AFC Notes: Sauce Gardner, Mike McDaniel, Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins, Jets

Dolphins

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa currently has completed 73.8 percent of his passes, which is slightly behind former Saints QB Drew Brees‘ all-time marks of 74.4 and 74.3 percent. Tagovailoa said it would mean a lot to surpass Brees but is predominantly focused on winning games. 

“To surpass any record in the NFL, I think is an accomplishment in itself,” Tagovailoa said, via ProFootballTalk. “You’re talking about legends, Hall of Famers in the past that have played this game. You’re talking about future legends, future Hall of Famers that are playing now in this game. That would mean a lot, but I think for us, right now, just trying to keep the main goal, the main goal and to find a win this Sunday and go on a run that we’ve been talking about in that locker room as a team, that would be a little more special than any other record I would say.”

Dolphins

• Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel on WR Odell Beckham Jr.’s release: “Conversations led us to determining it was best for both parties.” (Barry Jackson)
• McDaniel doesn’t feel good about LT Terron Armstead playing in Week 15 and said they will plan accordingly. (Marcel Louis-Jacques)
• Regarding OLB Bradley Chubb‘s return, McDaniel remains optimistic: “I’m more ready for the next week (him returning next week) but we will see.” (Jackson)
• Chubb revealed his extensive knee injury from last season was a torn meniscus, ACL, and patellar tendon, per Barry Jackson. 

Jets

Jets CB Sauce Gardner thinks their defense became “too comfortable” before the season because of their offensive weapons like QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Garrett Wilson, and RB Breece Hall.

“Maybe we got too comfortable having all those guys, all those playmakers on offense to where it’s like we’re not filling up our end of the bargain,” Gardner said, via Brian Costello of the New York Post. “We’ve got to be better. We’ve got to be better on defense.”

Gardner added this season has not gone as he imagined. 

“I know if we had this offense now and we played nearly as good defense as we played the last couple of years, we’d be chilling right now,” Gardner said. “It’s not where I imagined we was going to be this year.”

Gardner said their defense is looking to recapture its productivity from previous seasons. 

“We’ve got to play the way we’ve been playing the last couple of years where it’s like we’re not really expecting the offense to score that many points, like we’ve got to win the game ourselves,” Gardner said.

• SI.com’s Albert Breer named Bills assistant GM Brain Gaine and Lions DC Aaron Glenn as logical candidates for the Jets openings because of their football experience and history with the organization.