Fitzpatrick’s leadership will be key to success in 2020
Ryan Fitzpatrick,
Ryan Fitzpatrick saw his receivers covered so he tucked the football, ran it over the goal line and even a few yards well past the end zone, too.
Fitzpatrick knew it.
So, he threw the football against the Miami Dolphins’ team facility, albeit lightly as he slowly realized the opportunity to take advantage of the moment unfolding.
And when his momentum carried him to the windows outside the team’s cafeteria, Fitzpatrick pounded on the glass as if he were hungry and insatiable for more points and yards to gobble up.
That’s Fitzpatrick in a nutshell.
Not only does Fitzpatrick shine with the tenacity and playful nature to forget he’s a 37-year-old quarterback.
The veteran, who is entering his 16th NFL season wisely found a time to snap everyone out of the mundane nature of practice repetition after practice repetition, and deliver a lighthearted moment last week to a team rebounding from its worst practice in what is now a three-week dash until the season opener.
“I’m 39 and it’s hard to think I can go out there, get in the huddle and run around with these guys as much as he does,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said of Fitzpatrick, the team’s expected starter.
“So, it’s a testament to the way he works in the offseason, his work ethic, his talent and ability. He’s a good player. He’s a competitive guy. He’s smart. He’s got a good feel of the quarterback position, and he’s got good leadership.”
Fitzpatrick’s role in Miami is clearly defined: He’s the bridge quarterback as rookie Tua Tagovailoa continues to get his feet wet had all eyes on him, and he in the NFL.
But he will certainly have an opportunity to play meaningful football for the Dolphins this season.
The Dolphins sorely missed Fitzpatrick during his absence for undisclosed personal reasons last week. Tagovailoa and thirdyear quarterback Josh Rosen had six completions each during that practice last Friday. The Dolphins arguably had their best practice the following day upon Fitzpatrick’s return.
“I don’t want to dive too deep into the one day that Fitz wasn’t here and what it looks like with or without a guy,” Flores said.
It was that bad.
And there are so many moving parts for the Dolphins as they prepare for the season opener: No preseason. New rookies and free agents joining the Dolphins. A new offense, which Fitzpatrick knows intimately after previously working with new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey for five seasons with the Bills and Jets.
Fitzpatrick has shown that he’s the calming presence this Dolphins team needs to begin this season on the right note.
“There’s a lot of things we’re still working at,” Fitzpatrick said Monday.
“With no preseason games, not going up against any other teams, we’re going to have to try to figure out early on in the season what our identity is going to be and the strengths and weaknesses of the football team and what we can lean on.
“As the season goes on, we’re going to figure out who we are and play to our strengths and I think that’s something that’ll be constantly evolving early on, just as we figure out where we’re at as a team.”
As Fitzpatrick helps the team prepare, the Dolphins also depend on him to impart as much wisdom as he can to Tagovailoa, the heir to the starting quarterback job after being Miami’s top pick in the 2020 draft.
Fitzpatrick likes what he sees from the young rookie out of Alabama so far.
While every pass being completed is ideal, Fitzpatrick gathers plenty from just seeing how Tagovailoa processes information and delivers to his targets.
“He’s doing a great job,” of Tagovailoa.
“There’s a lot of different parts of the evaluation process and for me, I just like to see first of all, confidence and if you make a mistake, get out there, put it behind you and play the next play. I like that a lot about him.
“And then secondly, just the progression of is he going to the right place? Is he going on time? We’re making a lot of progress in that area, too,” Fitzpatrick added.
The Dolphins, like every other NFL team dealt the same hand during training camp, are in a mad dash trying to prepare for as many games as they can play during a season that could be affected by COVID-19.
It’ll start on the road, in front of no fans, against the Patriots in New England on Sept. 13 before as many as 13,000 fans will be allowed at Hard Rock Stadium for the home opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 20.
With so many new players, a new scheme to learn, and a touted rookie waiting in the wings, the Dolphins will again lean on Fitzpatrick and his leadership as they try to navigate their way through this season.
“I think playing [with] Fitz helps everybody, no matter your position,” Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki said. “With his experience and his knowledge of the game, you’d be stupid not to ask him questions and try to see it through his eyes and get his perspective, so this way you kind of get some of his experience as well.”
Fitzpatrick said