text: Ryan Fitzpatrick knows he's 'placeholder' for Tua Tagovailoa - al.com
  Published: Aug. 01, 2020, 5:59 p.m.
  Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (left) said it's only a matter of time before he will be replaced in the lineup by rookie Tua Tagovailoa from Alabama.AP
  With 15 seasons and eight stops in the NFL, Ryan Fitzpatrick knows the score. He realizes that being replaced by Tua Tagovailoa as the Miami Dolphins' starting quarterback is just a matter of time.
  "I don't know how much time it will be before Tua is in the lineup," Fitzpatrick said during an online press conference at the Dolphins' training camp on Saturday. "I know that I am the placeholder. And we've already had that conversation. I told him I'm going to do the best I can to lead this team and to win football games when I'm out there.
  "Whenever it is that Tua gets his chance, whether it's early or late, whenever it is, I'm going to be his biggest cheerleader. I think I have a unique perspective from the career that I've had. I was excited that they drafted him, and since meeting him in person finally the other day, I'm really excited. I think we really hit it off, even though I'm an old geezer to him. We've meshed personality-wise, and I'm excited to work with him."
  In his first season with Miami, Fitzpatrick completed 311-of-502 passes for 3,529 yards and 20 touchdowns with 13 interceptions and led the Dolphins in rushing with 243 yards and four TDs on 54 carries in 13 games in 2019.
  Fitzpatrick rallied the Dolphins to five victories in their final nine games after Miami opened the 2019 season with seven consecutive losses.
  The Dolphins used the fifth pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to obtain Tagovailoa on April 23.
  As dictated by the NFL because of the coronavirus pandemic, Miami held its offseason program online, which prevented Fitzpatrick from having an in-person meeting with Tagovailoa until the veteran quarterback arrived in Florida for training camp from his home in Arizona.
  "He's a really interesting guy," Fitzpatrick said. "He's got a lot of energy to him. You can just tell that guys are going to gravitate to him. There's something about him that is just very likeable, and I can already tell that he's going to be one of those guys that gets along with everybody, that guys are going to want to follow. He just has that kind of air about him.
  "And part of it is probably the way that he played in college and just kind of the name and reputation that he's built for himself. But there's not a whole lot of ego involved, and he's very likable, so just the general conversations whether about football or life, it's been really fun so far."
  Tagovailoa's sophomore season ended in the CFP national title game, too, with the Tide falling to Clemson 44-16. Tagovailoa was the consensus All-American quarterback, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and the runner-up to Murray for the Heisman Trophy in 2018.
  A hip injury in the 10th game of his junior season brought Tagovailoa's college career to an early end.
  TUA TAGOVAILOA CLEARED TO START TRAINING CAMP ON TIME
  Tagovailoa headed for the NFL as Alabama's all-time leader in touchdown passes and the holder of the NCAA FBS record for career passing-efficiency rating at 199.4. Tagovailoa completed 474-of-684 passes for 7,442 yards with 87 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and ran for 340 yards and nine touchdowns on 107 carries for the Tide.
  Fitzpatrick said he won't try to delay Tagovailoa's ascension in Miami except by playing well.
  "I'm go out there and compete every single day, as I know the younger guys are," Fitzatrick said. "But in the meeting rooms, I'm not going to keep anything to myself either. I'm going to make someone tell me to shut up because I'm going to talk as much as I can and share as much as I can with the intimate knowledge I have of this offense being in it for five years and really just experience since I've been in the league."