Mike McDaniel knew what he was inheriting when he left the San Francisco 49ers to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
He knew the quarterback he would get could become one of the best in the league. McDaniel’s FaceTime message to Tua Tagovailoa about making him a superstar was genuine. Tagovailoa, now in his fourth NFL season, is looking like the Most Valuable Player in the National Football League. He has the Dolphins undefeated (3-0) with one of the league’s most exciting offenses. Tagovailoa defeated Justin Herbert in the Dolphins’ season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
RELATED: Mike McDaniel equates Tua Tagovailoa’s growth to learning a foreign language and now “owns the language”
He totaled 466 passing yards and three touchdowns in Miami’s 36-34 victory.
Tagovailoa took down Russell Wilson in Sunday’s matchup versus the Denver Broncos. He had 309 yards on completing 88.5 percent of his passes (23-of-26) with four touchdowns. Miami shredded Denver’s defense for 70 points in a 70-20 victory.
Tagovailoa is one of the top quarterbacks in the league in several categories — including passing yards (1,024, No. 2), completion percentage (71.3, No. 5), touchdown passes (eight, No. 2), quarterback rating (82.9, No. 1), and passer rating (121.9, No. 1).
He has avoided injuries so far, and the mixed martial arts training in the offseason has helped him fall correctly.
The native Hawaiian and former Alabama quarterback has the Dolphins boasting the No. 1 offense in the NFL. Miami averaged 550.3 yards per game, 362 passing yards per game, 188.3 rushing yards per game, and 43.3 points per game.
RELATED: Tua Tagovailoa has NFL all-time showing in victory over Chargers
Tagovailoa is on pace to have a remarkable year.
Several media pundits see him as potentially the MVP of the NFL if he continues to perform at a high level.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
