Sunday afternoon wasn’t exactly the best showing thus far in 2019 by the Miami Dolphins — but it was enough to get the job done en route to a 16-12 victory over the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. The key play for Miami? Ryan Fitzpatrick’s scrambling score in the 1st half to put the Dolphins up 10-0, a clutch play against a fast, physical Colts defense who didn’t yield much to Miami all game long — even before the Dolphins were blanked in the 3rd quarter.
Head coach Brian Flores met with Kim Bokamper in the aftermath of Miami’s victory over Indianapolis to break down the play that ultimately ended up being the difference maker for the Dolphins. The first note from Flores? This is an extremely difficult red zone defense to navigate, which made Fitzpatrick’s leg work a must in order to crack the end zone.
Perhaps the most interesting note from Flores’ time with Bokamper is the continued messaging that Ryan Fitzpatrick is a special personality, one that draws excitement and inspiration out of his teammates. No, Fitzpatrick isn’t the most physically gifted quarterback. Heck, Josh Rosen has more physical gifts as a player. But Fitzpatrick is the one who transcends talent and brings the “energy and enthusiasm” that Flores wants to see out of his Dolphins’ team.
So as the Dolphins move forward and look for their answer at quarterback, that connection figures to be an intangibles component Miami refuses to budge on. Nor should they. If Fitzpatrick can have this kind of success over the past month for Miami, imagine what a young, charismatic quarterback can do for Miami when the Dolphins decide it is time to add talent.
