Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa echoes Aaron Rodgers about 'Hard Knocks' assignment

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sounds less than thrilled his Miami Dolphins were selected for the in-season edition of the HBO "Hard Knocks" program. 

"I just like to keep things private in how I do things," Tagovailoa told reporters this week, per Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post. "But this isn’t just about me. This isn’t something that’s for me. This is something for the entire team and the entire team has to figure out how they go about that as well. So I know having conversations with some guys in the locker room that for them, it’s going to be tough as well."

Future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers made it known this past summer that the New York Jets had the training camp "Hard Knocks" assignment forced "down our throats." It's difficult to say how the program impacted the Jets' performances this fall considering Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles early in their regular-season opener. 

Meanwhile, OddsChecker listed Tagovailoa tied for second among the betting favorites at +500 odds to earn Most Valuable Player honors for the campaign as of early Friday afternoon. Per ESPN stats, he enters the weekend leading the NFL among qualified players with 9.1 yards per pass attempt and a 110.4 passer rating, tied for third with 15 touchdown passes and ranked fourth with a 69.5 adjusted QBR. 

The 25-year-old understandably wants to avoid distractions as the 5-2 Dolphins pursue more than a playoff appearance but won't receive that luxury. 

"I’m not going to let any of that affect how I prepare, how I talk in our meetings, with how we want to get things done and what we want to do," Tagovailoa added about having to deal with "Hard Knocks" cameras and production staff. "I’m going to be myself and I think the guys are going to do their best to be themselves as well, although it is different when there is a camera. You’re trying to do something that’s very private."

On Friday, OddsChecker listed the Dolphins as nine-and-a-half-point favorites for this Sunday's home game against the 2-5 New England Patriots.