Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Slow means steadier
Coaches encourage Fitzpatrick to ease back on rapid pace
DAVIE — Minkah Fitzpatrick is growing wiser as a NFL player.
He has the new Miami Dolphins coaching staff to thank for providing a recent revelation of sorts.
As Fitzpatrick enters his second season, with the ability to impact the Dolphins defense in a variety of roles, he is taking a more deliberate and considered approach to learning new coach Brian Flores’ scheme.
“I like to play fast, but some of the coaches are telling me that playing fast isn’t always the best thing, especially when they move me around a lot,” Fitzpatrick said Friday after the Dolphins’ second training camp practice ahead of the 2019 season.
“It’s more being able to process everything, relax and rely on your instincts. When you’re playing fast, you speed things up. You think so much, you start tripping over your feet. When you slow things down and learn the defense and get comfortable, you’d honestly play faster instead of flying all over the place.
“So I think just knowing the scheme, getting comfortable with the scheme, I can just react.”
To aid Fitzpatrick in this process, the Dolphins have also played him mostly in the slot/nickel cornerback role among the three positions he thrived in as a rookie last season. He’s a lengthy, shifty defender capable of defending speedy slot receivers, and with his
size [he is] also able of handling big-bodied tight ends in the middle of the field.
Fitzpatrick’s girth also allows him to do some damage of his own as a blitzing defender, a pseudo outside linebacker if you will, if lined up closer to the line of scrimmage.
“I like it,” Fitzpatrick said of playing the position. “I did it a lot in college. I did it a lot last year. I’m comfortable there. I have a lot of experience there and that gives me a good edge, just going out there competing.
“I just love being against some of the best guys in the slot, some of the fastest, quickest guys in the slot. And you get to do multiple things — you get to play the run, get to cover [and] play the rush.”
Fitzpatrick could be deemed a Swiss Army knife of sorts for the Dolphins defense, a player who is capable with his talent to play a number of roles while not truly homing in on one particular skill set. But Fitzpatrick sees his ability to play different positions much differently.
“I think playing defensive back, you have to know what everyone is doing around you,” he said. “If you want to be a great safety, you got to know what everybody is doing around you. If you want to be a great corner, you got to know what everybody is doing around you.
“So even if you want to home in on one position, you got to know what everybody is doing around you.”
Despite Fitzpatrick’s knack of playing the nickel role, the Dolphins could still use his dynamic versatility in some capacity at other positions in the secondary.
As a rookie, Fitzpatrick also played as a boundary cornerback and free safety because of injuries over the course of the season to players such as cornerback Xavien Howard, safeties Reshad Jones and T.J. McDonald and defensive back Bobby McCain.
Fitzpatrick has the talent to compete for the second boundary cornerback starting job opposite Howard in which newcomers Eric Rowe and Jomal Wiltz, and backup Torry McTyer are competing for playing time.
He could also play the new free safety role that McCain is occupying this year in training camp.
But while Fitzpatrick insists he does not have a preference of where he plays, he knows where he fits in best.
“I like being on the field, making plays and doing my job,” Fitzpatrick said with a smile.