AFC Notes: Tua Tagovailoa, Aaron Rodgers, Bills, Dolphins, Jets

Bills

Bills C Mitch Morse has been mostly an observer this offseason as he recovers from surgeries on both his elbow and his ankle, correcting injuries he was playing through down the stretch last season. He admitted the time away has been helpful to get more of an outside perspective on the offense, though he hates not being on the field. 

“I think so,” Morse said via Ryan O’Halloran of the Buffalo News. “You don’t like seeing people do your job. As good as it is to get the opportunity to rest your body, it is nice to get physical reps at times. Some of the best offseasons I’ve gotten in regard to conceptually understanding [the offense] have been when I’ve been out with an injury.”

Dolphins

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has been practicing jiu-jitsu in order to help teach him how to keep better form when falling.

“For guys at my position, we barely get hit throughout practices, throughout the offseason, even going into training camp,” Tagovailoa said, via Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. “We don’t even get touched until the season starts. So I mean, with jiu-jitsu, I’ve been thrown airborne, I’ve been put in many uncomfortable positions for me to learn how to fall and try to react throughout those positions that I’m getting thrown around in.”

Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel is unsure what inspired Tagovailoa to take up jiu-jitsu, but points out QBs Darrell Bevell, strength and conditioning coach Dave Puloka, and head athletic trainer Kyle Johnston were all involved. 

“It’s really hard sometimes for me to even remember [who came up with the idea of jiu-jitsu],” McDaniel said. “I know [quarterbacks] coach [Darrell] Bevell was spitballing some problem-solving things that we could do. [Strength and conditioning coach] Dave Puloka and [head athletic trainer] Kyle Johnston were very involved in all this stuff.”

Tagovailoa said he studied the hits he took where he suffered concussions. 

“It wasn’t tough to watch,” Tagovailoa said. “I want to get better at everything that I can do to help the team win games, and I know the biggest one is my health, staying out on the field. And so looking at the film, I was able to watch that with my jiu-jitsu coach, and we were able to kind of relive the scenario in how I got tackled, how I fell. And it wasn’t just one particular game. It was multiple ways that I got taken down and how I could have prevented that.” 

Jets

The Jets gave up a haul for QB Aaron Rodgers because he represents a major on-field upgrade at the game’s most important position. But there are a host of other intangible benefits to adding a player like Rodgers, including his experience and the attention to detail he both embodies and demands from everyone, players and coaches alike. Jets HC Robert Saleh added another benefit is how energized the entire team is about the upcoming season. 

“His presence creates hope,” Saleh said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “And when you have something to fight for, it’s just human nature, you’re gonna lock in a little bit more. For sure, his presence, his words carry weight, he’s got a great demeanor to him, he’s been fantastic with his teammates, he’s been fantastic in the locker room. And the level of detail has gone up…”

“There’s a belief that this group can do something special,” he added. “But at the same time, I don’t think it’s really changed the mindset or the work ethic, because I think we’ve got a tremendous locker room, full of guys who are internally driven, who just want to be their personal best. But yeah, does it create a little excitement and buzz, for sure, because having a guy like him who’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer, who can, I mean, he can sling the rock now, it’s unbelievable. Having him here brings a lot of hope, obviously.”