Pressure Point: Dolphins win … and lose in tanking masterpiece

MIAMI GARDENS — Based on Sunday’s home finale, it might appear the Miami Dolphins have found the sort of quarterback they’ve been seeking.

That was Ryan Fitzpatrick putting up Marino-esque numbers in Sunday’s 38-35 overtime win over the defenseless Cincinnati Bengals: 419 yards passing (31-of-52) and four touchdowns.

Fitzpatrick has the arm and charisma to build a winning team around. Too bad he’s 37.

Ironically, by replacing Josh Rosen with Fitzpatrick in the second half against the Redskins on Oct. 13 and keeping the veteran as the starter since, coach Brian Flores sabotaged the Dolphins’ chance of having the pick of the quarterback litter in next April’s draft.

The question of who wanted it more Sunday seemed obvious from the start. The one-win Bengals left no doubt they were locked in on the No. 1 draft pick by giving up touchdowns on Miami’s first two drives.

But then the Dolphins squandered a 23-point lead in the final 6 ½ minutes of regulation to turn this into a tanking masterpiece.

1972 Dolphins undefeated, feistier than ever

Win hurts draft position

Oddly, this was Bottom of the Barrel Week, with the four worst teams in the NFL matched up in separate games. Both went into overtime by identical 35-35 scores. The Giants prevailed over the Redskins just as the Dolphins and Bengals were beginning their extra session.

As far as draft positioning, the win was costly to the Dolphins. Improving to 4-11 dropped them to the fifth spot at least temporarily, pending the outcome of the Detroit-Denver game, with next week’s trip to New England remaining for Miami.

Actually, I’m fine with that, being of the opinion it is never a good idea to accept losing. It can be a tough habit to break.

Still, it is difficult to know what to take from this most perplexing Dolphins season.

The promising development is that the Dolphins may have finally found the right coach. Evidence is building in that direction, and being recognized outside of Miami.

Flores gaining support

On Sunday, the CBS analysts gave an endorsement of Flores, with Bill Cowher saying, “He has got these guys playing really, really hard. That speaks volumes about him as a coach.”

Regardless of upper management’s motives in stripping down the roster in rebuilding mode, Flores always insisted that his sole focus was on winning. His players love him for it.

“From Day 1, no matter what changes, no matter what happens to our team, he always said we’re going to go out there and try to win every game. … He’s a class act. All of us believe it. He’ll look you straight in the eye and tell us we’re going to get the job done. We’re going to give every chance we can to win. He really showed us.”

Flores certainly has gotten a lot out of a thread-bare roster that has been like a turnstile throughout the season. Some 80 players have been active at one time or another.

What remains to be seen is what he can do with a more talented team — when letting a 23-point lead evaporate is viewed as inexcusable.

Too soon to draw conclusions on coach

Can Flores achieve a winning blend and elevate the collective to championship contention?

Remember, there were indications Adam Gase was the answer after going 10-6 and taking the Dolphins to the playoffs in his first season.

There is a lot to admire about Flores, particularly his conviction about shaping a team and leading it in his own way. His best achievement this season was keeping the team from becoming dispirited among all the losing. He vowed they’d remain competitive, and they have been.

These Dolphins have gone from unwatchable at the beginning of the season to fairly entertaining. That is a credit to Flores and his staff.

But there are things to question in his methods and handling of players. Last week Flores spoke about adjusting schemes to get the most out of talented players.

“If we’ve got a good player, we’ll make it work for said player,” Flores said. “Yeah, if Lawrence Taylor was available and we had to fit the scheme for him, we would do it. So yeah, no problem.”

Nonetheless, he didn’t do that for talented young safety Minkah Fitzpatrick or running back Kenyan Drake, both of whom are having eye-openings seasons since being traded away.

So, it is premature to conclude that Flores is the answer for the Dolphins.

Extra picks provide options

Of greater concern is whether GM Chris Grier is able to make the draft picks and signings needed to get the rebuild headed in the right direction. He does have 17 draft picks over the next two years (three first-rounders in 2020) and will have more than $100 million in cap space going into the next signing period.

But look at the past couple of drafts and realize there will be plenty of misses and that it will be a huge task to restock this roster. And no guarantee the drastic measure of the teardown will break the Dolphins out of decades of mediocrity.

Tight end Mike Gesicki, their second-round pick in 2018, did have his first multi-touchdown day Sunday, and their top pick this year, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, had a sack and caught a 1-yard touchdown pass after lining up as a blocking back. So that’s encouraging.

Note that even with the tanking strategy going a bit off the rails, they still may have a chance to draft the quarterback they were believed to covet: Tua Tagovailoa. That is, if the Alabama quarterback is deemed on track in recover from his hip injury and decides to enter the draft.

FitzMagic fine for short term

Whether taking a chance on Tua or some other quarterback prospect, they will have some time to get him ready to start.

Look for the Dolphins to go into next season with ol’ FitzMagic, who has been nothing short of a marvel as a starter for his eighth NFL team this season.

“It’s exciting every week because he plays with such joy,” center Daniel Kilgore said of Ryan Fitzpatrick. “You can just see, he loves the game. For him to be as old as he is, still going out and running around and making throws and doing things that normal people can’t do, it’s pretty exciting.

“I love to play for him. He loves his teammates, he loves the staff. He’s an awesome leader. He’s probably the top five for me as far as teammates of all time.”

Fitzpatrick certainly isn’t the elusive quarterback of the future they’ve been seeking. But the Dolphins are quite fortunate to have him right now, even if he has them winning too much for their own (draft) good.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns