Dolphins head coach Brian Flores announced that Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starting quarterback for the season. Even though the Dolphins traded their 2nd-round draft choice to the Cardinals for Josh Rosen, who was dealt a bad hand in his rookie year.
A team doesn't trade that high for a quarterback it doesn't intend to play. Did Fitzpatrick, now on his eight team in his fifteenth season, beat him out in training camp? Maybe, but that doesn't show in the preseason game stats. And, he wasn't clearly better, or he would have been named starter by or after the third preseason game.
So why relegate Rosen to the bench? Apparently, because he wasn't clearly better than Fitz, Fitz is more experienced, and Flores, although a first-year coach, is in "win now" mode.
An outsider's perspective would be that during his honeymoon period as a new head coach, Flores could throw Rosen out there and see what he has. If he's terrible, the Dolphins could get a quarterback of the future in next year's draft. And if he's good, you know you already have that quarterback.
But head coaches don't become who they are if they're not competitive, and Flores apparently has more confidence in Fitz to win games now. The problem is, that confidence is misplaced.
In nine seasons in his career, Fitzpatrick has been the starter. He had a winning record once and was .500 once. His passer rating exceeded the league average just once. His interception rate exceeded the league average eight times.
One could say that it isn't all his fault, that bad stats can happen when quarterbacks are stuck playing on bad teams. But it's also evident that Fitzpatrick isn't good enough to elevate his teammates. And most in the NFL community believe the Dolphins have one of the worst rosters in the league.
Perhaps Fitzpatrick just has better command of the huddle and can inspire his teammates; perhaps he has the "intangibles" that make him a good leader at quarterback.
But it seems to me they should see what "tangibles" Rosen has. Otherwise, why trade for him?
James Leroy Wilson writes from Nebraska. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter. If you find value in his articles, your support through Paypal helps keep him going. Permission to reprint is granted with attribution.
A team doesn't trade that high for a quarterback it doesn't intend to play. Did Fitzpatrick, now on his eight team in his fifteenth season, beat him out in training camp? Maybe, but that doesn't show in the preseason game stats. And, he wasn't clearly better, or he would have been named starter by or after the third preseason game.
So why relegate Rosen to the bench? Apparently, because he wasn't clearly better than Fitz, Fitz is more experienced, and Flores, although a first-year coach, is in "win now" mode.
An outsider's perspective would be that during his honeymoon period as a new head coach, Flores could throw Rosen out there and see what he has. If he's terrible, the Dolphins could get a quarterback of the future in next year's draft. And if he's good, you know you already have that quarterback.
But head coaches don't become who they are if they're not competitive, and Flores apparently has more confidence in Fitz to win games now. The problem is, that confidence is misplaced.
In nine seasons in his career, Fitzpatrick has been the starter. He had a winning record once and was .500 once. His passer rating exceeded the league average just once. His interception rate exceeded the league average eight times.
One could say that it isn't all his fault, that bad stats can happen when quarterbacks are stuck playing on bad teams. But it's also evident that Fitzpatrick isn't good enough to elevate his teammates. And most in the NFL community believe the Dolphins have one of the worst rosters in the league.
Perhaps Fitzpatrick just has better command of the huddle and can inspire his teammates; perhaps he has the "intangibles" that make him a good leader at quarterback.
But it seems to me they should see what "tangibles" Rosen has. Otherwise, why trade for him?
James Leroy Wilson writes from Nebraska. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter. If you find value in his articles, your support through Paypal helps keep him going. Permission to reprint is granted with attribution.
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