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Ryan Fitzpatrick – May 14, 2019 Download PDF version

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick

(Last time we talked to you, there was not a quarterback competition and now there is one. How did you take the news that they were brining QB Josh Rosen in?) – “I’ve always had to earn every opportunity that I’ve received, so I love it. I love the competition. I love being out here and every day, whether it’s a competition with myself or somebody else, (I am) trying to be the best me that I can be. We’re two days into OTAs, but the mentality of the group right now and the way we’re working, we’re heading in the right direction.”

(Do you use it as part of your job or something you want to do to help QB Josh Rosen along? Is that part of your job description?) – “I think the way that I’ve done it throughout my career, whether I’m the guy or not the guy, is I try to prepare the best way I can prepare and do the things that have gotten me to where I am in my career. If guys choose to do that as an example and follow it, they can. If they don’t, they can do whatever they want. But I’m a guy that’s going to work hard and try to lead by example. If people want to follow, they can.”

(This seems like a continual situation for you battling for a starting job. What do you carry with you through this whole process and is there something that you take with you being the underdog going into these situations?) – “Not really. I’m here because this was an opportunity that I would have a chance to play, to compete. It was a job that was open. I know that nothing is ever going to be handed to me. I enjoy it. I enjoy being out here. I enjoy days like this. I try to get better every single day. Throughout my career, I think every year I’ve done that and hopefully can continue to do that.”

(What’s your impression of QB Josh Rosen?) – “He’s been great so far. We’ve got lockers right next to each other. (I am) just getting to know him a little bit. I’m from Arizona, so we’ve got some chatter about some local Arizona hotspots. Things have changed a little bit in the last 20 years for me. We spend a lot of time together in the quarterback room and outside, in the locker room. So far, so good.”

(Can you talk about QB Josh Rosen’s level of intelligence compared to other quarterbacks you’ve been around? Is he pretty impressive intelligenly?) – “We’re so early into it. Some of the stuff he talks about reminds me of some classmates I had in college a little bit, some of those topics. Sometimes not necessarily things I want to be talking about. (laughter) He’s definitely an interesting guy.”

(Do you have an example?) – “He can probably tell you about his cleats and the plastic on his cleats, but there’s plenty of examples.”

(You mentioned earlier on about how when you were looking for a team you considered this position open and you came here. Had QB Josh Rosen been on the Dolphins in advance, how would that have affected your decision at all?) – “It’s hard to say, because that’s not how it was. All I can say is I’m very excited to be here and excited for the opportunity.”

(What do you think you need to do to win this job?) – “Again, I’m going to try to be the best version of myself every single day and try to get better every day. I have a formula of things I do, which is put your head down, work hard. That has worked for me throughout my career. That’s all I can do and all I can ask of myself.”

(Do you have confidence that it’ll be a fair competition and there are not going to be preconceived notions in any way?) – “Again, I’m going to do my best to show them the best version of me and see how it shakes out.”

(Does QB Josh Rosen being here make you better?) – “I think competition always makes you better, whether it be with yourself, with another guy, with another team. Competition, especially for guys out here that are playing at this high of a level, tends to push you and make you even better.”

(What’s your comfort level with the system, the playbook, the coaching staff, all of that?) – “We’ve got a very small amount in right now, but so far so good. We’re taking our time with it. The guys that came over with this offense, with (Offensive Coordinator Chad) O’Shea and the crew that he had, they’ve been in it for a long time. It’s been baby steps so far. I’ve really enjoyed the early stages of it. I think I’m well suited for this type of offense.”

(Is this more or less like the New England offense that they’ve been running for years?) – “I think the New England offense is very multiple. The best thing about it (is), ‘Is this the base? Yeah, the base is that,’ but then you work off your personnel and talent that you have and you go from there. I think one thing they’ve been able to be successful at is really emphasizing certain talents of certain guys. We’ve got a bunch of different guys and a bunch of different skillsets on our team and we’ll do a good job of incorporating them, the system to them and playing to their strengths.”

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