Ryan Fitzpatrick will remain the Miami Dolphins' starting quarterback despite the three interceptions he threw during Miami's 21-11 season-opening loss to the New England Patriots.
Coach Brian Flores didn't even hesitate to declare the 16-year veteran as the team's starter when asked on Monday, and said that some of the turnovers the 37-year-old quarterback committed weren't all his fault.
On one interception receiver Preston Williams fell to the ground while trying to break on a pass that Stephon Gilmore stepped in front of. And in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter a third-and-6 pass to tight end Mike Gesicki from New England's 10-yard line was intercepted by J.C. Jackson, giving the Patriots possession to end the game.
But Gesicki was interfered with on that play and the referees did not throw a flag that would have kept the drive alive. Fitzpatrick acknowledged he knew that pass was a risky, desperation throw.
"(I was) just trying to make something happen in the end zone to try to conserve some time at the end of the game there," said Fitzpatrick, who was 20 for 30, throwing 191 yards against the Patriots. "Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn't when you throw those type of throws."
Flores pointed out there's a "plethora" of issues that the Dolphins (0-1) need to get fixed before this Sunday's 1 p.m. home opener against the Buffalo Bills, and acknowledged that finding a way to produce more explosive plays on offense is on his team's top-do list.
"We'll look at different schemes, personnel," Flores said. "We'll look at everything and do what we feel is best for the team.
"As a team we have to be better across the board. ... There were some opportunities we didn't taken advantage of after watching the film, and that includes the quarterback position," Flores continued. "We need better play from everybody, and we need better coaching, and that starts with me."
Starting Tua Tagovailoa, the former Alabama standout the Dolphins drafted with the fifth pick in April's NFL draft, would be Miami's only other option if they decided to bench Fitzpatrick.
But there's some concern Tagovailoa, who had his hip surgically repaired last November, might not be physically ready to handle what comes with starting an NFL game, especially while he's still learning Chan Gailey's offense.
Last year the Dolphins started Fitzpatrick for the first two games of the 2019 season before replacing him with Josh Rosen, who struggled in the next three starts before Miami returned Fitzpatrick to the starting role.
At that time, the Dolphins were curious to see what Rosen, a former 2018 first-round pick the organization traded a second- and fifth-round pick to acquire, had to offer. But time revealed that Fitzpatrick, who was the team's MVP after leading Miami to a 5-11 record courtesy of a strong finish, was best suited to lead Miami's young offense.
It will be interesting to see how long that remains true in 2020 if Tagovailoa begins to show better mastery of Gailey's offense in practices.
