Former Dolphin Minkah Fitzpatrick opens up about fallout with Miami

The Minkah Fitzpatrick era in Miami lasted 18 games. The Dolphins’ 2018 1st round selection wasn’t around for a long time, and he wasn’t around for quite a while either. Fitzpatrick armed himself well to get out of Miami after just 2 games in 2019, citing philosophical differences in its use. There have been many occasions where Fitzpatrick has offered his take on what went wrong in Miami – and there’s a good chance we’ll never get Brian Flores and Chris Grier’s take on the question.

But Fitzpatrick went further with his spinoff with Miami than ever before in a new play by Tyler Dunne on Bleacher Report. The play itself is extremely well written, and offers behind-the-curtain glimpses of exactly what’s going on between Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins – although it all comes from Fitzpatrick’s perspective. Which brings up inconsistencies on the terms of her departure when you compare her to her attitude in Pittsburgh. For example, take Fitzpatrick’s admission of going thug in training and bailing out sack drills.

“Finally, in August, Fitzpatrick confronted Flores about it. Nothing too serious yet. He just asked if he could get cover reps, to show new staff what he was capable of. Maybe seeing his athleticism in person would change your mind.

Right? False. The trial lasted for a single practice, Fitzpatrick says, and he had “almost” no cover job at all.

It was then that Fitzpatrick decided he had had enough and, he admits, became a thug. He wanted the coaches see this, even if they refused to do so. So he got up and left those hand-to-hand combat drills and jogged across the field 1 on 1.

“They were frustrated that I was doing this, but I was like, ‘I’m not trying to sit here and hit a sack all day,” Fitzpatrick says. – Tyler Dunne, Bleacher Report

Compare that to Fitzpatrick’s attitude to playing with the Steelers for the coming season. In a comment made at the end of May, Fitzpatrick suddenly seemed to have little problem playing second tier.

“I just like to play games and be where I need to be, and last year where I needed to be was in the middle of the pack,” Fitzpatrick said. “It worked well. This season, keep doing what we need to do to win games. If it’s [playing] corner, linebacker, whatever, that’s what I’m going to do.

Linebacker. Whatever it is. But doesn’t he have time to “hit bags all day” in Miami? Ironically, Fitzpatrick’s main complaint about the Dolphins’ management of his skills in 2019 was that the Dolphins hadn’t considered a free safety role for him – until the very first game, which was when Fitzpatrick was placed on the back of the blanket. against the Ravens. From Fitzpatrick’s perspective, it failed him.

“It all came to a head in Week 1 when, after an 11th hour trading flurry, the Dolphins actually threw Fitzpatrick to the deep center, even though he wasn’t practicing at all. Worse yet, Fitzpatrick communicated with players he literally didn’t know. The players signed a few days earlier were playing on Sunday. . .

“It was the first time I had seen them,” says Fitzpatrick. “I didn’t even know half of their names while I was in the field with them. In the middle of the game! I’m trying to communicate with someone and they are looking at me like I have no idea what I’m talking about. – Tyler Dunne, Bleacher Report

And to be fair to Fitzpatrick, yes – Miami probably should have offered him more in-depth reps throughout the summer. But a fact check of Fitzpatrick’s claim that he was playing with strangers in the back doesn’t quite verify either. The instant Dolphins breakdown for the game against Baltimore is as follows:

• LB Jerome Baker: 71 pictures
• CB Eric Rowe: 71 years old
• CB Xavien Howard: 70 years old
• LB Sam Eguavoen: 67 years old
• DL Christian Wilkins: 64 years old
• OF Charles Harris: 60 years old
• DB Bobby McCain: 58 years old
• DL Jonathan Ledbetter: 51 years old
• SAF Minkah Fitzpatrick: 48 years old
• DL John Jenkins: 47 years old
• DL Avery Moss: 46
• Godchaux DL: 44
• SAF Reshad Jones: 32 years old
• LB Raekwon McMillan: 22 years old
• SAF Walt Aikens: 19 years old
• DB Steven Parker *: 17 years old
• LB James Crawford *: 15 years old
• CB Jamal Perry: 15 years old
• CB Chris Lammons: 13 years old
• LB Vince Biegel *: 11
• LB Deon Lacey *: 1
• DB Johnson Bademosi *: 1

Of all the defensive shots taken by Dolphins defenders that day (806 combined), 45 (or just 5.5%) were taken by defensive backs or linebackers who weren’t on the roster at the start of the game. training camp:

• DB Steven Parker *: 17 years old
• LB James Crawford *: 15 years old
• LB Vince Biegel *: 11
• LB Deon Lacey *: 1
• DB Johnson Bademosi *: 1

The numbers don’t necessarily match up with the fact that Fitzpatrick was handcuffed not knowing the names of his teammates on the pitch as it was the first time he had seen them and the Dolphins put him there with a group of free agents in the streets – which was the impression Fitzpatrick gave.

Overall, the Dolphins probably could have handled Fitzpatrick differently. But as a result of the deal, Fitzpatrick would log an All-Pro season in Pittsburgh and the Dolphins would continue to straighten their locker room without having to respond to the whims and wishes of a very talented but problematic personality. We probably could have seen it coming, too – based on what Brian Flores had to say about the star players last August… several weeks before Fitzpatrick’s eventual trade.

“It’s a team game. The stars are a kind of “me”. I don’t – I guess not – it’s a team game. There are 11 guys there and they have to work together, ”Flores said last year on August 3.

“If you’ve got a star who wants to do their own thing, it just doesn’t work. I’m of the “put the team first” mantra and these so called “stars” have to be on this page of this team. Hoping that answers your question. “

Needless to say, picking and choosing which exercises you want to participate in because you don’t want to “sit here and hit a bag all day” is probably a person wanting to do their own thing. As Flores said: it just doesn’t work. For the best or for the worst. But one thing is clear: the more Fitzpatrick talks, the more clearly he feels wronged in Miami. And maybe he was. Maybe the dolphins will live to have regrets. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of blame at his feet. His actions since and his description of the incidents in Miami make it very clear that his perception of himself and the team was largely part of the problem.