In a fantastic article from Yahoo Sports’ Senior NFL reporter Jori Epstein, we learned that Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell underwent surgery for a detached retina in his right eye this offseason. According to Epstein, Bevell was forced to lay face down 90% of the time for seven straight days in order to properly heal from the early August procedure. Despite the difficulties that came along with the surgery, Miami’s quarterback coach continued to watch film and coach remotely — using Zoom to communicate with his players in meetings. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel used Bevell’s situation as a teaching moment for his squad — telling the team that the quarterback coach’s commitment to his work sends a “powerful message.” “We all get so caught up in our own stories and circumstances... Another glimmer of another person’s scope who is just happy to be able to watch practice and cannot wait to get another work day in,” said McDaniel. The article also discusses Bevell’s influence on Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — a relationship that helped the young QB blossom into one of the NFL’s most efficient signal callers last season. “Be where your feet are,” Bevell tells Tagovailoa — meaning, let the past be the past and focus on making the most out of the current play, moment, etc. Tagovailoa will look to build on his stellar 2022 campaign with the help of Darrell Bevell, Mike McDaniel, and the rest of the Miami Dolphins coaching staff as his team kicks off the 2023 season against the Los Angeles Chargers this Sunday. The articleh can be found by clicking here - https://sports.yahoo.com/heres-how-the-coach-who-helped-unlock-brett-favre-and-russell-wilson-is-trying-to-do-the-same-for-tua-tagovailoa-175925772.html.
Detached retinas are no joke. A good friend of mine had a detached retina and it's something I pray to never go through. They put an air bubble in his eye and it kept the pressure on the eye when laying face down and he had to put a mirror on the floor to watch TV. It has to feel like torture.
His commitment to the team to watch film and still patriciate via Zoom call during team meetings is commendable.
