The Miami Dolphins have proven time and time again that, under the team’s current regime and leadership, they genuinely do not care about the outside perception of their football team. And, apparently, neither do the players on the roster. Head coach Brian Flores was fearless on Saturday night to make the same bold decision that prompted so much speculation last month when he pulled his rookie quarterback from the football game and handed the offense over the QB Ryan Fitzpatrick in the final moments of a winnable football game to try to get the job done.
The first time Miami pulled this play, Fitzpatrick came up short as the Dolphins saw Broncos safety Justin Simmons jump a skinny post to DeVante Parker in the end zone to seal the game. But this time around? Fitzpatrick was every bit of the moniker ‘Fitzmagic’ connecting on 9 of 13 attempts for 182 yards and a score in Miami’s miraculous 26-25 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. The win pushed the Dolphins’ record to 10-5 and kept the team’s playoff hopes in their own hands for another week.
And when next week rolls around, don’t expect a quarterback controversy. Flores iced any chance of that in the postgame interview. He was asked several times in different ways: did the events of Saturday night give him any reconsideration about the quarterback position?
“No.”
Who is your starting quarterback for Week 17?
“Tua’s the starter.”
No further comments necessary. If this feels like an unprecedented situation, it is. But the Dolphins should be applauded for simultaneously protecting their young franchise quarterback from piling up mistakes and taking sacks while also getting him valuable playing time while also winning football games and getting to this point. Miami is 8-2 since making their initial swap from Fitzpatrick to Tagovailoa; and two of the wins have Fitzpatrick’s fingerprints all over them.
Ultimately, there’s no ego in this quarterback room. And the messaging to the Dolphins and both quarterbacks is clear. If we think you’re going to give us the best chance to win, you’re going to play. How Brian Flores justifies staying with one over the other as the starter is between him and the locker room. All we know is that for the short-term results, there’s zero room for argument.