NEW ORLEANS – Injuries can be a make-or-break storyline for just about every team in the NFL, no matter the season.
For the Miami Dolphins last season, it was a big one, which is never a good thing.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered his fourth documented concussion, this time while running for a first down in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills.
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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa walks onto the field prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium. (Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images)
Another concussion for Tagovailoa meant four missed games, and the Dolphins went 1-3 in that span to quickly fall to 2-4 on the season. Of course, this is a Miami squad that has all the firepower to take the top off defenses and run up the scoreboard.
However, like Braxton Berrios, one of the Dolphins last season who unfortunately could not play all 17 games due to a torn ACL, said, “Injuries happen.”
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When they happen to a quarterback like Tagovailoa, who is the key to making Mike McDaniel’s fast-paced, timing-oriented offense work, it can derail a season.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Berrios, #0, works out during joint practice with the Washington Commanders at Baptist Health Training Complex. (Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports)
“I think a lot of times, things don’t fall your way some seasons,” Berrios, who was at Radio Row ahead of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on behalf of IRCode, said. “I think that’s part of the game – it’s an imperfect game played by imperfect people. Injuries happen, a lot of different things happen.”
Tagovailoa was finally able to come back in Week 8, but the Dolphins did not click immediately. They lost his first two starts back before finally dropping the streak on the road against the Los Angeles Rams.
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However, it was a season where the Dolphins did not control their own playoff destiny as they had in the past, and they missed out on a wild card spot.
Tagovailoa took the season especially tough, knowing things might have been different if he had played all 17 games. Again, to Berrios’ point, injuries can come at the worst times.
He used another team as a perfect example.
“You look at Detroit, their defense was decimated,” he said of the Lions. “Those fans could easily say, ‘If we didn’t get so injured, we might be here.’ And they’re probably absolutely right. But the fact of the matter is, it’s part of the game and you just gotta go with it. Injuries can derail things some seasons, and you just got to pick up where you left off, and use it as motivation, as anything else.”
Berrios will be heading to free agency this offseason, but he has no doubt those in the Miami building are the right ones to get back to playoff football in 2025.
“I think the people in the locker room were the right ones,” he said. “Obviously, free agency will happen and who knows there, but I think that staff and that upstairs team is in the absolute right direction. I think they have what it takes, but you just need a few more things to shake your way. We’ll see what happens in free agency.”
No matter where he might end up, Berrios knows exactly how good Tagovailoa can be when he is 100% healthy on the field.
“First and foremost, incredible guy. Very good friend, we’re actually together this weekend hanging out,” he said. “Incredible athlete, and the accuracy and timing are second to none. He makes the offense tick, obviously. All of sudden when he comes back, everything is rolling like it’s supposed to.”
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Berrios was down in New Orleans on behalf of IRCode, which is changing the way we interact with content, whether it be watching TV or looking at an image.
The football star broke down the “absolutely crazy” experience he had with the technology that he believes will revolutionize the connectivity of brands with consumers.
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“To watch live sports and be able to interact digitally [and] immediately? The instant gratification thing is a huge thing in our society, and so is the gamification. So, for me, it’s such a cool way for me to interact with fans in a different way, a live way. If I have something I want to promote or I want to push, when they scan me on TV instead of just getting my jersey, [or] fantasy stats, whatever it is, I can plug in my foundation or anything else I want to lead or direct them to. It’s first of its kind and a really cool way for us to interact with fans.”
“You open the app, you don’t have to press anything or open anything. It scans it for you and it takes you wherever you’re supposed to be. It’s really cool.”
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