Fresh Perspective: Ryan Fitzpatrick embodies true leadership for the Dolphins

What makes a leader? Is it the ability to rally the troops? To rise above adversity and come out on top? Getting the best out of those around you? There are many different ways to define leadership. However, the one thing that almost everyone can agree on is the burden of leadership is a heavy one. Not everyone is cut out to be a leader. Some are crushed under the pressure, some prefer not to take up that role at all. Those that find ways to thrive under the pressure, they’re a precious commodity. That’s what Ryan Fitzpatrick has been for the Miami Dolphins since he signed back in 2019.

Every player on the team has said how much they love the 37-year old veteran. His energy on the field is infectious, his love for the game spreads to everyone on the roster. He is a beloved figure, both in the locker room and to the fans who watch him.

But what happens when everything comes to a screeching halt? All of a sudden, Fitzpatrick is no longer the focus of the Dolphins offense. Now this team belongs to Tua Tagovailoa, which everyone found out – not by an official statement from the team, but late Tuesday morning from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, stating that the information came from an unnamed league source.

This just in: pic.twitter.com/byikxkJW68

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 20, 2020

It’s quite possible we will never know who that source is. Many have speculated that it was Tua Tagovailoa’s agent. Some have said that it was an overexcited executive within the team who ran to tell Schefter the news as soon as they heard it was going to happen. Regardless of who it was, it immediately put Miami into a very uncomfortable situation. This news wasn’t meant to break when it did.

“One thing on this situation that’s unfortunate is that I didn’t get a chance to address the team before this was out.” Head coach Brian Flores said on Wednesday. “The media – it’s not the way I or we want to do business. Unfortunately that’s kind of the way of the world right now. That’s unfortunate. I’m not happy about that at all. I’ll address that to the team and really apologize to them that they had to find out through social media. I don’t think that’s fair to them.”

In this hypersensitive world of social media, news gets out before anyone has a chance to stop it. There are reports from the Sun Sentinel’s Omar Kelly, with the condition of anonymity, that certain players question the decision to go to Tagovailoa at this point in the season. Others are excited about the idea of Tagovailoa starting, but were no less shocked about how they found out. Linebacker Jerome Baker appeared on the Fubo Sports Network and said that he found out about Tagovailoa being named the starter on Instagram. Later, Baker expanded on his thoughts during a Zoom conference with South Florida media.

“I think just the one thing, we were just off, and that’s when we all heard it.” Baker said. “We were just off. One thing about ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) is he always makes sure we know news first. I think the team is excited. We’re all excited; we are ready to go. We believe in Tua. He definitely can get the job done. We’re all excited about what he can do, so I guess we’ll see when the time comes.”

As it turns out, however, there was at least one person who knew about the news ahead of time.

Ryan Fitzpatrick.

“I found out – ‘Flo’ called me to his office and we talked.” Fitzpatrick said during a very somber interview on Wednesday. “He’s – with everything last year and this year – everything, he’s real up front and honest and likes to have those face-to-face conversations, so I definitely appreciate that.”

This is where Fitzpatrick’s leadership truly becomes a factor. Everyone who knows Fitzpatrick knows that he loves to play the game. That’s part of why his teammates love him so much. He makes the game fun every week. Everyone is also aware of when he cheered Tagovailoa on when he went into the game against the New York Jets. He was praised as being a terrific teammate, rooting for his future replacement.

But after the interview on Wednesday, it’s obvious that Fitzpatrick believed he would have more time to play than he got.

“I was shocked by it. It definitely caught me off guard and it was a hard thing for me to hear yesterday.” Fitzpatrick said. “Just kind of digesting the news, my heart just hurt all day. It was heartbreaking for me. ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) kind of said what he said and said what he said to you guys as well, and that’s the decision and the direction that the organization is going in, and obviously we’ve talked in the past – me and you guys – about how I’m the placeholder and this eventually was going to happen no matter – it was just a matter of kind of when, not if. It still just broke my heart yesterday and it’s a tough thing for me to hear and to now have to deal with, but I’m going to do my best with it.”

So with that said, it’s clear that Fitzpatrick does not appreciate the idea of being benched. Coming off a 24-0 shutout against a division rival, he expected to suit up and start against the Rams. He did not expect to sit on the sidelines and watch Tagovailoa go in his place. Now whenever he sees Tagovailoa in the film room, it’s not the student who watches and learns while he plays. It’s the person who is keeping him off the field.

“This profession is interesting in that I basically got fired yesterday and then my day of work today consisted of me in Zoom meetings listening to the guy that fired me, and then locked in a spaced out room with my replacement for four hours today.” Fitzpatrick said. “There aren’t a whole lot of jobs that are like that, but I know how difficult it is to play the quarterback position and I know that that room is so important to the guy that’s playing in terms of everybody having your back and pulling in the same direction.”

But this is where the true mettle of Ryan Fitzpatrick is put on display. This is where he proves he embodies leadership in all of its forms. It’s a lot easier to be a leader when things are going your way. When you’re forced to face a harsh reality, being a leader becomes much more challenging. Fitzpatrick being hurt by the decision does not disqualify him from leadership. If anything, he’s proving to be more of a leader than ever.

“Today is a day to digest a little bit and we’ll get away for the bye a little bit,” He said. “But once this thing starts up again, I’ve got to do my best for Tua to help him out, because there’s two separate situations here. One is with Tua, and I want him to do well and I think he’s a great kid, and I think he has a really bright future. The other one is my feelings and just kind of what I’m going through, and that has to be separate from when I walk into this building and help him out. I’ve got to separate those feelings from trying to be a professional and help him out as best I can.”

That right there says it all. There is the biggest reason this team respects Ryan Fitzpatrick and looks up to him. It’s not his seniority. It’s not because he always has a big grin on his face. The reason he’s earned the team’s respect is that no matter what, he wants what’s best for his teammates. Even if it means his own feelings are disregarded. Very few people accept this type of demotion with this much class. Even fewer are willing to continue to mentor their replacement afterwards. That is what makes Ryan Fitzpatrick such a unique individual.

And make no mistake, Miami’s young rookie QB is very aware that he’s lucky to have someone like Ryan Fitzpatrick in his corner even after what happened through this whole sordid ordeal.

“I was very excited.” Tua Tagovailoa said on Wednesday. “That’s news that I think anyone would love to hear, being named the starter at any position. But at the same time, I also felt for ‘Fitz’ as well. Me and ‘Fitz’ had a conversation about all of this. Like I’ve continued to say, although it kind of hurts me in a way to see ‘Fitz’ hurt, I’m just very, very lucky to have someone like ‘Fitz’ in my corner, regardless of the situation we’re in right now. He’s just – I hate to say it like this but it is like this, it’s like a father and son.”

Fitzpatrick hypes up the crowd while Tua makes his NFL debut 🙏

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/7K6K2aUIcT

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 18, 2020

The mutual respect between Tagovailoa and Fitzpatrick cannot be understated. Is Fitzpatrick upset? Of course he is, and he has every right to be. But instead of making things difficult, he’s making it clear he still wants to do what he can to help Tagovailoa find success in the NFL. Even if it means he can’t play anymore. As for Tagovailoa, he’s the man now, but even the guys most excited for him aren’t going to make it easy for him.

“I think in the locker room, he’s still our rookie.” Jerome Baker said. “He can get all the hype he wants, but he still has to do his rookie duties. He still has to – honestly he still has to prove that he’s ready. We understand that the media is going to give you all of the credit and all of that; but at the end of the day, you still have to strap on those pads and gain our trust and gain the trust of everybody that you can do it. The one thing we all can agree on is that we’re behind him 100 percent, and we definitely believe in him.”

That includes Ryan Fitzpatrick.

So what makes a leader? Dolphins fans have questioned this for years. Is it the ability to lead by example, like Cameron Wake used to when he was in Miami? Is it to be the best player on the field, like Dan Marino during his tenure? Or is it about being loud and pumping up the crowd like Jarvis Landry? Any one of those definitions would be acceptable, but they don’t tell the whole story of leadership.

Perhaps, leadership can’t be defined through words. But it is something that can be recognized when it’s there. It remains to be seen whether Tua Tagovailoa can bring the leadership he had in Alabama to the Miami Dolphins. But for now, he can continue to learn from the man who stole the hearts of Dolphins fans everywhere. The man who is willing to try and put aside his own broken heart to help the person who indirectly broke it.

Appreciate Ryan Fitzpatrick, ladies and gentlemen. He is the embodiment of what true leadership is all about.

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