In the fourth episode of HBO's Hard Knocks: In Season with the Miami Dolphins, the Dolphins’ quarterbacks meeting was full of laughter as the group recounted the hijinks associated with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s appearance on Week 13’s edition of the ManningCast.
Backup quarterback Mike White detailed the challenge the quarterback group had assigned to Tagovailoa once they heard about his upcoming appearance on the Monday Night Football alt broadcast.
“I texted in the group chat, and I was like ‘Tua is going on Manning, like we need to give him a word,’ ” White described to Darrell Bevell, the Dolphins’ quarterbacks/passing game coordinator.
The task in question was to covertly mention the 2008 film Tropic Thunder, which Tagovailoa found a way to insert into the conversation when asked about how he responds to zero-blitzes from opposing defenses.
“And if you don’t have an answer, it’s like Tropic Thunder, the movie: Survive!” we see Tagovailoa say in a flashback, eliciting laughter from both Manning brothers and a declaration from Peyton that Tagovailoa’s movie references should earn him a role as permanent host.
“Dude I lost my mind,” White said of his reaction to seeing Tagovailoa successfully sneak in the secret word.
The light-hearted prank came a day after the Dolphins defeated the Commanders in serious fashion, with the offense dominating its opponent to the tune of 45 points, already the third time this season Miami has crossed the 40-point threshold.
The vibes were high in Miami post-win, and interspersed with Tagovailoa's movie quotes and a quick guitar concert later in his segment, the quarterback spoke with the Mannings of his team’s desire to keep building on the stellar season they’d put together thus far. After the Week 13 win, the Dolphins sat at 9-3, atop the AFC East with a three-game lead and tied at the top of the AFC playoff standings with a chance at earning the No. 1 seed.
But unfortunately, when Tagovailoa returned to Monday Night football a week later, this time as the one playing, the Mannings were on hand to watch the Dolphins’ high aspirations take a hit as Miami fell to the Tennessee Titans in a shocking 28-27 upset on Monday.
The loss was the Dolphins’ first to a team with a losing record this year, and put them a game behind the Baltimore Ravens in the pursuit of the No. 1 seed.
All is not lost, but Tagovailoa and his squad will want to rebound quickly and get back to their winning ways, starting with next week’s contest versus the Jets.
And as the Dolphins continue to work toward their postseason goals, the Hard Knocks cameras will likewise continue to chronicle their efforts, giving viewers an inside look into both the light-hearted moments and the serious stakes of the game on a weekly basis.
Hard Knocks: In Season with the Miami Dolphins airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and is available to stream on Max until the end of the Dolphins' season.