Fitzpatrick, Tua And The Miami Dolphins' 3 Foundation Blocks For Playoff Praise

The final days of December always create the perfect opportunity for reflection. This year stretched us beyond belief—pushing many of us outside our comfort zones to accept roles and responsibilities far different from how we began the first few months. The NFL gave us a prime example of the adjustments needed to promote and encourage team growth. As we close the books on the 2020 regular season, I was reminded this past weekend that it features a 16-year journeyman backup quarterback named Ryan Fitzpatrick still rocking the burly beard and electrifying a franchise that has suffered through a 20-year postseason victory outage.

The Miami Dolphins mastered musical chairs at quarterback all season long, harmoniously sharing a lesson that should factor into our future playlists. Their leadership tune is a direct result of three key instruments moving in concert: A great teammate, great leader, and great mentee.

A Great Teammate:

The Dolphins are a 10-win team for just the third time since 2008. Four of those wins came with Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starting QB. His “Fitzmagic” persona was showcased this past weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders in a ridiculous comeback victory—a game in which he was not the starter. Rookie sensation and first-round draft pick Tua Tugavailoa began the game and completed 17 of 22 passes for 94 yards and one touchdown in a lackluster performance. Fitzpatrick entered in the fourth quarter, completed nine passes for 182 yards and a touchdown, including an insane 34-yard throw to a receiver while being yanked down to the grown by his facemask. The throw ultimately led to the game-winning field goal and the ‘Phins being in a favorable scenario for advancing to the playoffs for only the third time in twelve years.

Trust me. Their story would read much differently had Fitzpatrick not embodied what it means to be a great teammate. Some of you may recall my Forbes piece on his team-centric mentality back in October when Fitzpatrick was demoted despite stringing together six touchdown passes in back-to-back blowout victories over the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets.

How often have we seen a similar personnel change turn into a poisoned locker room, bickering, and unhealthy competition? Look no further than the Washington Football Team’s QB saga this year, where a QB carousel resulted in two separate benchings of former top draft pick Dwayne Haskins, a disconnect between player and team obligations, and more recently, a parting of ways.

Instead, Fitzpatrick stepped into Tua’s corner and encouraged him with tips for fighting his way through the NFL experience. When Fitzpatrick embraced the role of shortening the rookie’s learning curve, Tua led the Dolphins on a stretch of six wins in eight weeks. Fitzpatrick remained actively engaged and was often the first to greet Tua on the sidelines, and the last voice heard as Tua returned to the field.

A Great Leader:

Decisiveness and communication have been the secret sauce to second-year head coach Brian Flores’ leadership success in Miami. Since training camp, the dos-i-do between Tua and Fitzpatrick involved clear decisions, a limited gray area—and ultimately, little room for doubt and speculation. Minutes after Fitzpatrick’s heroics ignited Miami’s most recent win, Flores stepped to the microphones and communicated with the media the same thing he’d already told the two players. Tua would remain the starting QB, and Fitzpatrick would be the spark plug if needed.

Often coaches are reluctant to make the decision, and the uncertainty impedes progress and creates opponents within the same team. How often have we seen someone withhold information so that they can look better for the big meeting than a co-worker in the same department? Flores has done an amazing job as a leader of nipping that in the bud and respectfully communicating expectations.

A Great Mentee:

The significance of roles and responsibilities in being a mentee were taught to me several years ago while writing a book with Hall of Fame UCLA basketball coach John Wooden—one of my life’s greatest mentors. It’s easy to feel as if a mentoring relationship is one-sided, but the desire to be mentored is equally critical for proper growth. Rather than sulk on the sidelines or hide behind the ego that typically accompanies a highly touted franchise player, Tua sought every opportunity to learn from the 38-year-old veteran quarterback. His sponge-like learning and the consistent peppering of questions to Fitzpatrick has fostered a healthy quarterback relationship of the 2019 Dolphins MVP with the 2020 Dolphins Top Draft Pick. Fitzpatrick’s postgame remarks about Tua spoke volumes about how neither player is letting pride handicap any part of the process.

“When I was going in, he’s a very mature guy… It was, ‘Hey, let’s go. Go get ‘em.’ I thought that was a real mature thing. And then after the drive, (with) me coming to the sideline, just talking to him: ‘Hey, this is the kind of game it’s been. These are some of the throws I’m making and why.’ And still teaching, and him sitting there and learning. Even though he didn’t finish out the game, that was a big learning experience for him today.”

Miami’s in the playoffs with a win Sunday against the division champion Buffalo Bills or a loss by either Cleveland, Baltimore, or Indianapolis. Come January, should the Dolphins win a playoff game for the first time in 20 years, you can reflect on a foundation of Great teammates, Great Leadership, and Great Mentees.