DAVIE, Florida – Count Ryan Fitzpatrick among those who hope the Miami Dolphins will move forward and build around Your Tagovailoa in anticipation of a major leap in year 2.
Fitzpatrick heard initial off-season criticism of Tagovailoa and commercial rumors connecting Houston Texans’ unfortunate quarterback Deshaun Watson to Miami, but he is not at all concerned about Tagovailoa.
Fitzpatrick believes that there are several good reasons why Tagovailoa will be greatly improved for the Dolphins in 2021.
“Everything will be a little more comfortable this year,” Fitzpatrick told ESPN on Thursday. “Playing in the league will be a little more familiar, your routine throughout the week and at road games. He is no longer trying to find out where the warehouse is, where he will live, or what car he will drive. This is all resolved. He can focus exclusively on being an NFL QB.
“Having an off-season, having repetitions, having some sense of continuity with [co-offensive coordinators] George Godsey and Eric Studesville in his ear, calling the pieces and working with him. All of this indicates that he had a much better season this year and continued to progress as a defender. That is the most important thing for him – progression.
“They put him in the top five for a reason, with his skill set and what he can do. There are very few people on this planet who can do that. If they are to be fully accepted and believe him, he will do the same. He’s going to buy what they’re training, and I think good results will come with that. “
In 2020, Fitzpatrick, 38, happily played the mentor to newcomer Tagovailoa in Miami. The two combined extremely well with Tagovailoa willing to learn by watching from the beginning and Fitzpatrick embracing his self-proclaimed role as “substitute”. Although he is set to be a free agent in March, Fitzpatrick offered Tagovailoa one more piece of advice on how to deal with the off-season noise, especially in relation to Watson.
“That’s the nature of being a QB in the spotlight,” said Fitzpatrick. “Unless you’re winning the Super Bowl, there will always be questions and rumors. You look at a guy like Jared Goff, who was in the Super Bowl a few years ago and was chosen first, now he’s on another team.
“I saw Tua’s comments the other day. The advice I would give him and what he is going to do is duck his head, you go to work, turn it off and leave your presence, leadership and play the field speaking for you “There will always be rumors. There will always be people who hate and doubt. As long as you believe in yourself and a team that believes in you because of how you behave every day, that’s what matters. It gets harder and harder, since social media is such a big part of everyone’s life now, to turn that off, but that’s what he has to do, and that’s what I think he’s going to do. “
Tagovailoa, appearing on ESPN’s Get Up program on Thursday morning, responded to Watson’s negotiating rumors, saying he is only focusing on improving in his second season.
“I can control what I can control,” he said. “I am the defender of the Miami Dolphins.”
While Fitzpatrick spoke to ESPN during the Mountain Dew promotion, this week marked the first time he spoke publicly since Week 16, when he left the bank to lead Miami in the victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. He tested positive for COVID-19 just a few days later, making him ineligible for the Dolphins’ final loss of the season to the Buffalo Bills. Fitzpatrick said he lost his sense of smell and taste until earlier this week, but other than that he was asymptomatic and no one else in his family got the virus.
As for Fitzpatrick’s future, he plans to play his 17th NFL season in 2021 in what he called a “really easy” decision. He says he will “never say never” about a return to Miami, but that he has been in the league long enough to know how things are going. He praised the city and the franchise for two great seasons.
Fitzpatrick played an important role in guiding the Dolphins from a rebuilt team to one of the best NFL stories in 2020, when Miami jumped from five wins to a 10-6 record. However, he must seek a greater role from a team in need of a quarterback.
Fitzpatrick started seven games in 2020, completing 68.5% of his passes and launching for 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also had a 77.1 QBR and was the unquestioned leader of the Dolphins. He may be in line for another bridge title quarterback role or the chance to compete for an initial job in several places.
“I love being there,” he said. “I love to play. I love the grind. I love the adversity with my teammates. I love being part of a team. These decisions have become heavier in recent years with some of these things, but I have a family that supports me a lot and is anxious to continue and play next year. If everything is the same, I want to be out there playing. It’s so much more fun for me to play than to sit and watch. “