Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa gets most Pro Bowl votes, backing from Jevon Holland

MIAMI GARDENS — On the day Tua Tagovailoa finished atop all NFL players in fan voting for the Pro Bowl, safety Jevon Holland said his quarterback wasn’t getting the respect he deserved.

Holland was seeking to clarify comments he made on Instagram about a sometimes-fickle fan base when it comes to Tagovailoa.

“Tua has been balling all year,” Holland said. “We’re in the NFL, which everyone is getting paid for a reason because everybody is an elite competitor. So there are going to be games where sometimes the other guy getting paid on the other side of the ball is going to have an advantage and gets the best of an individual. So when Tua is out there balling and doing his thing, he’s getting all the love but he has one (rough) game and now he’s the worst quarterback in the league.

“That’s just something that irritated me. You’ve got to have faith in somebody. You’ve got to believe in somebody. Because like we have throughout his whole time here, we’ve believed in him. We know what he can do and you guys see what he can do, because he is a hell of a player. He leads us on the field and off the field.”

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There are plenty of fans who agree. Tagovailoa received more Pro Bowl votes than Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and every other player. Rosters for the revamped Pro Bowl Games will be announced at 8 Wednesday night on NFL Network.

Tagovailoa wasn’t the only Dolphin to lead his position. Receiver Tyreek Hill edged ahead of Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, who finished a notch ahead of No. 3 Jaylen Waddle of Miami.

But Holland wasn’t ignored, either. He finished second at free safety behind former Dolphin Minkah Fitzpatrick.

“I think it’s pretty cool that people respect me,” Holland said. “I respect them. If they give me respect, I’ll give them respect.”

Holland believes it’s directly related to his play.

“If I’m recognized and I’m respected, that means I’m playing well,” he said. “And I’m going to continue to try to play the best I can because I want to be the best. If you’re competing at this level and you don’t want to be the best, then you’re just floating. I’ve got a direction and I know what I want to be.”

Holland left the loss in Buffalo on Sunday because of a stinger but soon returned and now is fine.

“When they first told me in the training room that I had to put a neck roll on, I was obviously against it,” he said. “I was like, ‘Nah, I’m not trying to do that. I’m not trying to look like Brock Osweiler.’ ”

As for the Pro Bowl, other Dolphins in the top 10 at their positions were center Connor Williams (eighth), guard Rob Hunt (third), tackle Terron Armstead (third), tight end Mike Gesicki (ninth), fullback Alec Ingold (second), outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (fifth), long snapper Blake Ferguson (ninth) and return specialist Raheem Mostert (seventh). In addition, Christian Wilkins finished sixth at defensive end rather than defensive tackle.

Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants to visit Dolphins in 2023

With three games left in the 2022 regular season, the Dolphins’ schedule for next year is beginning to take shape.

In addition to home-and-away games with the other three AFC East teams, the Dolphins will face a combination of AFC West and NFC East teams next year.

Teams that will visit Hard Rock Stadium included Denver, Las Vegas, Dallas and the New York Giants. In addition, Miami will play two other teams dependent on the final standings. For now, those teams are Jacksonville and Carolina. The Carolina game would be the so-called “17th” game on the schedule, but keep in mind the Panthers are 5-9, as are the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons.

Road games will be at Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia, Washington and an AFC North team, which currently is Baltimore.

Injury updates

Coach Mike McDaniel said linebacker Jerome Baker (ankle) seemed “pretty solid” Monday. He doesn’t want to rush offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg (knee) back but said he thought Eichenberg was at his best before his injury.

Safety Eric Rowe (hamstring and running back Jeff Wilson (hip) were “fairly close” to playing against the Bills, McDaniel said.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' Jevon Holland: Fans shouldn't be fickle about Tua Tagovailoa