Tua's Offseason Judo Plan ... And Our Suggestion

Pitching a new promotion for Subway, Tua Tagovailoa made the rounds at Radio Row at Super Bowl LVII on Friday and spoke to the media to the first time since he sustained his second official concussion of 2022.

That latest concussion, which happened on Christmas Day during the home loss against the Green Bay Packers, naturally was a popular topic for each interview he did — and he offered some interesting comments.

The things that stood out were his revelation that he would be taking judo in the offseason to try to find a way to avoid the type of head-to-turf contact that became such a problem last year; that despite concern from family and those in his circle, the decision to continue playing was his; and that he could have participated in the Pro Bowl Games had he wanted.

Tua also talked about fatherhood and taking care of his 6-month-old son Ace with his wife, Hannah, and indicated he would be ready for the start of the offseason program (in case that wasn't already obvious).

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TUA TAGOVAILOA AND JUDO LESSONS

On "Up & Adams," Tagovailoa was asked about being a father and whether that would make him want to "step back a little bit" because of the concussions.

"I don't think it forces me to be to be afraid of wanting to come back and play," Tua said. "It definitely makes me want to do things to help myself by hopefully not being in those positions next year. So we've got like a plan set up and I'll be doing judo on Fridays just so that I can kind of figure out, like, understanding my body and how to fall, and that's what judo does."

From this end, anything Tua can do to help prevent the kind of injuries he sustained in 2022 should be welcome.

What could help Tua more than anything next season is getting rid of the ball — even if it means an incompletion — instead of hanging on to it after several seconds.

If you look at the two diagnosed concussions — against Cincinnati and Green Bay — the two injuries occurred on plays when Tua had plenty of time in the pocket and just kept hanging on to the ball.

The play against Cincinnati ended with a sack and the second ended with an 8-yard completion to tight end Durham Smythe.

But the result was bad for Tua and the Dolphins on both occasions.

Tua has said himself on many occasions that he has a habit of trying to make something happen on every plan, and this is area where he'll need to improve moving forward.

And that will be important than judo lessons.

Regarding skipping the Pro Bowl, Tagovailoa offered a very cool answer that provided another glimpse into the kind of person he is.

"I didn't think it was necessary that the first thing I came back to do football-related wasn't team-related with the Dolphins," Tagovailoa told the Dan Le Batard Show. "And so that was one of the reasons as to why I didn't attend. But also like, I'm a new father and so spending time with with my son and trying to help out my wife get him on a sleep schedule."

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