Tua Tagovailoa visualizing success and it's not hard to see why | Schad

MIAMI GARDENS — There was Tua Tagovailoa, at 2:30 in the afternoon, when the game didn't start until 7 p.m., on the field at Hard Rock Stadium.

Tagovailoa was the only person on the grass or in the stands. It was Tua and more than 65,000 unoccupied aqua seats.

And there he was, in light gray Dolphins shorts and a white, sleeveless T-shirt, going through the pre-snap calls and post-snap movements of a new offense.

Tua had a play-call sheet folded in a pocket, as he simulated drop after drop after drop. Play after play after play.

"Visualization," Dolphins legend Jason Taylor said during the pregame show on CBS, as evidence of the moment was shown on screen.

"All the little details," Tua would explain later. "If we run this play, what can stop that play? If we run this play, what can stop that play? It's going through my entire progression."

Knowing all we know now, as Tua enters his third season, it's hard now not to visualize Tua having success this season. So much has changed.

Tua completed 6 of 8 passes for 58 yards in Miami's preseason game against the Raiders on Saturday night.

Neither Tua's passing yards nor passer rating (a solid 94.8) nor the result of this game mattered much at all.

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Miami scored three points on two Tua-led possessions. And no grand or sweeping conclusions should be made about any of it.

"I like how he commanded the huddle," Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said of Tua.  "He executed everything we asked him to do. His ownership of the offense. And his command of the players."

Yes, this is a no-excuses Tua season.

Tua without Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle

But is it an excuse or simply fair to point out that neither left tackle Terron Armstead or wide receiver Jaylen Waddle were scheduled to play Saturday?

And it is an excuse or simply fair to point out that receiver Tyreek Hill and running back Raheem Mostert were scratched by McDaniel before kickoff as precaution?

McDaniel really struggled with when and how much to play Tagovailoa in the preseason. In the end, the benefit of a few series outweighed the injury risk.

After all, Saturday night was the first game in which McDaniel had ever called plays at Hard Rock Stadium, and as a head coach on the sideline of a home game.

There was value in McDaniel calling those plays that Tua had practiced hours earlier into his quarterback's headset, in a sort-of-realistic game night environment.

How Tagovailoa will mesh with tight end Mike Gesicki is a story yet to unfold. On Miami's first possession, Gesicki was targeted three times but had only one catch for one yard.

Gesicki either didn't get his head turned around quickly enough or Tua was too early on a third-down pass attempt that put an end to the first series.

Later in the game, Gesicki's block attempt seemed to be relevant on a Teddy Bridgewater intentional grounding. It came in the end zone and was, thus, a safety.

It's easy to see now why McDaniel is trying to get Gesicki so much time in the preseason. But there are reasons to wonder how or if his blocking and receiving talents will translate to this new offense.

Tua, too, is learning a new offense. But it really seems to suit him.

There was no better example of this than on a successful play-action pass to a wide open Trent Sherfield. Play-action can truly be Tua's best friend in 2022.

The Raiders saw the movement of Miami's offensive linemen and saw a fake to Chase Edmonds and yes, they actually thought the Dolphins might be trying a run.

At least the threat of a run will be critical to Miami's offensive success. The Dolphins are going to have to run the ball better than they have so far this summer to reach any of their goals.

"It's cause for your attention," McDaniel said. "I'm not panicked."

The Dolphins probably didn't want to unveil too much, either offensively or defensively, with the former Patriots offensive coordinator on the opposite Raiders sideline.

We are sure Bill Belichick would like Josh McDaniels back, but we can also guess the two might talk in advance of Miami's home opener against that team up north.

While no big conclusions can be drawn, there were little things noticed Saturday and worth mentioning. For example, when Tua came off the field after the first series stalled, McDaniel gave Tua a low-five of support.

The support will be continuous and unrelenting.

In between Miami's offensive series, one could see a very animated Tagovailoa engaging with quarterbacks coach Darell Bevell and many of his receivers. This was a more involved Tagovailoa.

This is an empowered Tagovailoa demonstrating what he and the team needs done. And this is a Tagovailoa who seems to understand what should be done.

After the game, McDaniel was told about Tua's 2:30 p.m. mental exercises. He did not know about it, but he was not surprised.

"That says everything," McDaniel said. "That is something that he has done, on his own, with guidance from coach Bevell. You can feel that every day. Coach Bevell has explained to him all sorts of stories about quarterbacks he's worked with.

"Coming in here this year, that wasn't something I had really heard. That wasn't (Tua's) M.O., just to go outside the framework of whatever the schedule is and really invest all in your craft. He is doing that every single day. And it is showing in his play."

McDaniel said Tagovailoa is leading the team and is putting himself in a position to be "what his teammates really need him to be Week 1."

For Tagovailoa, McDaniel is everything he needed right now.

Gone is the former head coach and the former quarterbacks coach and the former offensive play-caller. But as Tua has said several times this offseason, he's still here.

New offense, new coaches, new hope

Tua's still standing.

McDaniel really wanted to get Tua into a preseason game and get him out safe and sound. Mission accomplished.

Tua-to-Tyreek for 65 yards? Well, that will have to wait for Sept. 11 against the Patriots. You have to imagine McDaniel's going to dial up a shot early in that game, don't you?

In that game, Tua figures to have Tyreek and Waddle and Armstead and he should be even more comfortable with an offense that seems to fit his skill set.

Miami's defense (if its cornerbacks can get and stay healthy) should unquestionably be Top 10 in the league, perhaps Top 5. That's easy to see coming.

It hasn't been as easy to project what Tua can be. It's debated with fire daily, but nobody really knows. He's healthier. He's more confident. He's more experienced.

And Tua seems also to believe that good things are on the horizon.

Despite a rash of turnovers earlier this week, it has been a very positive overall offseason and training camp for Tagovailoa, who clearly has improved.

How much?

Tua can visualize a very good season ahead. And it's not terribly difficult to understand why.

Joe Schad is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tua Tagovailoa of Dolphins breaks out visualization technique