The Tua Tagovailoa and Brian Flores controversy is far from over. The QB’s comments on the DraftKings Podcast really caused a rift in media space where some thought Flores was the villain and vice versa. Now, Jaylen Waddle has come out and corroborated the theory that Brian Flores might actually be a “terrible person.”

Waddle did a presser recently and talked about how culture was already set when he stepped into the Hard Rock Stadium. The subtle jab at Flores also described how Tua changed over the years under the new coaching regime of McDaniel, who showered the QB with positive reinforcement and what has improved since then.

Jaylen Waddle brings up the Tua Tagovailoa-Flores controversy as he defends the QB

“The biggest improvement? His communication, really leading us out there in the huddle. He was kind of not as talkative when he first came in just due to culture. And I know just being at ‘Bama with him, the standard was already set. So, I felt like some days he learned. But he’s much more talkative and really doing the job of telling us what he wants and just leading the guys,” said Waddle of his quarterback.

When Flores worked for Belichick, he was a safety coach and even an LB coach. Being hurled into a head coaching position might have been daunting. But he had Chad O’Shea, the OC he got from New England, to help him with the troubles. The problem was O’Shea might have wanted Tua to play like Tom Brady. And that probably created trouble for Tua Tagovailoa who was a fresher.

Tom Brady’s father once said, “Bill is tough. He runs a military system. It’s a different generation. Bill is a great, great, great coach but his interpersonal skills are horrible,” and that those traits might have trickled down to Brian Flores. Reportedly, Flores was tough with the QB. Not only in terms of practice and training regime but also with his words. On the other hand, when Mike McDaniel entered the room, he treated the quarterback with the kindness he deserved to bring out the best in him.

While Tua’s trajectory wasn’t bad under Flores, it did drastically improve under McDaniel—a testament that each QB requires a customized approach. In 2021, Tagovailoa threw for 2,653 yards and 16 touchdowns in 13 games under Flores. Flip the coin to 2023 and with McDaniel, these numbers changed to 4,624 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Moreover, Miami backup QB, Skylar Thompson’s story also aligned with what Jaylen Waddle said about Tagovailoa. FinsXtra’s X handle noted Thompson saying, “You hear his voice more… he makes it known how he wants it to be done and guys respond well to that.” He also added how Tua is more vocal about how his receivers should play the game and he has a better command of the huddle in general.

Even though Stephen A. Smith pointed out in the latest segment on First Take, “It was the first back-to-back winning seasons that Miami Dolphins had registered in 18 years,” Tua Tagovailoa’s statements issue an insight into the management and the previous team environment.

Tua Tagovailoa had a harsh take on Brian Flores

Imagine waking up early in the morning, getting ready to go to work and when you get there, your boss has a frown on his face and is ready to hurl all kinds of mayhem on you. That’s what Tagovailoa went through in his rookie year with the Dolphins. The reported mental abuse was enough to linger in the back of his head for a long time.

“I don’t care who you are. You could be the president of the United States. If you have a terrible person that’s telling you things you don’t want to hear or that you probably shouldn’t be hearing, you’re going to start to believe that about yourself. And that’s sort of what ended up happening,” said Tagovailoa in the DraftKings Podcast.

He initially revealed, “If you woke up every morning and I told you, you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy should be there, that you haven’t earned this right. And then you have somebody else come in and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit for this.’ … How would it make you feel, listening to one or the other?”

This approach saw the 26-year-old QB being replaced twice in the fourth quarter of games by veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick during his rookie season. As this heated admission made rounds of the NFL town, Flores did not shy away from commenting about the matter. “Look, I’m human,” Flores said, “so that hit me in a way that I wouldn’t say was positive for me. But at the same time, I’ve got to use that and say, ‘Hey, how can I grow from that, or how can I be better?’ And that’s really where I’m at from that standpoint.”

What do you think of this exchange between Tua Tagovailoa and his former coach? Let us know in the comments.