MIAMI GARDENS, Fla., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Less than a year after head injuries and concussion protocol visits interrupted his stellar third season, Tua Tagovailoa says an increased emphasis on staying on the field drove his off-season preparation for 2023.
"Everything that I did this offseason entailed to what would keep me on the field for the entirety of the season," Tagovailoa said Tuesday at Miami Dolphins training camp in Miami Gardens, Fla. "We understand that freaky things can happen. It's football. It's a physical sport."
Tagovailoa -- who missed four games last season -- entered the Dolphins off-season program slightly more muscular, as part of his physical transformation.
Mentally, he is being lauded for improved vocal leadership skills, recall of coach Mike McDaniel's playbook and implementation of new tactics for how to remain healthy, including falling like a jiu jitsu fighter.
"Not everything that you prepare for is what you're going to get," Tagovailoa said. "So, I did the best that I could to get myself ready and prepped for this season as far as injuries go."
McDaniel said strength and conditioning coach Dave Puloka and head athletic trainer Kyle Johnston helped identify an appropriate place for Tagovailoa to participate in the jiu-jitsu training and examined other health-related issues in his past to formulate an off-season plan.
"Those parties did all of their homework, really tracked every single health-related issue that he's that he's had from falling, and concretely attacked the problem," McDaniel said Monday. "I think it was really cool from an organizational standpoint and from Tua's standpoint, and I feel great about the results."
McDaniel said Tagovailoa showed off some of those results during organized team activities. Instead of going down awkwardly after contact, the quarterback reacted in an unorthodox fashion.
"I think he got stepped on and he fell down backwards and completed a backwards somersault," McDaniel said. "It was pretty sweet."
The Dolphins also implemented jiu-jitsu-style drills so that other quarterbacks on the roster could practice their falls. That training could prove invaluable for the room as it attempts to stay durable amid a 17-game regular season.
Tagovailoa said he is still working on trying to make the new falling style second-nature, which could take some time. He plans to wear a new quarterback-specific helmet to start the season, an additional safety precaution. The VICIS Zero2 Matrix QB helmet is specifically designed for helmet-to-ground impact.
"It's not to where it's something that's muscle memory yet for me," Tagovailoa said. "I don't think that'll be something that becomes muscle memory unless I do it for like a year or two years.
"I think that's for anything. You're very conscious of it. It's in the back of your mind when you do end up doing it. But it's not like, 'Oh, if I'm falling this way, I know exactly how to fall right here.' Unless I'm actually thinking of doing it that way. So I've just got to continue to work on it and practice it."
Tagovailoa's performances have been slightly uneventful, but sharp, throughout the off-season. His lack of turnovers against pressure -- paired with accuracy -- could be an indication that he is ready to build off the positive production he logged a season ago.
The Dolphins will host the Atlanta Falcons next week in joint practices in Miami Gardens. They will then host the Falcons in their first pre-season game Aug. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Tagovailoa said he doesn't know if he will play this preseason, but development and improved leadership is already being felt throughout the Dolphins roster.
"I think you can see his comfort level has gotten a lot better in his second year in the system," Dolphins backup quarterback Skylar Thompson said.
"It's not all brand new information. It's easier to show your leadership style and express yourself in those types of ways when you understand the system. ... I feel like Tua has gotten a grasp and mastered the offense to where he has been able to be more vocal and take command.
"He has done a great job for our whole football team this offseason."
