Josh Rosen – August 25, 2020
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Tuesday, August 25, 2020
QB Josh Rosen
(We haven’t talked to you in a bit, but obviously this has been an eventful offseason for the team and for that room. I just wanted to get your thoughts on the team obviously drafting QB Tua Tagovailoa and what that means for you.) – “It is what it is, and I’ve just got to come out and try as hard as I can and compete as hard as I can every day and hopefully get the nod at some point in the future. Right now, I’m just focusing on improving every day. ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is an awesome guy to learn from and I’m sort of trying to continue that progress I had near the end of last year. I think I’m doing a pretty good job of it and we’ll see what the future holds; but I’m just focusing on my development at this point and I think it’s been going pretty well.”
(That development that you’re focusing on – what are the specifics of that? What is it that you’re trying to improve on?) – “Defenses. Not just watching film, but being able to apply information from the film room onto the field and what that means for my particular play. So I think I’ve been able to – more so than I ever have in my career – been able to eliminate guys pre-snap and start to zero in a little bit quicker on who I want to throw (to); and that’s helping me get the ball out quicker than I ever have and make fast decisions and not make my offensive line look bad by holding onto the ball. (laughter)”
(We’ve asked QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB Tua Tagovailoa and Quarterbacks Coach Robby Brown about the atmosphere in that quarterback room and I’m curious to hear your perspective on what it’s like working in that room every day and some of the things that you glean from the collective brain trust there?) – “’The collective brain trust?’ That’s a good one. (laughter) There’s sort of previous relationships everywhere in the room. I’ve known Tua (Tagovailoa) since I played him in high school and then he almost came to UCLA so I knew him at that point. And then ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and Chan (Gailey) and Robby (Brown) all have their history; so we all have some sort of familiar connections and it’s pretty hard not to goof around with ‘Fitz’ and Chan in your room, so it’s a really awesome atmosphere. I’ve learned a ton. I think we all have really good attitudes and we’re trying to make each other. And I think it’s been working. I think we’re all getting pushed in a very positive direction. I think it’s good for the Dolphins.”
(For the last three days, you’ve been getting limited work in 11-on-11s. I don’t know if that’s injury-related or just how the rotation is working. How do you take that?) – “Definitely not injury-related. I’m all healthy out here. But I don’t know, that’s not really up to me. I’m just trying to control what I can control. I think I’ve played pretty well. Definitely a couple mistakes that I’m trying to fix here and there, but I’m just trying to put the best product of Josh Rosen on the field that I can. It doesn’t really do well to focus on much else.”
(I guess just listening to you for the last few minutes, you seem positive and comfortable with where you are. I know a lot of people wondered if you were going to ask for a trade or ask out given your situation. Why is that not the route that you chose to take?) – “Because I like competing, but I think a lot of it is there is just a lot to learn and I think you kind of have to treasure the moments that you’re with a 16-, 17-maybe-year vet with ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and a coordinator like Chan (Gailey) who’s been around the game for a long time. So I don’t really know when or where. Hopefully this year, here, I’ll get a shot to play; but I’m just trying to focus on preparing for that shot as best as I can. That’s within my control and I’m actually pretty satisfied with how I’ve come out and played this training camp. Obviously some holes here and there that I definitely need to improve on, but I really think I’m sort of trending in the right direction. I’m enjoying it more than I ever have actually.”
(Your positivity is just so radiant right and at a point where it seems kind of – you have an awkward place in this quarterback competition with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick being the expected starter and QB Tua Tagovailoa kind of being the heir to it. Just how do you find this positivity because I don’t think your career is probably gone the way you probably wanted it to go or maybe envisioned it going, versus how it’s gone so far?) – “I feel positive because I’ve noticed I’m a lot more comfortable behind center this year than I was last year. And I’m walking up to the line of scrimmage with a plan, and I’ve learned a lot. I’ve put a lot of work in this offseason, and after I got benched – got benched the first time – but the final time, the last time before (against the Washington Football Team), I sort of did kind like a big mirror reality check and just wanted to completely turn inwards and see what I could do better. I kind of flicked myself in the head, like, ‘you’re literally in the room with one of the best minds to ever do it, and that’s ‘Fitz.’’ So I basically just sat there and tried to swallow up as much as I could from him and I took that sort of process into the offseason, and I’m pretty happy with how I feel behind center at this point. I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I think I’ve only scratched the surface with what I can do. I guess the reason that I’m sort of positive outside of this situation is because really all I can control is my development, and I think that’s going in a good direction and I’m pretty – I don’t know the kind of word to pick here – but I’m doing well.”
(We were looking back dating back to your college days and we think it’s been five or six straight years where you’re going to have a different offensive coordinator. You just mentioned Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and I was just wondering, how do you kind of overcome the challenge and does it ever become overwhelming at some point just going through so much change?) – “It’s overwhelming every single year and then there’s always kind of a moment – usually it’s like spring ball in college or like OTAs, where you feel like you’re drinking from a firehose and there’s always kind of a moment where it clicks and you’re like, ‘okay, I’m starting to feel this is my language.’ Each year it’s just kind of a rough road to get there, but once you get there, you’re pretty comfortable. They’re just different styles and this offense that Chan (Gailey) runs is very player-oriented, so it’s just put your guys in position, let them make plays. He wants us to play fast, make quick decisions and let our playmakers make plays, and we’ve got a lot of them. This a pretty stark contrast to what we had last year. It was a very different style and I’m not saying one is better than the other, but I’m just enjoying my time in this one right now and learning some of the nuances that – Chan and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) have worked together and it’s really cool, actually, to go back and watch old Chan-Jets film with ‘Fitz’ at quarterback, so we can see those specific plays and we can see and ask and talk about the thought process of that play call and what ‘Fitz’ was thinking and why he threw it somewhere, and reliving some of the heartbreaks and celebrations on some of the plays. (laughter)”
(I found it interesting where you were talking about that soul-searching that you were doing. Given how you were drafted as high as you were and had whatever amount of expectations you may have had on yourself or your career, how difficult was it to reach this point where you’re as positive as you are in where you are and would there a point you could see yourself saying, “okay, I tried to win a job here in Miami, maybe it’s time to try and win a job elsewhere?”) –
I’m not really focused – maybe my mindset will change at some point in the future – but I’m not really focused as much on winning a job as I am just getting better, because I feel like I’ve bounced around a little bit at this point in my career; and when you focus on this, you kind of forget about this. I’m not saying I forgot about one or the other, but my peace right now is in my development as a quarterback, and I feel like that’s been going in a positive direction and that’s why I feel good about where I am right now. I was drafted in the first round and I think around the league, people still think I can play to a certain extent; and just whenever that opportunity comes wherever it comes, I just want to be prepared for it because they’re few and far between, and I didn’t do great with the two that I already had. Not many people get third chances, so I’m definitely going to seize the opportunity when it comes.”
