Cake: The diet of champions
DAVIE — New Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has heard the social media noise surrounding his weight. And Fitzpatrick, 38, has the perfect explanation for it all after a photo of him appearing overweight in a Dolphins video made the rounds on social media this month. Birthday cake. And lots of it, too. Hey, it’s the offseason.
“I’d say two weeks ago, I was in peak offseason form,” Fitzpatrick said Tuesday, referring to when the Dolphins began their offseason program on April 1.
“The thing with me is I have seven kids. So in January, we have three birthdays. We’ve got a family birthday party, which includes cake. And then, we’ve got a friends birthday party, which includes cake. So that’s six times in January.
“We’ve got three birthdays in March — March 1, March 6 and March 11 — which again is a tough stretch. That’s cake six out of 10 or 11 days. Then, we’ve got an April birthday so it doesn’t slow down.
“But now that I’ve got all the birthdays behind me, I’m going to try to go from peak offseason form maybe down peak in-season form. I’ll be OK.”
The Dolphins shared a social media video of players going through a workout earlier this month, in which Fitzpatrick was seen running with a loose shirt moving with his body, while appearing to look overweight.
Fitzpatrick’s 6-foot-2, 223-pound frame seems naturally thick and sturdy, but not significantly overweight by any stretch of the imagination.
His comments regarding the social media issue came as the Dolphins began their voluntary workouts under new coach Brian Flores on Tuesday.
Fitzpatrick signed a two-year deal worth $11 million this offseason. The Dolphins will be his eighth NFL team as he hopes to continue his career in his 15th season.
Fitzpatrick’s role clear, too.
He will serve as a bridge, starting quarterback between former starter Ryan Tannehill and a rookie quarterback drafted in the 2019 and/ or 2020 NFL drafts.
“He’s a good guy, and I’m looking forward to working with him,” starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil said about Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick still believes he can re-create the “FitzMagic” he delivered with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he threw for more than 400 yards with 11 touchdowns despite four interceptions in the first three games of last season.
Those performances continue to get his competitive juices flowing.
“Last year, especially at the beginning of last year, it was nice for me to go out there and have some of that success, but that was last year,” Fitzpatrick said.
“I’m going to do my best. I think in the last four or five years, I’ve really gotten better every year and I think as funny as it sounds, I think my best football is still ahead of me and that’s why I’m still playing.
“I love being out there. I love being in the huddle with the guys and hopefully they’ll get a chance to feel that, and see that with me, and they’ll think the same way.”
Fitzpatrick already has a fan in Flores, the rookie head coach who is roughly two years older than his new starting quarterback.
Before the Dolphins turn their sights on adding a quarterback in next week’s draft like Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, Missouri’s Drew Lock or West Virginia’s Will Grier, or coveted 2020 prospects like Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Oregon's Justin Herbert and Georgia’s Jake Fromm, they hope to use Fitzpatrick’s leadership and experience to their advantage.
“I think Ryan is a great leader. He’s shown that already. He’s been in this league a long time,” Flores said of Fitzpatrick.
“He’s smart. He works hard. He embodies a lot of the qualities that we’re looking for in our players — not even our players, everyone in this organization. That leadership is something that I think this team needs. … We need that from not just one player but we need that from everyone on the roster.” is