Tag Archive for: Ryan Fitzpatrick

Parker making most season under new staff

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The Dolphins suffered another loss on Sunday.

Falling 17-16 to a previously winless Washington team offered little-to-no bright spots for Miami. The 16 points the Dolphins scored was the most they’ve scored this season, but they needed a bye week and two quarterbacks to reach that total.

One player that is showing some life for the Miami Dolphins is DeVante Parker, who doubled his 2018 (and 2017) touchdown total on an 11-yard grab from Ryan Fitzpatrick with just six seconds remaining in Sunday’s game.

“Yeah, it was a good thing we kept moving the ball [on Sunday],” Parker said after the game. “At the end, we didn’t win. That’s all that matters.”

Despite the offense struggling in general, Parker is putting together a decent season after signing a two-year deal (which is basically a one-year prove it deal) this offseason.

“It was fun. I mean that whole fourth quarter was fun just to be out there,” Fitzpatrick said of the fourth quarter. “Some guys made some nice plays, and then DeVante (Parker) on the touchdown – a big catch. That’s the kind of stuff – that’s why I still like being out there and playing this game. ”

The former first-round pick has 13 receptions for 229 yards, good for a 17.6 average that includes a season-long 49-yard grab that came week one against Baltimore.

In fact, this is the first time Parker has secured touchdowns in back-to-back weeks since late in the 2015 season.

Parker and the Miami offense has a big test next week as they travel to Buffalo. They’ll face a Bills team that is coming off their bye and is allowing just 14 points a game, the fourth-best mark in the NFL headed into week six.

Dolphins bench Josh Rosen in favor of FitzMagic

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For most of the 2019 season, the Miami Dolphins have failed to do much of anything in the second half.  In fact, heading into Week 6’s matchup vs the Washington Redskins, the Dolphins have been outscored 80-0.  And although the infamous t-word continues to surround Miami’s 2019 season, the coaching staff will continue to do whatever it takes to remain competitive.

Even if that means turning to 36-year old QB, Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The man known as #Fitzmagic came into the game deep into the third quarter and lit a fire under Miami’s anemic offense.  The Dolphins drove downfield to bring the game within two-points late in the fourth quarter.  Fortunately for those fans that continue to root for Miami to tank in favor of Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins were unable to convert the two-point conversion, as the team fell to 0-5 on the season.

Fitzpatrick played well enough to at least earn some consideration as the Dolphins’ starting QB next week vs the Buffalo Bills.  After all, he completed 12/18 for 136-yards and 1 touchdown.

This comes a few days after HC Brian Flores announced Rosen would be the team’s starting QB moving forward.

Here’s what Flores had to say on the Dolphins’ QB situation late last week.

“It’s settled. I like where Josh (Rosen) is. I think he’s improving on a week-to-week basis. I think he’s a young, talented player, and I think he needs to get in there and develop and get reps and just improve. I think if we could – when he’s scrambling and if he can throw the ball away, that would be an improvement. It’s something we’ve talked about a lot and hopefully if I say it to you guys, maybe he’ll listen, but that’s something – amongst a lot of other things. Just decision-making, accuracy and making good decisions. I like where Josh (Rosen) is and hopefully he just continues to improve today, tomorrow and over the course of the season.”

It will be interesting to see where the Dolphins go moving forward. But for now, the fans fully embrace the ‘Tank For Tua’.

UPDATE: 4:35

Rookie receiver Preston Williams provided the Dolphins with a small victory against Baltimore

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Preston Williams gave Miami its first victory of the year.

Nobody expected the 2019 season to be pretty for the Miami Dolphins. At the same time, nobody expected a 59-10 blowout by the Ravens in week 1.

The Dolphins, the NFL’s youngest team, was expected to have a few bright spots while tanking away the 2019 season.

Preston Williams, an undrafted rookie from Colorado State, is continuing to make a case as a diamond in the rough.

After an impressive preseason and training camp, Williams finished his first regular season game with three catches for 24 yards, including this saucy touchdown grab before halftime.

“If you’re looking for small victories, that’s about it,” quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said of the catch.

Fitzpatrick, the 16-year NFL vet, finished his first start by going 14/29 for 185 yards including one touchdown and one interception. Look for Fitzpatrick to continue to target Williams as the Dolphins will play from behind for most of the season.

 

Follow what probably will be the worst team in Miami professional sports history with us at FiveReasonsSports.com. Let’s go through it together, as we all suffer in the 15 games that are left, until get Tua, right?

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Josh Rosen

Josh Rosen taking role as Dolphins backup QB in stride

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Immediately after the end of the final preseason game on Thursday night, head coach Brian Flores announced that veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starting quarterback for the 2019 season. Young player Josh Rosen, who put together an impressive preseason and was acquired during the draft in exchange for a second round pick, now has to ride the bench until such a time as Flores deems him ready.

“I’ve said multiple times, I think he’s improved greatly over the course of training camp.” Flores said. “This is a young kid who works extremely hard. It is important to him. He’s talented, but playing quarterback in this league – it takes some time. He’s in a new offense, and I think he’ll get there. I do. I really do. That’s a conversation we had. I think he’ll get there at some point. When? I don’t know, and a lot of that’s up to him. He knows that. No knock on him, but he has worked extremely hard, but I think he will get there. This is a talented player. We’re excited about him.”

The logic seems simple. Let Rosen start, and if he shows he can handle the job, then the Dolphins don’t need to draft a quarterback in round one. But apparently, Miami has a different plan in mind for him.

Reaction from Josh Rosen

Any young player who gets told they won’t be starting is going to be disappointed. In Rosen’s case, he has a reputation dating back to college for not handling adversity well. According to Flores, however, things were different this time.

“They both handled it well. These are two of the most professional guys I have been around. They both handled it really well.” Flores said. “Obviously, ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) was excited. Josh was a little disappointed, but at the same time, he looked at me and said… well, I will keep that conversation between he and I.”

As for Rosen himself, he admits that he had a rough start to his Dolphins tenure.

“Coach (Flores) challenged me pretty early in training camp as I wasn’t playing very well because I was just sort of drinking water from a fire hose.” He said. “I think a lot of that had to do with focusing on my day-to-day and not trying to worry if Coach was looking or make sure I impress him here or this … I think it’s only time that this team is mine, but until then I’m going to be as supportive a backup as I can, and like I said, push him every single day.”

Josh Rosen taking this in stride is encouraging. One of the main criticisms Flores has for him is that his body language is not ideal. Strangely enough, however, Rosen may be disappointed, but he doesn’t seem that upset.

What’s next?

Development is still going to be priority number one for Rosen. After the debacle that was his rookie year, he’s trying to change his mentality towards his career.

“Last year everything kind of flipped pretty quickly.” He said. “They told me at the beginning of the year I was supposed to sit out and try and learn behind Sam (Bradford) and play that Year 2 and get ready to get, and that didn’t happen. I think any sort of projection of where my career should be is kind of irrelevant, or really difficult to pin down, I guess you could say at this point. That’s why I’m really focusing on what I can do day-to-day. In terms of my progression as a quarterback, I think I’m substantially better a quarterback now than I was three weeks ago and a way better quarterback than I was a year ago.”

His improvement is undeniable. The only real question at this point is this: will he improve fast enough to win the starting job in 2020? It’s almost guaranteed at this point that Miami will draft a quarterback in round one of the 2020 draft, which means the level of competition for him will be much higher than an aged veteran with an average ceiling. Maybe he’ll be traded again next offseason, or he’ll be forced to remain a backup. Or, he could become the starter after all.

Whatever the future holds for Josh Rosen, he’s taking it in stride and remaining focused on his own growth. How’s that for improved body language?

“On this progression, I think the future is pretty bright.” He said. “I’m excited. I wouldn’t say it’s a setback, but the temporary – it’s not even a hurdle to cross over; it’s part of the journey.”

Dolphins name veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick starting quarterback

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Shortly before the end of the final preseason game, head coach Brian Flores announced he would name the starting quarterback after the game ended. The oddsmakers turned out to be correct after all. Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick is the Dolphins starting quarterback over young prospect Josh Rosen.

The decision to name Fitzpatrick over Rosen flies in the face of Flores’s declaration that the best player would win the starting job. Over the course of the preseason, Rosen performed better than the 15-year veteran, yet the competition ends with Fitzpatrick victorious. One has to wonder if the starting job ever up for grabs to begin with. It seems not. Fitzpatrick performed better early on in practice. Rosen closed the gap quickly, however.

Flores stated during the press conference that Ryan Fitzpatrick starting was the best decision for this team. The decision was made over the course of the last week. Which means, somehow, Rosen’s performance in week three of preseason meant nothing to Flores. The rookie head coach insists that Rosen is talented, but he isn’t ready yet.

It’s extremely difficult to justify the decision to name Fitzpatrick the starter at this point. Perhaps, in the beginning, it might have been different. But now there’s nothing to do but wait and see how the regular season plays out. Also, prepare for the Dolphins to draft a quarterback in the first round of 2020. Maybe they want a rookie to compete with Rosen next year. If that is the case, however, this was not a smart way to handle the situation.

Whether they draft Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jake Fromm, or someone else, it’s clear that Rosen isn’t viewed as the solution to the quarterback problem. Truly a shame to see.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for six years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

Oddsmakers favor Ryan Fitzpatrick starting for Dolphins over Josh Rosen

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Right or wrong, there’s something to be said about betting odds. Las Vegas has a way of knowing what’s going to happen any given season, even if their predictions don’t make sense in the minds of fans. They’ve even weighed in on who’s more likely to start for the Miami Dolphins come week one of the regular season. Will it be longtime veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, or young prospect Josh Rosen?

So far, the oddsmakers favor Fitzpatrick.

To be fair, the odds were made back in late July. This is before Josh Rosen put together a fairly impressive preseason. But taking into account what head coach Brian Flores is saying, it’s starting to look more and more likely that Vegas is right again, even if the logic behind it is increasingly faulty.

“He played well, and that makes the decision harder.” He said this past Thursday after the preseason win against Jacksonville. “I think that’s pretty clear, clear and evident. But there’s – again, there’s other things at play here. ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) played well, I thought, and there’s some things – when you’ve got a young quarterback, again, I’m a proponent of not rushing that, not rushing the process for young players. So we’ll make the decision for what we think is best for Josh, ‘Fitz,’ and this team.”

The best decision for this team, he says. Best decision for Rosen, he says.

What else does Rosen need to do to prove he’s worthy of earning the starting job?

Flores has said that he wants Rosen to work on his decision making, to not take so many chances. However, most of Rosen’s chances seem to lead to positive results. In the end, that’s all that any coach can hope for, right? Isn’t it refreshing to have a QB who can improvise and make plays even when everything is crumbling around him? This goes for his potential as a franchise QB as well. He’s showing a lot of traits that suggest he can be a franchise QB. Someone who can lead a team to the promised land…after some serious investment into the offensive line of course.

And yet Las Vegas is saying Ryan Fitzpatrick is still more likely to start over Rosen. Is Flores just stubborn? Unwilling to let Rosen start over Fitzpatrick since one is a veteran and one is a young guy still trying to stabilize his footing? Josh Rosen needs to learn, and if 2019 is truly a wash no matter what, what is gained by starting Fitzpatrick over Rosen at this point?

Back in June, it was suggested that the best man should be the Dolphins starting quarterback. Brian Flores needed to make sure everyone knew that performance would dictate who plays and who doesn’t. Back then, Rosen was behind Fitzpatrick. After this preseason, however, it appears Rosen has outplayed Fitzpatrick in almost every aspect. Is that not grounds for starting? If Flores is honest, there should be no reason for debate.

Vegas always seems to be right, and Vegas insists Fitzpatrick is the man to start 2019. But if they are right, then a microscope needs to be placed on Flores and everything he says at this point. Even the players don’t know what’s going on at this point, since Flores doesn’t give updates.

“No, he really doesn’t. He keeps it plain and simple.” wide receiver Jakeem Grant said Sunday. “Everybody knows there’s a quarterback battle going on. We just get in and compete with both of them. It’s either we’re in with Josh (Rosen) or if we’re in with ‘Fitz” (Ryan Fitzpatrick). Either way it goes, we love those guys. They are both great, talented quarterbacks and I think that both of them can lead us to the promise land.”

Based on the preseason, it’s clear who’s more capable at this point. Josh Rosen should start. True, Las Vegas won’t appreciate it, but the Dolphins need to see what they have in Rosen, and the young UCLA standout has earned his chance.

Josh Rosen risks

Dolphins head coach Brian Flores wants Josh Rosen to curb risk taking

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One major difference between Miami’s current quarterbacks and the one that departed in the offseason is their willingness to take chances. Both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen are aggressive in their decision-making, a trait put on full display during the Dolphins win against the Falcons. They attempted plays that can only be described as incredible. Some of them worked, while some of them did not.

That willingness to be aggressive is part of what makes Rosen such an intriguing prospect. However, it can also lead to mistakes that Miami can’t afford to make. One such mistake was when Rosen attempted a pass in the middle of the field to WR Isaiah Ford, only to be intercepted by linebacker Jermaine Grace. The three-year veteran stepped right in front of the route and Rosen could do nothing but watch as his team chased the defender down.

Rosen is taking chances, but head coach Brian Flores wants him to tone it down a bit.

“Yeah. A couple times there I thought, maybe, those are a little dicey.” Flores said after the game. “And at some point as a quarterback you’ve got to take the sack. That’s the best play. But the guy’s got a little bit of a gunslinger mentality and wants to let it rip and obviously got the nice one out to Preston, but I think we want to play smarter than that I would say in that situation, not just let the ball go like he did.”

Once again, Flores functions on the premise of basics and fundamentals. Even if risky plays end in favorable results, that doesn’t mean Flores condones the decision. He wants smart, calculated football. That means taking advantage of what the defense gives, not forcing something when things get dangerous.

“I felt some guys at my ankles.” Rosen said. “I knew Preston kind of had a stop coming back to me, I saw he was a bit inside of him. So I knew if I just put it up he would kind of have the break on it. It might have been a little bit too dicey; but I don’t know. A couple fall in your favor, a couple don’t. I probably should be a little smarter with that, even though this one worked out.”

Not having consistent protection can easily lead to more of these mistakes. Josh Rosen had to spend the majority of his playing time dodging defenders before he could make a throw. In reality, it’s a testament to Rosen’s improvement that he was able to accomplish what he did against Atlanta. Rosen completed 13 out of 20 attempts for 191 yards, and of course his interception. That averages out to a 75.2 passer rating, which does not reflect his overall performance. Rosen grew more comfortable as the game continued, and soon those risky plays started looking routine.

“I feel substantially better now than I did two weeks ago.”Rosen said. “But like I said, I’ve got a long ways to go. The way ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) in our meeting room can break down a defense and how quickly he can make comments on where everyone is, where the ball should go, is pretty impressive and I think if I can kind of hedge that gunslinger attitude a little bit and put a little bit more thought into it, I think I could develop pretty nicely.”

It’s encouraging that Rosen recognizes the flaws in himself. He even goes as far as to admit he’s struggled with taking unnecessary risks throughout his entire football career. He’s learning when the best move is to give up on a play and try again on the next down, and when it’s okay to throw up a prayer. It’s something he’s been dealing with all through the offseason and training camp already.

Josh Rosen isn’t making excuses for himself, though he easily could have on Thursday. With the offensive line unable to protect for him, he didn’t have much time to think about what he was doing. But that’s moot. He made a mistake, and he knows it. He isn’t about to whine about something he feels has no bearing on his ability to make wise choices.

“I threw the pick in a completely clean pocket. So football is football.” He said. “You’re never going to have a completely clean pocket all of the time. When you get it, you’ve got to take advantage of it and when you don’t, you can’t make stupid mistakes by trying to play hero ball. I did kind of a little bit of everything, so I’ve got a lot of film to watch. Just because like good plays gained yards doesn’t mean that the way we got that was like a sustainable way to do that in the future. So I think that like I said at the beginning, there’s good, bad and everything in between.”

If Rosen can eliminate some of the bad, then he can easily take the starting job away from Ryan Fitzpatrick. If he eliminates the everything in between and keeps only the good, then Miami will finally have their franchise quarterback in Josh Rosen. The sooner he learns those lessons, the better off everyone will be.

“I think that’s what this time is for, that’s what training camp is for.” Flores said. “It’s to develop these guys, help develop them, help work on their techniques, fundamentals, consistency. That’s what training camp is for. That’s why I got into coaching, that’s what I love about coaching. We want to win, there’s no doubt about that. But we’re going to try to develop these players as best we can and try to win at the same time. And I think development of players is something that’s ongoing.”

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Dolphins wide receiver Preston Williams drawing high praise

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It’s been a long road for Dolphins wide receiver Preston Williams. He’s made mistakes off the field that he’s trying to get past, and he’s trying to make up for those mistakes by pushing himself as an undrafted free agent. Now, as Miami’s first preseason game draws ever closer, Williams is starting to impress the fans, his coaches, and even his teammates.

“That guy can be special.” said Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard. “He’s still learning, he’s just a rookie. (There) is so much room for improvement with him but he’s going to be a number one receiver one day.”

Considering Howard’s ever-increasing reputation, that’s extremely high praise. Howard’s job is locking down other teams’ best wide receivers, and in training camp, Howard gives that same treatment to Williams. Howard wins a lot of those matches. But there are moments where Williams makes an impressive play to beat the elite cornerback. That’s a difficult task no matter who it is, as everyone knows.

Back in late May, Ryan Fitzpatrick was asked about the tall, strong receiver, and apparently the praise wasn’t quite as pronounced.

“He’ll make some ‘wow’ plays and he’ll make some plays that remind you that he’s a young guy.” He said. “Consistency is going to be a big thing with him. In terms of some of the physical features and the way that he can go get the ball and those type of things, he’s been very impressive. Again, he’s working his tail off and it shows and you can tell out here, but there’s also a lot of work that still needs to be put in for him to be able to be trusted and be out there.”

But since then, trust has been attained, especially from young QB Josh Rosen. The two are building an impressive rapport, one that just might help Rosen win the starting job.

“Yeah, he’s got a ton of potential.” Rosen said after Saturday’s scrimmage. “He’s an unbelievable athlete. He’s got a great attitude. He works really hard, and I think he’s got a really high ceiling. It’s just about how hard he works, and I’m right there in the boat with him. We’re the same age, so hopefully we can develop together and keep pushing each other.”

To further boost their chances, Rosen and Williams actually have a history together. The two were on the same team at The Opening camp in Oregon in 2014 as recruits in high school. During that time, they made quite a tandem.

“I don’t know how much chemistry after – how long is that, five, six years ago?” Rosen said. “But yeah, it’s good to see him. That’s kind of the crazy thing about the NFL is that you walk in and you see faces that you haven’t seen in years from all over.”

Now, with an old friend throwing him the ball as he fights his way back to his NFL dream, does Preston Williams still have a chip on his shoulder from going undrafted? The answer, apparently, is no.

“That’s over, so I don’t really think about it any more.” Williams said. “I’m here now. I’ve got my foot in the door. I just came in to work. It doesn’t matter where I’m at or where I went.”

True enough, since where he is, is at the forefront of a brewing competition. As a result, he’s in the thick of it with DeVante Parker and Brice Butler for a spot on the final roster. If things stay this close between them, then preseason will have to make the final decision. In the end, Preston Williams isn’t taking anything for granted.

“It’s real humbling because a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to sit in these chairs.” He said. “So I just come out here every day like it’s my last practice.”

And the Dolphins QB battle continues…

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Miami Dolphins rookie head coach Brian Flores has continued to echo the importance of competition since the team met for mini camp in June.

 

Fast forward about a month and after the first week of training camp, as the Dolphins prepare for the 2019 season, there are a few major position battles brewing in Davie.

 

Each day it seems that a new report is released surrounding a handful of different positions including running back, offensive line and linebacker. However, no competition is under the spotlight as often as the quarterback battle between Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

 

Fitzpatrick hit the ground running at the first day of training camp and impressed with his accuracy.

 

 

 

The 36-year-old Highland High School alum has also displayed his leadership ability.

 

 

With Fitzpatrick showcasing why has found success as a 14-year NFL veteran, it should come to no surprise that Flores mentioned on Tuesday morning that Fitzpatrick is the current front runner for the quarterback job in front of Rosen, the second-year pro out of UCLA.

 

“It’s pretty clear to me that Ryan Fitzpatrick is leading the way,” Flores said. “He’s done that in a lot of areas, from leadership to production on the field to the meeting rooms to the walk-throughs. This is an ongoing competition, but right now he’s leading the way.”

 

It is important to keep in mind that we are just a week into training camp and while Fitzpatrick has looked the part at times, he doesn’t have the most consistent track record and that part of his game has started to show on the practice field.

 

Miami Dolphins rookie head coach Brian Flores has continued to echo the importance of competition since the team met for mini camp in June.

 

Fast forward about a month and after the first week of training camp, as the Dolphins prepare for the 2019 season, there are a few major position battles brewing in Davie.

 

Each day it seems that a new report is released surrounding a handful of different positions including running back, offensive line and linebacker. However, no competition is under the spotlight as often as the quarterback battle between Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

 

Fitzpatrick hit the ground running at the first day of training camp and impressed with his accuracy.

 

 

 

The 36-year-old Highland High School alum has also displayed his leadership ability.

 

 

With Fitzpatrick showcasing why has found success as a 14-year NFL veteran, it should come to no surprise that Flores mentioned on Tuesday morning that Fitzpatrick is the current front runner for the quarterback job in front of Rosen, the second-year pro out of UCLA.

 

“It’s pretty clear to me that Ryan Fitzpatrick is leading the way,” Flores said. “He’s done that in a lot of areas, from leadership to production on the field to the meeting rooms to the walk-throughs. This is an ongoing competition, but right now he’s leading the way.”

 

It is important to keep in mind that we are just a week into training camp and while Fitzpatrick has looked the part at times, he doesn’t have the most consistent track record and that part of his game has started to show on the practice field.

 

The Dolphins have more than a month before they hit the turf at Hard Rock Stadium, which is why the quarterback battle is far from over.

 

 

Both quarterbacks continue to push each other and it is important to not get hung up on who is “leading” the quarterback competition. It is far too early to think that Rosen is a bust, but also too early to say that Fitzpatrick will lead the Dolphins to a 4-12 record.

 

Rosen and Fitzpatrick will continue to push each other, which is what exactly what Flores wants each player on the 53-man roster to do.

 

“I guess the thought process behind that is, maybe we want to keep that guy hungry,” Flores said of depth chart shakeups on Sunday. “Maybe we want to make sure that guy knows that you could have a great day, and we’re always competing. There’s a lot of levels here, a lot of things that go into it.”

 

As of right now, it is tough to determine who will be under center come week one, but both Rosen and Fitzpatrick will continue to grow as Miami’s quarterback battle continues to unfold.

 

Jake Mendel also writes for our sister site, Dolphin Maven. 

 

 

The Dolphins have more than a month before they hit the turf at Hard Rock Stadium, which is why the quarterback battle is far from over.

 

 

Both quarterbacks continue to push each other and it is important to not get hung up on who is “leading” the quarterback competition. It is far too early to think that Rosen is a bust, but also too early to say that Fitzpatrick will lead the Dolphins to a 4-12 record.

 

Rosen and Fitzpatrick will continue to push each other, which is what exactly what Flores wants each player on the 53-man roster to do.

 

“I guess the thought process behind that is, maybe we want to keep that guy hungry,” Flores said of depth chart shakeups on Sunday. “Maybe we want to make sure that guy knows that you could have a great day, and we’re always competing. There’s a lot of levels here, a lot of things that go into it.”

 

As of right now, it is tough to determine who will be under center come week one, but both Rosen and Fitzpatrick will continue to grow as Miami’s quarterback battle continues to unfold.

 

Jake Mendel also writes for our sister site, Dolphin Maven. 

 

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Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick focusing on himself amid camp competition

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Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is in a very unique situation at this stage in his career. On the one hand, he’s in Miami to be the starter for the 2019 season. He signed his contract expecting that to be the case.

On the other hand, Fitzpatrick is expected to take young players under his wing. That’s what 15-year veterans should do. The Dolphins traded for QB Josh Rosen during the draft. Rosen is only a second-year player and has a lot of learning to do still. Fitzpatrick’s knowledge and experience would be invaluable to a young QB still figuring out the nuances of the NFL.

But Rosen is also Fitzpatrick’s main competition in training camp. Whatever knowledge he passes onto Rosen will technically be used against him as they both compete for the starting job. So how is Fitzpatrick handling this situation?

He’s focusing on improving his own game.

“I’m just trying to be the best version of me that I can be. That really is it.” Fitzpatrick said Thursday. “There are so many things that I’ve just continued to get better at in my game. Knowing who I am as a player and working on my deficiencies, communication is something I try to pride myself on. Just the communication with the guys and making sure we’re on the same page.”

So Fitzpatrick is still gunning for the starting job. So far, he’s doing an excellent job, as Fitzpatrick has outperformed Rosen in nearly every practice they’ve had together prior to training camp. He continued that trend on day one of camp.

But does this mean Fitzpatrick is leaving Rosen to fend for himself? Is he forgoing his veteran duties and forcing the young player to stumble along with no guidance?

The answer, simply, is no. However, he’s taking a more demonstrative approach than anything.

“We spend so much time together – me, Josh and Jake (Rudock) and (Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) Jerry (Schuplinski) in that room as well.” He said. “There’s a lot of stuff that we’ll discuss in that room and some of it is me and my experience and maybe, as a quarterback, you develop scars, bad plays, things that you want to try to avoid.

“A lot of what I do is just offer information and if people want to take the information and go with it, they can. There’s been a lot of situations that I’ve been in – good ones and bad ones – that I try to share with them and pass on. Again, one of my things with that is to work as hard as I can and focus on me, and then hopefully that rubs off on everybody.”

It’s a very delicate balancing act Ryan Fitzpatrick is doing. He wants to help Rosen. He also wants to be the starter. At 36 years old, realistically he doesn’t have much football left. It makes sense that wants to spend his last years actually playing the game he loves. He doesn’t want to sit on the sidelines.

“I hate just giving the same answer but I enjoy being out here and playing football, and try to take advantage of every rep I get.” He said. “I know in this league it’s hard to come by opportunities and you just do the best you can and take advantage of each one that you get.”

So far, he’s on track to get exactly what he wants.