harbaugh told reporters on Friday. “I couldn’t believe what I saw last Sunday. It was just something that was astonishing to see, and I’ve been coaching for 40 years…I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

    Tagovailoa tweeted a statement on Friday evening, thanking fans for their support.

    “It was difficult to not be able to finish the game and be there with my teammates, but I am grateful for the support and care I’ve received from the Dolphins, my friends and family, and all the people who have reached out,” he said. “I’m feeling much better and focused on recovering so I can get back out on the field with my teammates.”

    Source link

  • McDaniel stands by how Tua has been handled

    McDaniel stands by how Tua has been handled

    3:17 PM ET

    • Marcel Louis-JacquesESPN

    MIAMI — Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has combed through the events leading up to Tua Tagovailoa‘s injury Thursday night several times — right down to his own play call.

    But he’s not second-guessing how the team handled Tagovailoa throughout the week.

    Tagovailoa was taken to a hospital Thursday after hitting his head on the turf while being sacked by Cincinnati Bengals nose tackle Josh Tupou in the second quarter. He remained on the turf for roughly 12 minutes before he was carted off the field on a stretcher and eventually taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center with a concussion and neck injury.

    He was diagnosed with a concussion and is in the protocol with no timetable for a return, according to the Dolphins.

    Tagovailoa took to Twitter to thank everyone for their support and said he’s “feeling much better.”

    The injury occurred four days after a similar incident during Miami’s game Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, in which Tagovailoa hit the back of his head on the ground and was evaluated for a concussion. The Dolphins faced widespread criticism on social media for allowing Tagovailoa to return to the game, as well as skepticism from the NFL Players Association — which after Sunday’s game, initiated its right to request a review of the NFL’s concussion protocol.

    NFLPA president JC Tretter tweeted Friday that he is “outraged” by what has happened to Tagovailoa.

    “We are all outraged by what we have seen the last several days and scared for the safety of one of our brothers,” Tretter said. “What everyone saw both Sunday and last night were ‘no-go’ symptoms within our concussion protocols. The protocols exist to protect the player and that is why we initiated an investigation.

    “Our job as the NFLPA is to take every possible measure to get the facts and hold those responsible accountable. We need to figure out how and why the decisions were made last Sunday to allow a player with a ‘no-go’ symptom back on the field.”

    But the Dolphins say Tagovailoa passed multiple concussion evaluations — including one at halftime of the Bills game and each day leading up to Thursday’s game, according to NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills.

    “I have 100 percent conviction in our process regarding our players,” McDaniel said. “This is a player-friendly organization, and I make it very clear from the onset that my job here is for the players. I take that very seriously. No one in the building strays from that. … If there would have been anything lingering with his head, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I prematurely put someone out there and put them in harm’s way.

    “This is a relationship that I have with this human being. I take that serious. I wouldn’t have put him out there if there was any inclination given to me whatsoever that he was endangering himself from that previous game.”

    Contrary to Miami’s previous game when Tagovailoa was taken directly to the locker room from the field, McDaniel had a chance to interact with his quarterback before he was stretchered off the field.

    He said he knew essentially right away that Tagovailoa had a concussion and hoped that it wasn’t anything more.

    “Obviously, I was very worried about his head, but you’re wanting to make sure that all things with relation to the spine and back and all that stuff, you want to make sure that’s OK,” McDaniel said. “It was very clear to me from the onset that he had, I didn’t really the know the degree of, but I knew he had a concussion.

    “He was asking for me and then when he saw me, I could just tell it wasn’t the same guy that I’m used to seeing.”

    After the game, McDaniel told the team Tagovailoa would be traveling back to Miami with them. It was galvanizing news to a locker room that was somber beyond the scope of a normal loss.

    “All of his teammates were so elated. I mean this was a scary, scary situation for all of us,” McDaniel said. “I’m sure you could tell by his teammates’ body language and everyone that was on the field. It was something that did not just go away once the game restarted. All of his teammates were absolutely elated to see him on the plane. He was elated. It brought him some joy, which was good to see. It’s one of the reasons you get into team sports.”

    The Dolphins continue to face criticism for their handling of the 24-year-old, but McDaniel insists every step of the NFL’s concussion protocol was followed.

    “This is a relationship that I have with this human being. I take that serious. I wouldn’t have put him out there if there was any inclination given to me whatsoever that he was endangering himself from that previous game.”

    Mike McDaniel, Dolphins coach

    He said he understands the optics of the entire situation but can speak with “100 percent conviction” that every person in the Dolphins’ building adhered to a process that is “clear, contrite and not something that is negotiable in any way, shape or form.”

    “I had no worries whatsoever. I’m in steady communication with this guy day-in and day-out,” McDaniel said Friday. “We’re talking about high-level football conversations about progressions and defenses and recalling stuff from two weeks previous and then him having to reiterate a 15-word play call. All things, absolutely no signs. There was no medical indication, from all resources, that there was anything regarding the head.

    “Beyond an eyeball test, which I know for a fact you guys would not be very comfortable if I was just relying on that — I mean, it’s the reason why we have tests. He did not have a head injury. So, guys hit their heads all the time, and that’s why I was adamant [that] he was evaluated for having a head injury and he did not have one. And when I tell you he was in complete mental concert, talking to us through it, and then he played the whole game and then he did a press conference and then he did media all week.

    “If I were to sit someone for a medical issue going against medical people abstractly, then when do I play him again?”

    In an interview with ESPN’s Stephania Bell on SportsCenter on Saturday, Sills said Tagovailoa’s case remains in “active review.” That review will include interviews with the Dolphins’ team doctors, the league’s independent doctors and Tagovailoa, Sills said.

    “These are reviews that we conduct normally several times each season,” Sills told Bell. “Any time that there’s questions or concerns raised about the concussion protocol and how it’s applied, then the league and the union, our medical physicians, get together and we go back and review these situations.”

    Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater finished the game in Tagovailoa’s place, and McDaniel confirmed Bridgewater will be the starter moving forward while Tagovailoa is out.

    Seeing Tagovailoa leave Thursday’s game was a tough sight for many around the league.

    Coach John Harbaugh, whose Baltimore Ravens lost to the Dolphins in Week 2, said the whole situation was unbelievable.

    “Like probably most people, I couldn’t believe what I saw last night. I couldn’t believe what I saw last Sunday. It was just something that was astonishing to see,” Harbaugh said Friday. “I’ve been coaching for 40 years now, college in the NFL, almost 40, and I’ve never seen anything like it before. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

    “A lot of times players want to play and sometimes you just have to tell them ‘No. No has to be the answer.’”

    Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts expressed concern for his former college teammate.

    “I think it’s a scary moment for anybody to be in that type of disposition,” Hurts said Friday.

    McDaniel reiterated multiple times that he has not considered any sort of timetable when it comes to Tagovailoa’s return. He said Tagovailoa underwent an MRI on Friday and that the team would take it day-by-day as far as what will be asked of him while in concussion protocol; if there is any indication that traveling to and from the facility isn’t what’s best for him, the Dolphins will not ask him to do so until it is.

    “I literally have no timetable or even thought to it. That’s where I would feel irresponsible is even thinking about it,” he said. “I want him to get all the evaluations possible. I want him to do all the things recommended from all of the medical counterparts. And I want him to get on the road to recovery from that as a human being and then we’ll cross that bridge. But in terms of a timeline of crossing that bridge, I have zero idea.”

    Source link

  • Bengals’ victory overshadowed by injuries to Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa

    Bengals’ victory overshadowed by injuries to Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa

    11:14 PM ET

    • Ben Baby

      Close

      ESPN Staff Writer
      • ESPN Staff Writer
      • Previously a college football writer for The Dallas Morning News
      • University of North Texas graduate

    • Marcel Louis-Jacques

    CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Miami Dolphins 27-15 on Thursday night, but head and neck injuries suffered by Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the second quarter were the story of the game at Paycor Stadium.

    Thursday night’s game between the Bengals (2-2) and Dolphins wasn’t pretty, but Cincinnati was able to gut out a victory in the end.

    Cincinnati won’t be complaining about how it got the win, however. The Bengals opened the season with back-to-back losses. As in Week 4 last season, Cincinnati ended up with a tough game on its hands, at home, on “Thursday Night Football.” And like last year, the Bengals did just enough to pull out a much-needed win.

    Describe the game in two words: Prime-time malaise. On a showcase night for the Bengals, Cincinnati was a bit sluggish but was still in the mix to pull out another win on “Thursday Night Football.”

    Sell a breakout performance: Bengals running back Joe Mixon looked good early on the team’s opening drive when he picked up steady chunks of yards and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season. But over the course of the game, Mixon’s production trailed off. It took 17 carries for Mixon to hit 50 yards, which isn’t the efficiency Cincinnati’s coaching staff wants for its rushing attack. In the fourth quarter, Mixon was stuffed on third-and-goal at Miami’s 1-yard line.

    QB breakdown: Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow didn’t have one of his better showings against Miami, and the proof is in the NFL Next Gen Stats. Excluding throws behind the line of scrimmage, Burrow completed his first 10 passes of 10 or fewer air yards. On intermediate throws between 10 and 19 air yards, however, he missed on his first five attempts. Burrow was able to overcome any struggles with some deep passes that moved the offense, including a 59-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tee Higgins.

    Troubling trend: Well, let’s talk about the offense again. For the third time in four games, things didn’t look great for Cincinnati. Fans inside Paycor Stadium booed the offense on a couple of different occasions. There were a couple of bright spots, but the lethargic showing for the first three quarters will be disconcerting for those hoping the Week 3 win against the New York Jets meant the offense was turning the corner. — Ben Baby

    Underrated statistic to know: The Bengals scored an opening-drive touchdown for the second straight week. They had two opening-drive TDs all of last season.

    Next game: at Ravens (8:20 p.m. ET, Oct. 9)

    The Dolphins (3-1) lost to the Bengals in their first prime-time game of the season, losing their title as the AFC’s last unbeaten team in the process.

    But none of that felt particularly important.

    Not on a night when Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was immobilized and taken off the field on a stretcher after suffering head and neck injuries that sent him to the hospital. It marked the second straight week Tagovailoa was forced out of a game after hitting his head on the ground, although he was designated with a back injury last week.

    The Dolphins said Tagovailoa was conscious and had movement in his extremities at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. According to a report from the broadcast, he was expected to be released and travel back to Miami with the team.

    QB breakdown: While preparing for the possibility of Tagovailoa not being available for Thursday’s game, coach Mike McDaniel said situations like these are why you sign a veteran like Teddy Bridgewater in the first place. At this stage of his career, Bridgewater is more of a game manager than someone who will go out and drive an offense. His highlight was a 64-yard pass to Tyreek Hill that put Miami deep in the red zone. He also threw a costly interception late in the fourth quarter.

    Breakout performance: Raheem Mostert took a commanding grasp on the Dolphins’ backfield with 69 rushing yards on 15 carries. He has looked like the team’s best back for the past three weeks and was rewarded with the primary share of the workload, out-touching Chase Edmonds, who had five carries for 6 yards and two catches for 14 yards. Edmonds also dropped an early touchdown, strengthening Mostert’s claim to the lead-back role. Expect him to lead the way moving forward until he no longer has the hot hand. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

    Underrated statistic to know: With a 64-yard reception in the third quarter, Tyreek Hill already has as many 60-yard receptions this season (2) as he did over the past two seasons (one in 2020, one in 2021).

    Next game: at Jets (1 p.m. ET, Oct. 9)

    Source link

  • Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa hospitalized with head, neck injuries after being stretchered off field

    Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa hospitalized with head, neck injuries after being stretchered off field

    Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained neck and head injuries after being slammed to the ground Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals and was stretchered from the field.

    The Dolphins said Tagovailoa was conscious, had movement in all his extremities and was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further evaluation. The Dolphins said after their 27-15 loss to the Bengals that Tagovailoa was expected to be released from the hospital and fly home with the team.

    Tagovailoa was chased down and sacked by 6-foot-3, 340-pound Josh Tupou with about six minutes left in the first half. He was spun around and thrown to the turf. While on the ground, his hands froze in front of his face. He remained down for more than seven minutes before being loaded on a backboard, stabilized and strapped to a stretcher after his facemask was removed.

    Tua Tagovailoa
    Medical staff tend to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins after an injury during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on Sept. 29, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

    Getty Images


    Dolphins players gathered around as Tagovailoa was rolled off the field and the crowd chanted “Tua! Tua!”

    Reaction came swiftly from around the NFL. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Broncos QB Russell Wilson promptly tweeted with concern for Tagovailoa’s well-being.

    “Praying for you Tua,” Wilson wrote.

    The 24-year-old Tagovailoa was suffering from a sore back and was listed as questionable for most of the week ahead of the game.

    Tagovailoa briefly left Sunday’s 21-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills after appearing to be disoriented by what the team originally said was a head injury after taking a hard hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano late in the first half. He missed just three snaps and returned after halftime, a decision that prompted a joint review by the NFL and National Football League Players Association of what went into the decision to allow him to return to the game.

    The team and Tagovailoa said after the game the quarterback had a back injury that caused his awkward stumble and fall after he was slammed into the turf in the second quarter. The team said Monday that Tagovailoa was not in concussion protocol.

    He said he “hyper-extended” his back after getting his legs caught under someone on a quarterback sneak.

    After Tagovailoa’s injury Thursday, the NFLPA tweeted: “Player health and safety is at the core of the union’s mission. Our concern tonight is for Tua and we hope for a full and speedy recovery. Our investigation into the potential protocol violation is ongoing.”

    Some criticized the decision to play Tagovailoa so soon after his injuries in Sunday’s game.

    Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe tweeted: “That’s a serious injury . Tua shouldn’t have been out there with Sunday Thursday turn around. Sometimes players need protecting from themselves. Dolphins failed Tua.”

    Before leaving Thursday’s game, Tagovailoa was 8 for 14 for 100 yards and an interception. He was replaced in the game by Teddy Bridgewater, who threw a touchdown pass to Chase Edmonds with 15 seconds left in the half.

    The play of Tagovailoa, who won a national championship at Alabama, has been key for the 3-0 Dolphins. He came into the game second in the NFL with 925 passing yards. 

    Source link