Opinion: Miami Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa and Ryan Fitzpatrick situation

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Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) celebrates a touchdown pass to Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe (81) in the second quarter to give the Dolphins a 21-0 lead against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, October 18, 2020. [ALLEN EYESTONE/The Palm Beach Post] /

Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t ‘benched’!

Some people were offended by the word “benched” because it signified that he wasn’t playing well. This is evidence of “PC culture” run amok. Sure, you could argue that since Tua was “promoted” to starter that Fitzpatrick was “demoted/relegated” to the backup role. Regardless, the fact still remains that when a player no longer starts, he is relegated to “the bench” so the term is accurate.

Why bench Fitzpatrick, he’s been playing well and team is 3-3?

It’s true the team is 3-3 and Fitzpatrick has been a big part of getting the team there. With that said, let’s look a little closer at how the team amassed that record and how Fitzpatrick played in those games.

Against teams currently .500 or better, the Dolphins are 1-3 and Fitzpatrick has 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.

Against the Jaguars and Jets, the Dolphins are 2-0 and Fitzpatrick 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

To recap, that’s a total of 10 touchdowns (13th in the league) and 7 interceptions (3 most in the league). Folks, that is not a quarterback playing good football. It’s a player feasting on bad teams.

This move may upset the veterans and ruin the “team chemistry”.

I am sure there are many players surprised by this move. There may even be a few that are upset because they believe that Fitzpatrick gives them the best chance to win. Guess what? Flores doesn’t care! The “veteran players” on this team are 6-year vet Kyle Van Noy and 5-year vets Ereck Flowers, Byron Jones, Bobby McCain, Devante Parker, and Eric Rowe.