At least Tua Tagovailoa could laugh at that.
The Dolphins quarterback, who was placed on injured reserve with another horrific concussion earlier this year, tackled Rams linebacker Christian Roseboom in the shoulder and head area during Monday's 23-15 win. As he tried to do so, he took a knee to the head and a potential catastrophe was avoided. .
Tagovailoa discussed his future with his family earlier this year after suffering at least four concussions in his career and some questioning whether he should continue playing.
“I feel good. Everything is good,” Tagovailoa said after helping the Dolphins improve to 3-6. “I approached the guy who intercepted me and asked him, “Brother, couldn't you have crossed the line or cut back?'' It was like, “You look at me, and I look at you, too. Look, and it's like you just wanted to run me over. After the game, he said to me, “It's like there's no space, there's nowhere else to go.'' He had to do what he had to do to help his team win the game. I wasn't going to use my head to hit him. ”
Tagovailoa's career came under scrutiny earlier this year after he suffered a concussion in Week 2 against the Bills, leading some to question whether he was able to play the final down.
The former Alabama star has had three concussions in the NFL and one more with the Crimson Tide. His most recent concussion occurred during a scramble while leading.
With this information in mind, many expected Tagovailoa to play differently than before to minimize potential blowback.
However, Monday's tackle did not fall into that category, with the quarterback opting to lower his shoulders and head to make contact with the linebacker during the second quarter.
Tagovailoa said the footage makes it look worse than reality.
“I didn't feel anything like that, but that was pretty bad tackling form,” Tagovailoa said. “That was pretty bad.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel also decided to joke about the situation, as did the star quarterback.
The Rams were unable to capitalize on the interception and took a 10-0 lead even as Kyren Williams fumbled on the next play.
“I think the best way to do that is to not throw it to them,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa led the Dolphins to victory despite a mixed performance on Monday, turning the ball over twice and completing 20 of 28 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown.
Monday was his third game since returning from injured reserve, but he said nothing has changed in his approach to work.
“Speaking for myself, my confidence level since coming back against the Cardinals (Week 8) has never wavered since the first game against the Jaguars (Week 1),” Tagovailoa said. “When you're playing, when you're in a match, the game goes so fast you can't think about anything else, and when you start thinking about other things, it's hard to concentrate on your job. Just go out and play soccer.”
