Dolphins Notebook: 'Hard Knocks' Reaction, Throwbacks, and More

The Miami Dolphins have a couple of weeks left before the NFL Films cameras show up to start documenting the second half of their season for "Hard Knocks," and that idea sounds less than thrilling to Tua Tagovailoa.

The fourth-year quarterback said this summer the idea of appearing on Netflix's "Quarterback" show didn't excite him because he likes his privacy, but it turns out he didn't have a say about "Hard Knocks."

Asked for his reaction at the beginning of his weekly media session Wednesday, Tua took a long pause before saying, "That was probably my reaction. I have no control over that. That was probably not necessarily the best body language I’ve had in a team meeting as it was being introduced to us that we were going to be on ‘Hard Knocks.’”

Tua then explained again why shows like "Quarterback" or "Hard Knocks" are just not for him.

“I’m just not a big attention guy," he said. "I understand it comes with the territory and I am able to use my platform for bigger things. But as far as me doing something silly purposefully outside of football, it’s just different for me. I like to keep things private in how I do things, but this isn’t just about me. This isn’t something that’s for me; this is something for the entire team and the entire team has to figure out how they go about that as well. So I know having conversations with some guys in the locker room that for them, it’s going to be tough as well. So we’re all going to work through this together.”

At quick glance, five Dolphins players have some experience with "Hard Knocks": Emmanuel Ogbah with the Cleveland Browns in 2018, Jalen Ramsey with the Rams in 2020, Cedrick Wilson Jr. with the Dallas Cowboys in 2021, and DeShon Elliott with the Detroit Lions last year did in training camp; wide receiver Robbie Chosen was involved in the in-season "Hard Knocks" last season when he was with the Arizona Cardinals.

THROWBACK FANS

The Dolphins will be wearing their throwback uniforms for the first of two times this season against the New England Patriots on Sunday, and that has gone over much better with Dolphins players.

Jaylen Waddle, in particular, is a big fan.

“I love the throwback," he said. "Now if that was up to me, I’d definitely have that as our every week jersey, the throwback. I like it. It brings the swag out. That old-school logo is crazy with the all-white. It’s going to be live.”

The Dolphins also will be wearing throwback uniforms for the Monday night game against the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 24.

This will be the sixth time in seven seasons the Dolphins will wear throwback unis at home against New England, though in 2020 and 2021 it was the aqua jerseys that the Dolphins wore whereas they'll wear white jerseys on Sunday.

The Dolphins won the 2020 game, 22-12, and the 2021 game, 33-24.

The Dolphins wore their white throwback jerseys in 2019 when they lost 43-0; wore their aqua throwbacks for the "Miracle in Miami" in 2018 and also wore aqua throwback jerseys for their 27-20 Monday night victory in 2017.

TV TIME

The Dolphins-Patriots game is going to get a very limited national audience Sunday, certainly a change from recent matchups.

It's the Jacksonville-Pittsburgh game that will be the dominant 1 p.m. game across the country, as evidenced by the 506sports map.

Was a time the Dolphins-Pats game would get a lot better treatment ... blame Belichick and his team. pic.twitter.com/o4x6gY24MV
— Alain Poupart (@PoupartNFL) October 25, 2023

WINOVICH AND OTHER FORMER DOLPHINS NEWS

Edge defender Chase Winovich's three games with the Dolphins this season will end up being his last in the NFL.

The former New England draft pick announced on Instagram he was retiring from the NFL, a couple of weeks after the Dolphins released him from the practice squad with an injury settlement.

That came after Winovich had used up his three elevations, meaning the Dolphins would have had to sign him to the 53-man roster to use him again in the regular season.

Instead, Winovich is calling it quits at the age of 28.

-- Running back Chase Edmonds, who played for the Dolphins for past of the 2022 season before being included in the trade with Denver that brought pass rusher Bradley Chubb, was designated to return by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

-- Edge defender Trey Flowers was released by the New England Patriots off their Physically Unable to Perform list.

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