Red Zone? No Problem
According to ProFootballFocus, Fitzpatrick was the fifth best corner in the red zone last season with an 85.0 overall grade. He was only targeted six times in the red zone and allowed ONE yard. ONE. Here he is forcing an incompletion on a pass thrown by Brady:
As you can see in the video, he lined up as a perimeter corner, where he played 281 snaps. Overall he allowed a passer rating of 69.0, but that’s higher than the rating he allowed in his best position.
Playing the slots
Fitzpatrick can do it all, but what he can do the best is playing slot cornerback. Here he is lined up at slot and sniffs out the screen perfectly and has his first career pick six:
Lauded for his preparation for a reason. Pretty clear he knows what a screen looks like. pic.twitter.com/cxpQSc7DXp
— Dolphins make me cry (@GoFins1385) May 21, 2019
His 69.0 overall passer rating pales in comparison to his 53.4 passer rating allowed in the slot. He only allowed ten first downs all season and had a 76.8 overall coverage grade from ProFootballFocus, ninth among all corners.
Role
Last week Fitzpatrick didn’t have the best game. He allowed all six targets to be completed for for 117 yards and three touchdowns. This doesn’t reflect on how Fitzpatrick is as a player in the slightest. It reflects on how poorly new Dolphins head coach Brian Flores uses him in the defense. He only played on 49 of the team’s 77 defensive snaps against the Ravens, and only 12 of those snaps were at slot corner.
After the game, Flores stated that Fitzpatrick’s role would change again versus the Patriots on Sunday and would probably change again versus Dallas next week. Not an ideal situation for Fitzpatrick.
Now Fitzpatrick has the chance to move on from Miami to a contending team that can use him the right way. Can you imagine a secondary with Ronald Darby and Avonte Maddox on the perimeter, Minkah Fitzpatrick in the slot, and Malcolm Jenks and Rodney McLeod at safety? With Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas as rotational pieces? That immediately vaults this secondary into the upper echelon of the league’s secondary units and Matt Burke needs to be sprinting to Howie’s office with his own cell phone. I’m sure Burke has Chris Grier’s number on speed dial, that’ll make it easier for Howie.
Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
