Ryan Fitzpatrick is the perfect QB for Tua Tagovailoa to learn from

Ryan Fitzpatrick is the perfect QB for Tua Tagovailoa to learn from.

Looking over the landscape of NFL starting quarterbacks and then narrowing it down to the older veterans who could teach a rookie, Ryan Fitzpatrick might be the best QB for Tua Tagovailoa.

For 15 seasons, Ryan Fitzpatrick has played in the NFL. He is about to enter his 16th season. Of those seasons, he was asked to mentor or be a role model for an incoming rookie almost every few seasons. In 2019, he will be asked to do that for Tua Tagovailoa.

If we eliminate the young QB’s from the NFL, there are very few veterans who could serve as a mentor to Tagovailoa and honestly, I’m not sure any of them would be a better teacher.

Oh some will say Tom Brady or Phillip Rivers but understand that almost all of the veteran QB’s have known one way of doing things. One system during the entire career. A couple at most.

Fitzpatrick has played for eight different teams in his career. He has played in more systems than that. He knows how to read a defense and knows how to break down film studies. He has attention to detail and the discipline to go out every Sunday and compete.

Fitzpatrick is far from a great quarterback and is not even close to a Hall of Fame candidate but that is because Fitzpatrick plays like he is in a backyard lot in a pick-up game. He is inconsistent and sometimes erratic. He takes chances he doesn’t need to take and has his entire career but make no mistake, that is not a preparation or recognition problem. That if Fitzpatrick being Fitzpatrick. He has been that way from day one. He just loves to throw the ball.

So does Tagovailoa and he can learn from Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Tagovailoa is a gunslinger as well. He is just a lot more accurate and doesn’t take as many risks as Fitzpatrick. It’s the film breakdowns, the nuances of the different defensive schemes, and the rotation of OC’s that Fitzpatrick can teach him about. Make no mistake, Tagovailoa is going to see more than one system in his first few years. In fact, he may not see the system that will be run this year, next year.

Miami hired a previously retired Chan Gailey to run the offense. Does anyone think that he will be around three years from now? Of course not, in fact, he may not stick around after this season. Change in offensive philosophy.

Fitzpatrick can help with that change and even this year, Tagovailoa is going to be playing in his first new system since going to Alabama. It will be an interesting transition but hopefully, he will absorb as much as he can from Fitzpatrick. At least in the film room and gameday situations.