Schad: Dolphins’ Brian Flores deserves our trust, including on QB call

When Brian Flores decided not to start Josh Rosen at the end of last season, and stick with Ryan Fitzpatrick, it paid dividends.

When Flores decided to start Fitzpatrick in the opener this year, and then shift to rookie Tua Tagovailoa at a time when many cried it was unnecessary, it paid dividends.

After Fitzpatrick came off the bench to lead Miami to a thrilling, come-from-behind, three-scores-in-the-fourth-quarter victory at Las Vegas on a Saturday night, Flores did not hesitate to say who will start the season-finale at Buffalo.

“Tua is the starter,” Flores said.

Miami beat the Raiders 26-25, and with one more win the franchise will advance to only its second playoff appearance in the last 12 years.

Flores deserves our trust. If he sticks with his immediate decision to start Tua at Buffalo on Sunday, Jan. 3, he will be doing it because he believes its in the best interests of the team, and the franchise. He’s earned the right to make this call, because history suggests he’ll probably be right.

And by the way, he can always turn to Fitz off the bench again, if needed.

“We felt like we needed a spark,” Flores said after this wild one. “If we have to go to a relief pitcher in the ninth that’s what we’ll do. Fitz is always ready to go.”

Tua Tracker: How did NFL experts, analysts grade Dolphins QB Tagovailoa vs. the Raiders?

In this one, Fitzpatrick was turned to in the fourth quarter and he delivered. Three drives and three scores, including 84 yards for a field goal, 75 yards for a touchdown, and 49 yards for a game-winning field goal.

Fitzpatrick’s contributions to the Dolphins will never be forgotten. Nor will his crucial 34-yard completion to Mack Hollins, with 19 seconds left. As Fitz was throwing the ball, his facemask was jerked, his head was twisted completely around and he heaved a no-look, desperation prayer for Hollins, near the left sideline.

“That’s what makes Fitz who he is,” Tagovailoa said. “It really wasn’t shocking. They call it Fitzmagic for a reason.”

More: ‘Holy Dolphins?’ Twitter learns all about FitzMagic in crazy win over Raiders

Fitzpatrick has been a prayer answered for Flores, for whom he has served essentially as another assistant coach. And he has been a prayer answered for Tagovailoa, for whom a better mentor could never be assigned.

After the game, Flores said he turned to Fitzpatrick, in part, because he has a responsibility to the locker room to do whatever he feels is necessary to win a particular game. On this night, that meant putting the rookie to the bench for a second time in six games and sending to the plate the grizzled, home-run threat.

It wasn’t that Tagovailoa was terrible. He had completed 77 percent of passes. He had not turned the ball over. And he had posted a passer rating of 99.4.

But Tagovailoa took three sacks. And he seemed unable to drive the ball down the field. Tagovailoa averaged 4.3 yards on 22 pass attempts. Fitzpatrick averaged 14 yards on 13 pass attempts.

More: Ryan Fitzpatrick relieves Tua Tagovailoa, leads Miami Dolphins comeback vs. Raiders

Once again, Tagovailoa acknowledged that in watching Fitzpatrick he realizes there will be moments he needs to take more downfield chances. In this game, players like Isaiah Ford and Mike Gesicki, who was playing with essentially one shoulder, came alive when Fitzpatrick entered the game.

There is no questioning he brings a unique energy. In fact, if I was Miami, I would offer Fitzpatrick a contract to return in 2021, as long as he is comfortable continuing in a similar role — backup, mentor, and occasional reliever and magician.

More: Takeaways from Saturday’s wild 26-25 win over the Las Vegas Raiders

Yes, Tagovailoa is still figuring things out. That does not mean he’s not going to be, in the end, a quarterback capable of delivering much more than Fitzpatrick. For as smart and savvy and poised and uplifting as 38-year-old Fitzpatrick is, it is also true he has never played in a postseason game.

And that is a bit painful to write, because it would clearly mean so much to Fitzpatrick to start a game at Buffalo (where he started for four seasons) with a chance to lift Miami into a post-season appearance.

Flores would never say this, and in all likelihood would never even privately admit it, but the decision on who to start next Sunday comes with more considerations than just which quarterback gives the team the best chance to win.

Tagovailoa was drafted fifth overall for a reason. He is not the first highly-drafted quarterback to be pulled a few times in his first season. It’s not as if anything Tagovailoa has done wrong should send off blaring red alarm sirens.

And there is great value, both short- and long-term, in finding out how Tagovailoa responds in a Week 17 clash, in the frigid cold (high 34, low 28), with an entire season on the line, at first-place Buffalo.

Flores said after the game that Tagovailoa is resilient. And tough. And yes, so is Fitzpatrick. That Flores likes both quarterbacks seems apparent and sincere. It’s why he likely feels comfortable in his decision to turn back to the 22-year-old.

There is also actually at least one legitimate on-field reason to start Tagovailoa and not Fitzpatrick next Sunday. Ball security. Fitzpatrick is a free-wheeling, exciting, gunslinger, capable of hitting a grand slam as a pinch-hitter without so much as a practice swing.

But Fitzpatrick also has 13 touchdowns and 8 interceptions this season. While Tagovailoa has had limited downfield success, operating a cautious approach stressed by his coaches, he does have 10 touchdowns against only 2 interceptions.

Miami’s 2020 season will truly be defined by its defense, arguably the best in the league. On Sunday, the Dolphins held Vegas to 0-for-10 on third down and 1-for-4 in the red zone. 

The formula for Miami success is excellent defense, excellent special teams and an offense that doesn’t hurt itself. With weapons like DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki and Jakeem Grant either out or playing through injury, it makes sense to stick with the formula that brought them to this juncture.

When Flores decided to stick with Fitzpatrick in the last two games of last season, despite a 3-11 record, many, including me, suggested it made little sense. Why not see what then-22-year-old Josh Rosen might do?

This is nothing like that.

Flores said then that I wasn’t in the trenches, and thus couldn’t understand his responsibility to the locker room. There are many players in Miami’s locker room who are forever indebted to Fitzpatrick for how he’s helped their careers.

More: Miami Dolphins’ Mack Hollins: How’d Ryan Fitzpatrick get that pass off, anyway?

There is little doubt that Fitzpatrick is one of the great leaders this city has experienced over the last 20 years. But that doesn’t mean Miami players, media and fans, shouldn’t trust the quarterback choice Flores makes here.

Flores makes tough, sometimes bold, decisions and he makes them with confidence.

Flores must decide if he wants Tua in the trenches short- and long-term. And there’s no indication yet he doesn’t. If in fact Flores wants Tua in his huddle in the biggest game he’s coached, we should respect that choice.

It would be a bit surprising, but if Flores were to reverse course and elect to start Fitzpatrick, we should respect that decision, too. The NFL coach of the year candidate has earned the right to make this call. And to be given the benefit of the doubt.

Because when it comes to quarterback decisions, Flores has pretty much been right.

Flores has been right about a lot of things, hasn’t he? After all, the Dolphins, a laughingstock of the league just one year ago, are now 10-5, and on the verge of actually qualifying for the playoffs.