Reid Sinnett – August 6, 2021
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Friday, August 6, 2021
QB Reid Sinnett
(We’ve seen some really good throws, good moments from you in this camp. Are you pleased with where you are and since we’ve never had a chance to talk to you before, can you tell us what you think you do well as a developing young NFL quarterback?) – “I don’t think I’m quite satisfied with how I’ve played yet. There’s always room for improvement and I think the biggest thing is knowledge of the game and trying to take as much as I can from Tua (Tagovailoa), Jacoby (Brissett), (Quarterbacks Coach) Charlie (Frye), (Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends) George (Godsey). I’m trying to soak as much information as I can. You get limited reps on the field so I’m trying to take advantage of watching those guys and what we’re talking about in film. Like I said, I’m trying to always find ways to get better day-in and day-out. A lot of it has just been trying to absorb as much football knowledge as I can.”
(How much time have you spent with Dan Marino – obviously an all-time great quarterback, pokes his head in meetings – how much time over the last year have you spent with him? How has he been helpful?) – “He’s been awesome. Just even the first day I got here, I’m sitting in meetings with Tua (Tagovailoa) and he pops his head in and asks if he can sit down, and I was like, ‘That’s Dan Marino.’ (laughter) It’s been really cool to have him in the room and his insights and then I love hearing him talk about how the game’s changed. He’s a great part of being in our room.”
(Has he told you how many yards he’d throw for today?) – “No, no, no. (laughter) He hasn’t said anything like that, but he does love the phrase, ‘pick a guy and let it rip,’ so we’re trying to do that a little bit.”
(What has been the focus with Quarterbacks Coach Charlie Frye about where he wants you to develop your game? I know everything, but any particular thing that’s been the focus?) – “Like I said, nothing too specific. I think I’ve become a better athlete and trying to mix that into my game a little bit; but also taking everything I can and just making good decisions and helping the ball move down the field rather than trying to take shots all the time or feel like I need to push the ball down the field when there’s openings elsewhere due to the limited reps or whatever you want to say/ Nothing too specific, like I said. Trying to soak up as much as I can with him.”
(And how many teams called you after the draft in 2020 and why did you pick Miami?) – “After the draft in 2020 I was in Tampa Bay and I had quite a few calls and being with Tom Brady was going to be a great opportunity, and Josh Rosen and I ended up kind of doing a flip-flop here. Getting to spend time with ‘Fitzy’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) was amazing last year. He was so big for Tua and I both to learn from and that veteran presence in the room was amazing. I got to spend a lot of time with him and so that was huge for my development. Now having another perspective with Jacoby (Brissett) and (Quarterbacks Coach) Charlie (Frye) is awesome. Listening to quarterbacks talk about how much they love the game and the parts of it they love has been honestly my favorite part of being a part of this organization.”
(I think QB Ryan Fitzpatrick volunteered in an interview that he gave some of his reps to you. I didn’t even know that one could do that. I feel like it’s like me giving my friend cookies or something like that. What did you think of that? How did that play out?) – “So early on when ‘Fitzy’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) was starting, he was taking all the one reps and Tua was taking some of the scout looks or the twos, then maybe I’d get three or four at the end. And then once Tua was announced as the starter, ‘Fitzy’ would stand at the back of the scout team reps or whatever when we were doing one spot and would give me advice as I came back or sometimes I’d throw a ball and I’d look at him and he’d go like, ‘one more’ or ‘get through your progression.’ That kind of thing. So like I said, he was so locked in still even though he wasn’t taking reps and he was willing to coach me up when a lot of the times I think that’s a position that the other guys are off talking about their own thing or not worried about it. So coming off the field and ‘Fitzy’ giving me advice was so big and I got coaching constantly, which is exactly what I wanted. And I’m getting a lot of it right now, which is exactly what I could ask for.”
(Have you had any Power 5 offers coming out of high school?) – “I didn’t. I went to the University of San Diego and pretty much had to beg them to let me go there. I got a chance to be a starter for one year and think I made the most of it and I think I’m getting better every day. I’m excited to kind of see how we keep progressing here.”
(With QB Ryan Fitzpatrick no longer around I guess QB Jacoby Brissett is kind of the elder statesman out of this quarterback group. What’s he been like just learning and giving you guys his experiences…?) – “He’s been awesome. Immediately when he came in, we’re talking about football. We had some changes obviously with the staff and the offense, but it’s still football. So we got to talk about some of the things that we’re adding into and now we’re taking some things from old New England and also Indy, so there’s this great collaboration and what he’s been able to do and bring to the room has been special. Like I said, there’s just so much football knowledge out there and he’s a football junkie; so the way he talks about it and pulls up clips of Philip Rivers and when we’re talking about specific things, it’s pretty cool to see his experiences and what he loves about the game.”
(Do you have sort of a picture in your mind of what your career arc will look like?) – “Nope. Right now I’m here and I’m getting reps with the threes and I’m going to take taking advantage of it and if I get an opportunity in some of these preseason games, I’m going to give my best to help us win and help us move the ball. I think good things come from that. Every day I’m trying to come in and help the team win and I think if I can find a role and help the organization win, then there will be a spot for me.”
(What do you get out of like a walkthrough practice in the middle of this training camp? What do you get out of practice like this?) – “There’s so much to talk about. We get a lot of Cover 0 looks, so we talked about how we’re going to protect it and how we’re going to attack certain defenses. It’s really great to do it at a learning tempo where we’re all able to kind of talk it through and get the reps without the contact and obviously the physical nature that the game is. So it’s great for the wide receivers and then we can go in and watch the film and say, ‘Here’s what we can improve on.’ Now when we’re in a live setting, hopefully we don’t have to coach it up a second time. So for the quarterbacks, the learning and the walkthroughs are huge.”
(What’s it like to go from where you were having to beat down the door in San Diego to now being on the NFL level? That’s quite a jump.) – “Yeah, it is. In high school, I thought I could play at a higher level and I took the opportunity at the University of San Diego and it was great to me. I learned so much of the West Coast offense and I had great coaches there. I think that’s what ultimately got me an opportunity here was great coaching and being able to absorb as much knowledge of the game as I could. I think that showed to coaches when I was able to talk to them in the pre-draft process. I’m continuing to try to get better and find ways every day – little things like the nuance in my cadence as well as my drop and how I’m getting to the reads and things like that – to hopefully help me be a better player.”
