Dolphins Make the Right QB Call
The Miami Dolphins ended the speculation about their quarterback situation Tuesday morning with a Twitter post announcing that Ryan Fitzpatrick would get the start for their Week 5 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
While the announcement no doubt disappointed a lot of fans (along with some media members) clamoring to see rookie first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa in the lineup, it was the right call.
Clearly.
That there was any doubt came as a result of head coach Brian Flores' hesitation Monday when he was asked about his starter and his comment saying he would "presume" it would be Fitzpatrick.
But here's the thing: Fitzpatrick did not have a good game in the 31-23 loss against the Seattle Seahawks because he couldn't get the offense in the end zone often enough and because he threw two interceptions, although one of them came when he was hit on the arm as he was releasing the ball.
But even if we're going to classify it as a bad outing, let's not forget that just 10 days earlier, Fitzpatrick was earning kudos all over the place after his performance in the Thursday night victory at Jacksonville.
Oh, and in Week 2 against Buffalo, Fitzpatrick passed for more than 300 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the loss against Buffalo.
Would it be right to bench Fitzpatrick and make the switch after one bad performance?
The answer is no if the decision was made at the start of the season that Fitzpatrick was the one who gave the Dolphins the best chance to win.
Clearly, if Flores thought the Dolphins would be better off with Tagovailoa at quarterback right now, the move already would have been made.
Flores loves Fitzpatrick, as do pretty much all of his teammates, but that's not why he's in the lineup.
He's in the lineup because at this very precise moment he's a better NFL quarterback than Tagovailoa.
The idea, the plan, the hope is that Tagovailoa will be better — much better — at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later. And not just better than Fitzpatrick, but better than most other NFL quarterbacks.
But Tagovailoa clearly isn't there yet because, again, what would be the point of keeping him on the bench.
The one comment from Monday that was confusing that Flores' statement that he wants to protect Tagovailoa and not rush him because of media pressure — the way he would want his son to be treated.
The problem with that statement is that Flores first said that Tua had checked off all the medical boxes, so the hip ostensibly should be fine by now. And if it's not, then why is Tua on the active roster and serving as the backup quarterback right now when he's one Fitzpatrick injury away from being pressed into action?
Tua hasn't taken a hit on his hip since his injury, but it's going to have to happen at some point, and if there's that level of concern that it could problematic, then maybe the Dolphins should have given him a full redshirt year by putting him on IR or even not drafted him at all.
The media has not seen what Tagovailoa has looked like in practice since the end of August, so nobody outside the team really knows how he's performed. When coaches and teammates are questioned, the answers have to put in the context of what you would expect those close to him to say.
If Tagovailoa is struggling in practice in any way, shape or form, you don't actually expect one of his teammates or coaches to point it out, do you?
It was the same thing with Josh Rosen after he was benched last season. By that point, the media wasn't allowed to watch practice and every time Flores was asked about him, he would talk about the good progress Rosen was making.
The fact that Rosen never got back into the lineup last year and didn't make the 53-man roster this year spoke louder than any comments to the media.
And it's going to be the same with Tagovailoa. And the fact that Flores is sticking with Fitzpatrick for Week 5 says that Tagovailoa just isn't ready to make an impact yet.
Lastly, this season isn't just about Tua's development, regardless of what some might have you believe. The Dolphins were in position to win any of their first four games, which means giving up on trying to make a playoff push just to get their rookie some playing time would be foolish.
And remember that Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees combined for one start as rookies, so it's not as though rookie starts is a prerequisite for long-term success.
Tua's time will come. But that time isn't right yet.
