Win not a shock to Fitz
Dolphins QB had seen an improved attitude
DAVIE — Ryan Fitzpatrick can’t pinpoint the exact moment, but he knows something clicked for the Miami Dolphins over the past few weeks.
While the results didn’t immediately translate on the scoreboard, the Dolphins finally broke through last Sunday, picking up their first victory of the season in a 26-18 triumph over the New York Jets.
The 15-year veteran turned in his best performance of the year, conjuring some vintage “FitzMagic” in a 24-for-36 showing for 288 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
“I don’t know what it was, but the past three weeks of practice going into this one there’s been a shift in attitude of guys working hard,” Fitzpatrick said. “Just being really focused and that will hopefully continue this week.”
While the Dolphins offense is riding high off Sunday’s win, the team was dealt some some blows earlier this week.
On Monday, starting running back Mark Walton was suspended four games for violating the NFL’s conduct and substance abuse policies. Also that day, Miami announced leading receiver Preston Williams would miss the remainder of his season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in Sunday’s win.
The undrafted rookie was a revelation and quickly became one of Fitzpatrick’s favorite targets, hauling in 32 catches for 428 yards and three touchdowns.
“That’s tough,” Fitzpatrick said. “You never want to see a guy go down and get injured like that, but he’s such a talented player. He’s got such a bright future.”
With the losses, Miami’s skill players will have to embody a next-man-up mentality — and the 36-year-old Fitzpatrick will be tasked with orchestrating all the pieces. Building chemistry with new teammates is nothing new to Fitzpatrick, though. In his 15-year career, he’s started 131 games for eight different teams and worked with a wide variety of receivers.
“I think in general with me, throwing to a lot of different guys over the years — it’s fairly easy to get accustomed to different guys,” Fitzpatrick said.
Jakeem Grant and Albert Wilson are two players who could step into larger roles for the second half of the season. While both have showcased big-play ability in the past, neither has been able to replicate that through Miami’s first eight games.
In 2018, Grant and Wilson each caught touchdowns of 50-plus yards. This season, neither has broken 25 yards on a catch. Fitzpatrick feels they’re still capable of producing explosive plays.
“The more opportunities they get, the more [of ] those flash plays they can make,” Fitzpatrick said. “So [it’s] just continuing to try and get them opportunities. Obviously with a guy that [caught] a lot of balls in Preston going down, there will be more balls now to go around.
“I’ve worked with [Grant and Wilson], especially as the season’s gone on. It’s just a lot of communication, a lot of talking and making sure they know what I expect out of them and having a two-way conversation and them telling me how they prefer things.”
One target who’s shown significant growth over the past few weeks has been tight end Mike Gesicki.
A second-round pick in 2018, he wasn’t much of a factor in his rookie season, catching 22 passes for 202 yards in 16 games. This season, he’s already surpassed that yardage total and is on pace to double last year’s numbers as he has 21 catches for 248 yards in eight games.
The former Penn State standout stepped up with a career-best performance versus the Jets, catching six passes for 95 yards.
“I think Mike continues to get better,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think in terms of a guy that in the past maybe hasn’t produced or lived up to whatever people thought he was supposed to be, he’s just put his head down and worked hard.
“The last few weeks have been nice to see the hard work we’re putting in throughout the week is really paying off on Sundays, and he’s done a nice job and become a really reliable target. He’s got a skill set in terms of his length, speed and size that’s something you can’t really coach.
“Getting him coached up and running things a certain way and gaining confidence as a football player, he’s just going continue to get better and better.”