Why Fitz and Tua have already ‘meshed’ and how it’ll help the Miami Dolphins be better
The coolest quarterback on Earth, the man who came to the Miami Dolphins last year and unexpectedly won the hearts and confidence of his coaches and teammates by sheer force of personality, thinks he may have found his equal.
Said another way: Ryan Fitzpatrick really, really likes Tua Tagovailoa.
They met recently in person, as Tuesday was the first day Fitzpatrick was allowed in the Dolphins training facility due to the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. But already the two have hit it off.
At least Fitzpatrick thinks so.
“Meeting him in person finally the other day, I’m really excited,” Fitzpatrick said Saturday. “I think we hit it off. Even though I’m an old geezer to him, we’ve meshed personality-wise and I’m excited to work with him.”
This, by the way, is great news for the Dolphins on multiple fronts.
Firstly, it’s good that the two primary combatants for the starting quarterback job like each other. That’s important because no team typically succeeds for very long when the incumbent quarterback and the future hope at quarterback are at odds. Such a situation is just, well, unseemly.
But beyond that, it’s really great Fitzpatrick sees Tagovailoa the way he does because this 37-year-old is experienced in more than knowledge of offensive schemes and defensive coverages. He’s experienced in people.
He can read them as if they were a cover-zero (football jargon) defense.
Fitzpatrick has been in dozens of NFL locker room environments during his 16 years in the league. And he’s learned to win over his teammates.
Fitzpatrick eats with them. He probes them. He builds trust and confidence with them. He figures them all out.
That’s why they typically follow him.
Well, this amateur expert in people skills and personalities already has an early vibe on Tagovailoa. And his report on the subject raises optimism about the Dolphins’ future.
“I don’t know, he’s a really interesting guy,” Fitzpatrick said. “He’s got a lot of energy to him. You can just tell guys are going to gravitate to him. There’s something about him that’s very likable and I can already tell he’s going to be one of those guys that gets along with everybody that guys are going to follow.
“He just has that air about him. And part of it is probably the way he played in college and just the name and reputation he’s built for himself. But there’s not a whole lot of ego involved and he’s very likable so, I don’t know, just the general conversations whether about football or life -- it’s been really fun so far.”
This is portion of this column where I remind you this sweet, budding relationship between Fitz and Tua is also a competition. Both want to play. Both are going to compete.
Only one can start.
But this competition allows room for kinship. That will be evident when Tagovailoa, eager to learn, will run into a competitor who, amazingly, is eager to teach.
“I mean, I’m going to go out there and compete every single day as I know the younger guys are,” Fitzpatrick said. “But in the meeting rooms, I’m not going to keep anything to myself, either.
“I’m going to make someone tell me to shut up because I’m going to talk as much as I can and share as much as I can with the intimate knowledge I have with this offense, being in it for five years, and the experience since I’ve been in the league.”
This is optimal. And so is this:
Tua isn’t a jerk. In fact, he might be vying to be as cool as Fitz.
“How it works, how he presents himself in the building and how he shows Fitz that he’s willing to learn and not be like, ‘Hey, this is my spot,’ or something like that -- It’s very nice to see a young star like that come in and be ready to work,” offensive lineman Jesse Davis said.
Based on his history, his makeup and what he’s indicated in interviews, Tagovailoa will not sulk if he’s not Miami’s starter in the season opener Sept. 13 at New England. He knows his time is eventually coming.
And so does Fitz.
“I don’t know how much time it will be before Tua is in the lineup,” he said. “I know I am the placeholder and we’ve already had that conversation. I told him, I’m going to do the best I can to lead this team and win football games when I’m out there.
“And whenever it is that Tua gets his chance, whether it’s early or late or whenever it is, I’m going to be his biggest cheerleader. I think I have a unique perspective just from the career I’ve had and I was excited they drafted him.”
So cool.
This story was originally published August 1, 2020 at 12:41 PM.
