Patriots Bill Belichick On Dolphins Teddy Bridgewater: 'Presents Same Problems' as Tua Tagovailoa
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots have begun their preparations for a Week 17 faceoff against the Miami Dolphins, who will be without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Just one day after advising that Tagovailoa had been placed in concussion protocol, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed on Wednesday that the 24-year-old would not be in the lineup for their New Year's Day game against the Pats at Gillette Stadium.
In his stead, the Dolphins will turn to eight-year veteran Teddy Bridgewater. Despite having played 78 career games for five different teams over his nine years in the league, Sunday will mark Bridgewater's first matchup against the Patriots.
Though he has yet to game plan against him, Pats coach Bill Belichick has a great deal of respect for Bridgewater's capabilities.
“I’ve always had a ton of respect for Teddy, liked Teddy,” Belichick told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday. “Good athlete, good arm, smart kid, athletic. Presents a lot of the same problems that Tua does.”
Tagovailoa has bene one of the few young quarterbacks to experience notable success against a Belichick-coached Patriots defense. The Alabama product completed 23 of 33 pass attempts for 270 yards and a touchdown in Miami's Week 1 20-7 victory over the Pats. It was their fourth straight victory over New England with Tagovailoa at the helm.
Though there may be some logistical differences between the two Dolphins quarterbacks, Belichick will have his team ready to compete, no matter who is taking the snaps under center.
"You can’t go into a game with two different offenses. That’s impossible,” Belichick said. “One’s right-handed [Bridgewater], one’s left-handed [Tagovailoa], that definitely affects some things right there. But we could be looking at a different quarterback, just like we were in Arizona, in the first series of the game. So, you have to be ready for who you expect to play but that could change."
Tagovailoa is currently having his best statistical season since entering the NFL as a first-round draft pick in 2020. In his first year under McDaniel, he has completed 259 of 400 pass attempts (64.8 percent) for 3,548 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Miami is 8-5 with him in the starting lineup, and 0-2 in his absence.
Bridgewater, who up until last weekend had been inactive for four weeks because of a knee issue, will now take the ball during the week in a game that is pivotal to the teams' hopes of success. The Louisville product has seen action in four games with one start this year, completing 61.7 percent of his throws for 522 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Still, Miami boasts one of the most versatile and high-powered offensive units in the NFL, consisting of explosive wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. They also employ a potent trio of running backs in starter Raheem Mostert, and reserves Jeff Wilson and Salvon Ahmed. Due to Miami's extensive, multi-level prowess, Belichick is not expecting to see many schematic differences with Bridgewater directing Miami's offense, as opposed to Tagovailoa.
“I think it’s a high percentage of the offense," Belichick said of Bridgewater and Tagovailoa having similar skill sets. "Sure, there are things that they would do specifically for one guy or the other, but generally speaking it’s the offense."
The Patriots (7-8) will host the Dolphins (8-7) with a chance to still make the playoffs as an AFC Wild Card by winning their final two games
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan 1.
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