Tua Tagovailoa’s comments calling out teammates ignite a firestorm the Dolphins can ill afford

MIAMI GARDENS Fla AP Instead of focusing primarily on what has gone wrong amid a - start to the season the Miami Dolphins are answering questions again about their company tradition following Tua Tagovailoa s comments calling out unnamed teammates for being late to player-led meetings The Dolphins took the lead against the Los Angeles Chargers in the final minute of Sunday s matchup but failed to hold on for the second straight event Requested how to keep up squad morale Tagovailoa appeared to highlight behind-the-scenes issues I think it starts with the leadership in helping articulate that for the guys Tagovailoa declared and then what we re expecting out of the guys We re expecting this Are we getting that Are we not getting that We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late Guys not showing up to player-only meetings There is a lot that goes into that Do we have to make that mandatory Do we not have to make that mandatory So it s a lot of things of that nature that we got to get cleaned up It starts with the little things like that His comments drew widespread scrutiny from former NFL players and analysts criticizing the quarterback for publicly calling out teammates I hated every bit of that Tua you re a captain of this band you re a quarterback reported Devin McCourty the former defensive back who is now an analyst for NBC Go handle it Get in the locker room call those guys out by name Go fix it in-house I think that s true leadership Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel revealed Monday that while he didn t believe Tagovailoa s comments were ill-intentioned they came at a bad time Regardless of intent and what was on Tua s mind after a loss as the franchise quarterback that s not the forum to display that McDaniel noted I think he knows that now I do honestly believe there was no ill intention You re talking about a misguided representation of player-orchestrated film sessions McDaniel reported Tagovailoa has spoken with several teammates about his comments since Sunday evening and that the company requirements to move on for this week s event at Cleveland You live and you learn McDaniel mentioned And ultimately I look at it like everything else There s no if ands or buts about it Accountability and our company s performances perpetually lies squarely on my shoulders The focus to beat the Cleveland Browns and fix what we need to fix to go attack the next opponent nowhere in that lies anything but focusing on what we can do individually The Dolphins have lost four games in which they had the chance to put away their opponents in the second half Calls for the firings of McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier have circulated since Miami s blowout loss to Indianapolis in the season opener The group is without its best competitor Tyreek Hill because of a vital knee injury Miami can hardly afford more drama amid a disastrous season that seems to snowball each week Several of Tagovailoa s teammates were required Monday about his comments Several declined to discuss any locker-room issues I try to keep those things out of the media left tackle Patrick Paul revealed I think that s something that we should handle internally I don t think we should be giving out all the details of that Requested if Tagovailoa s comments were handled internally Paul shook his head I m not sure he disclosed What s working De Von Achane had carries for a season-high yards rushing The third-year running back averaged eight yards per carry and turned his second touch of the battle into an electric -yard figure one of his two TDs What necessities help Late-game execution In four of Miami s losses this season the crew has had a chance to win the encounter in the fourth quarter and could not deliver for various reasons Against the Patriots in Week it was operational miscues At Buffalo the next week it was a late interception by Tagovailoa The pattern has repeated leaving the Dolphins with one of the worst fourth-quarter offenses in the league Entering Sunday the Dolphins had been outscored in the fourth quarter of every event this season The one time they put up more points than their opponent outscoring Los Angeles - in the fourth they squandered that lead in less than a minute Stock up Jaylen Waddle He has delivered as the Dolphins No receiver in the two games since Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury Waddle led the Dolphins in targets receptions and yards on Sunday Stock down Tagovailoa In addition to committing three turnovers in a challenge for the second time this season granted his first interception was bobbled by Waddle and bounced into the defender s hand Tagovailoa s postgame comments placed more negative attention on the Dolphins who have been the subject of national scrutiny all season Injuries LB Tyrel Dodson is expected to clear concussion protocol this week after missing Sunday The Dolphins will not open the practice window for any of their players on injured reserve McDaniel commented including RT Austin Jackson toe RG James Daniels pec and K Jason Sanders hip Key number - Tagovailoa s record as a starter against teams that entered the matchup with a winning record Next initiatives At Cleveland on Sunday AP NFL https apnews com hub nfl Source