Fitzpatrick gets frisky
QB puts on short shorts as a tribute to ex-teammate Ford
Who wears short shorts?
Well, Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t afraid to do so.
And all for a good reason. Fitzpatrick, the 16-year veteran and backup to rookie Tua Tagovailoa, wore his shorts slightly higher than usual during Wednesday’s Dolphins practice not for show or social media attention.
Fitzpatrick cut his practice uniform pants and wore them to pay tribute to former teammate Isaiah Ford, the receiver who was traded away by the Dolphins to the rival New England Patriot sat the NFL trade deadline Tuesday, and practiced with his pants worn the sameway.
Ford, a third-year receiver out of Virginia Tech, was considered one of the most intelligent, hardworking and depend able players during his time in Miami, one who made the most of his opportunities when given.
Fitzpatrick, who appears to have trimmed his beard, was quite complimentary of Ford during their time together as Dolphins teammates, calling Ford “Mr. Reliable” for being “in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing.”
“Isaiah has been on the active [roster] and off, on the practice squad and up and down— he’ s worked so hard ,” Fitzpatrick said of Ford after the best game of Ford’s young career, when he had six catches for 92 yards against the New York Jets in Week 14last season.
“He’s a guy we have so much faith in as quarterbacks because whenever anybody has a question, sometimes when coaches have questions, we’ll go to Isaiah and say, ‘What is this signal? What is this route?’ ” Fitzpatrick said .“And he knows everything.
“I was happy to see him get out there and get an opportunity to catch some balls and really take advantage of it and make themost out of it. There are times when I ask Isaiah questions about the offense. That’s how smart the kid is.”
Dolphins coach Brian Flores on Wednesday praised Ford, a former seventh-round pick by Miami who had 41 catches for 428 yards with the team before being traded to the Patriots in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2022.
“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Isaiah Ford,” Flores said. “I think he’s a kid who worked extremely hard, made a lot of plays for us. As far as his work ethic and just [being] team-oriented, [he] put the team first, just [had a] great attitude. I just really enjoyed working with him, but at theendof the daywe felt like the best thing for us was tomake that particular trade.”
Added Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker, who revealed Fitzpatrick’s tribute to Ford: “My boy Isaiah. It’s part of the business, but we’re definitely going to miss him.”
Ford posted on his Twitter account Wednesday :“Miami Dolphins organization. From the players I’ve met, to the training staff, equipment staff, aswell as cafeteria and cleaning staff. You guys have been first class, and I’ ve enjoyed every minute bonding with you all !”