Ryan Fitzpatrick Brings Lessons from Dan Marino to WFT

Ryan Fitzpatrick played for a lot of teams before arriving to the Washington Football Team this offseason.

Each stop has certainly taught him something about the game and contributes to the way he approaches his quarterback duties.

Not all of them had legendary mentors at his disposal, though. Not like the last two years with the Miami Dolphins did.

"(Dan Marino) was around the building a lot the last two years and last year as much as he could with the COVID restrictions and everything,'' Fitzpatrick said in visiting with the media this week. "You've got one of the greatest ever to do is sitting in the film room with you talking ball and that's pretty cool."

As "cool'' as it might have been, it was also educational. Not in the way most might expect, though. Fitzpatrick said it wasn't about the 'X's and O's' of the game.

When you talk to legends, it can be about more.

Sure, the schemes and the calls are all important. But it goes beyond that for the ones who do it the best.

"It's how to approach guys," Fitzpatrick said of what he learned from Marino. "It's the leadership portion of it. It's all those things along with just the way that he carried himself and all that. Those are the things, whether they come in question for them, or just even watch him walk around the building. Those are the kinds of things I think I really pick up on."

Presence. It's more than physically being in a place. And it's a word used to describe many who have become the best in their fields. Tom Brady has it. So did Michael Jordan.

When you hear coaches and teammates talk about Fitzpatrick, they talk as much about what his personality brings to the team as his arm strength or his football IQ.

He and Marino have something else in common. A lack of NFL championships. Fitzpatrick doesn't even have a playoff game, won or lost.

Of course, the plan is for all of that to change this year as he leads an improved squad coming in as defending NFC East champions.

If Marino's lessons have taught Fitz anything, and he can combine talent with the presence of a champion, then fans of the burgundy and gold are in for a year they'll not soon forget.