What did Ryan Fitzpatrick tell Tua Tagovailoa after Week 11 loss?

This past Sunday was about as unpleasant of an experience for Dolphins fans, players and executives as any day the organization has experienced in the last two months. The fact that a 7-point loss in Denver to a desperate Broncos team could prompt such a statement says a lot about where the Dolphins are as a team and the progress they’ve made — but never the less the end result of Sunday’s Week 11 was a pretty rough bump in the road.

Perhaps things would have been different if Tua Tagovailoa had avoided getting yanked (for whatever the true motivations were of the decision) in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick. But the long-term view of the Dolphins organization doesn’t change one bit with this decision and the Dolphins have a great opportunity to focus in on a tough lesson for their young quarterback on the heels of the defeat.

It started before the team even got off the field on Sunday, as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s mentorship of Tagovailoa offered some key worse of wisdom for the rookie quarterback as captured by cameras on the sideline at the end of Miami’s 20-13 loss to the Broncos.

This is a big part of the value Ryan Fitzpatrick brings to the Dolphins — and this was by design always supposed to be a part of his role here in Miami. Of course, no one likely saw a benching coming for the Dolphins’ rookie, but it seems as though Fitzpatrick is trying to impress some of the “gunslinger” into Tagovailoa here with context. In difficult circumstances, Fitzpatrick is right. Teams heating up the Dolphins’ pocket can’t result in longer duration to make the decision, you just have to know that you’re going to have to try to thread the needle as best as you can to avoid the sacks and hope your playmakers make plays.

The hope for Miami? Tagovailoa roars back with a vengeance against the New York Jets this weekend and the Dolphins are able to return to their winning ways in Week 12.