The New England Patriots are facing Quinn Ewers instead of Tua Tagovailoa.
The New England Patriots aren't facing Tua Tagovailoa on Sunday.
Tagovailoa, one of he highest-paid players in the NFL, was benched by the Miami Dolphins a few weeks ago for Quinn Ewers, who has gone 1-1 since taking over.
While speaking to reporters, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about facing Ewers instead of Tagovailoa.
"I saw an energy at that Tampa Bay game," Vrabel said. "I saw youthful energy. A guy that's trying to take advantage of his opportunity, and again, sometimes when you put younger players in there, especially quarterbacks, you see them getting up and celebrating. He had a big scramble at the end of the game, and in five-minute there was a first down. It was a big play for him. A lot of energy. He seems to have good command of the operation.
"There's a lot of moving parts with that offense, the shifts, the motions, the jet motions, the ball handling. It's not just standard. He's under center, he's in the gun, he's in the pistol, and then being able to execute the play action and the boot game. I think he's gotten off to a good start."
Ewers has 485 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, two interceptions and 10 rushing yards on the season.
The Dolphins have more motion with Ewers, something Vrabel is aware of.
"Well, it's based on coverage, and based on location of players and where they get to," Vrabel said. "I think a lot of that depends on the coverage that you're in. You start with man and the adjustments that you want to make, and then it's split safety and it's post-safety zone, and how you're going to bump things or run the nickel.
"A lot of teams – I'd say sometimes it's the same each week and sometimes it's different. Whether you keep the nickel to the field, and some guys lock them in and some teams travel them into the nickel or into the boundary. That's what you work through in the offseason, and then based on game plan, you may make some modifications."
The Patriots will likely beat the Dolphins to finish the season 14-3. If the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Denver Broncos, Vrabel and Co. will be the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Vrabel could win the Coach of the Year Award, while QB Drake Maye could win MVP. It's been that special of a season for the Patriots, who are Super Bowl contenders for the first time in the post-Tom Brady era.