Ryan Fitzpatrick

On what he is looking to show [Head Coach] Ron Rivera and [Offensive Coordinator] Scott Turner:

“I just try to focus on myself, the things I know I need to get better at, how I can progress in this offense, learning it better, feeling it out better. It’s been a good first few days just in terms of retention and the whole group, just in terms of getting out there. It’s not necessarily the easiest offense to learn, but I’ve been real impressed with the guys. Now it’s just doing it every single day as we put new stuff in and continue to get better. Just working with all these guys, getting on the same page, having them know what I expect of them and vice versa, that’s really important. And that’s a big part of what I’m going to try to get accomplished as well.”

On how beneficial the spring was for him learning his teammates:

“Well, even just getting to meet them as people. I think that’s an important part of it. The couple of weeks that we had together were so valuable, so valuable for me and for them. I think for this team in general, just being a very young team and getting some of these base concepts put in, even just getting the work in on the field, hearing it in the huddle is so much different than being on a Zoom call or trying to figure it out on a piece of paper. I think just the familiarity of each other, of the offensive line and up and having to run around that kind of stuff was real good for us as off season.”

On the progress that has been made:

“I think we basically have established our baseline in terms of the knowledge that we have right now. Now we just need to continue to build upon that. I think things always change too. Guys change a little bit when you get to the games. So, we’ll get to that first preseason game and see if the guy that’s been running the in cut at 20 yards the whole time, all of a sudden, runs it at 12 and freaks out a little bit. There’s some stuff like that where we need to get some more reps and just get a good feel for all these guys. That’s what training camp is for. It’ll be a progression for us. We’ll have a day or two where maybe it’s not so good, but we’ve got to continue to be on that upward progression.”

On the heat comparing and how it affects the status of his beard:

“It does not compare. I can tell you that right now. Whether it was training camp in Houston, Nashville, Tampa or Miami, especially Miami or Houston. It is very nice out right now. The beard is just part of it for me. I don’t know if it is hot or cold anymore it is just my normal feeling.”

On keeping guys focused during the heat:

” I think that’s a feel thing as it’s going on. Sometimes there is ultra-focus and nothing needs to be said. Other times, guys are lagging up to the line, are slow getting out of the huddle. Maybe we’ve got a personnel change that didn’t happen as crisp as it could. So that kind of stuff, as it comes up, you just stay on top of it and practice.”

On [Former Washington Safety] Sean Taylor recording the first ever sack on him:

“I just saw a Sean Taylor jersey out there and flinched. He was obviously an incredible player. At that time, I probably didn’t know who sacked me because I was trying to figure out who I was in the huddle with. He was obviously a great player.”

On the mile markers for him getting ready for the season:

“I mean it’s definitely a marathon. We don’t need to come out and put every single play we have in right away. I don’t need to come out and throw 300 balls every day. It’s going to be a progression. We’re going to build up on this thing. There are just certain moments, certain routes that happen. I had [WR] Terry [McLaurin] on one at the end of practice today where that kind of connection is something that you build off of. Something that when we’ve got a play that we need and we’re at Dallas, when it’s a, got to have it situation, I’ve got that in the back of my mind, just thinking, okay, I know Terry can make this play. And he’s got a lot of confidence in me being able to put that ball up to him. Some of it, maybe not necessarily mile markers, but just moments that are going to be moments in training camp. I had a play with [TE] Logan Thomas today that I, before we had the play, I talked to him about just the field that he needed to have and his awareness. All of a sudden, we run the play, we get a particular look and he’s in the exact right spot at the right time. So, building those types of relationships and trust with guys, that’s kind of what I’m looking for. Whether it’s a certain route or a certain coverage, but figuring out who those guys are and the situations that I can rely and trust guys in.”

On when the instincts kick in and it becomes exciting to start figuring it all out:

“That’s helpful. Just another example from practice, [WR]Adam Humphries had a route I thought he was going to do someone different on, but all of a sudden I saw the body language he gave and I knew exactly where he was going. So there’s stuff like that. With Adam and I, maybe there’s a little bit more history, but there’s little subtleties like that with some of these guys that you pick up on, you learn and that’s going to help us in some of these games in the fourth quarter.”

On the point in a career that he doesn’t focus on competition:

“Yeah, I think it’s a hard thing. I think early on that’s what it was every year for me was you’re doing the numbers game and oh, are they going to keep three quarterbacks or two? And boy, if they keep, you know, a full back this year, maybe you just. Early on, that’s kind of what I always did. You know, just trying to figure it out and you just learn that that is not productive. What’s productive is just to focus on myself every single day, focus on the things I need to work on. And with that being the leader of a unit, sometimes my focus isn’t just about me. When I say that it’s about everybody, it’s about the tempo to the line. It’s about guys being into it. Guys making plays, whatever it is. That was something I had to learn throughout my career, that it was all about me because there’s only so much I could control. Focusing on what I could control and doing the things that put me in a better situation to make me better. That’s what I have done for the last however many years. And it’s really, really helped me out.”

On maximizing reps:

“Just staying mentally sharp at all times and sometimes it’s not necessarily a bad thing. If again, I’m not throwing 300 balls a day, sometimes just staying sharp and watching. And even if it wasn’t my rep, watching another guy do something and going up and talking to him about, ‘I loved what you did because, or Hey, we could get sharper on your break’ or whatever it is, but just staying in tune, staying sharp mentally, and just making sure that I’m into it at all times.”

On the complexity of the offense:

“Some of it’s just the words, the verbiage. Whatever offense you go to, it’s going to be a little bit different. That part of it for me is just doing it, calling it and getting comfortable with it. That won’t be that big of an issue. Some of it is how you’re attacking a defense. Some of the scheme isn’t necessarily what I’ve done the last few years, but it’s been long proven to be great and how they’ve done it. There’s just all kinds of things that go into it. The biggest thing for me and what I want to get out of this camp has been able to anticipate what Scott’s going to call. Being able to be in a situation, and when he calls something, to know like, okay, this is his expectation of why he’s calling this play. And for him, for us to be in a situation for me to be wanting a play and for that play to becoming into my ear thinking, okay, we’re on the same page. That kind of stuff is just going to come as we work together. Those are the things, the chemistry between Scott and I is something that I’m really excited about and it’ll just continue to get better as we play together.”

On something else he can do to help this process:

“A lot of it is repetition. Certain periods that maybe aren’t scripted in practice and you are put in situations that you didn’t really expect. Okay, you got to pull something out, what’s it going to be? What’s your go-to call here. As you get into a game week and your game plan, you talk about what we’re doing on certain third downs. That can also be pretty thought out and practiced a little bit, but training camp, it’ll definitely be. We’ll get thrown into a situation. I want to be able to anticipate his play call and know why he’s doing it.”

On his success against pressure last season:

“As I’ve had more kids, seven of them coming at me now, it just becomes a little bit more normal. That’s my comfort zone now. It’s weird when I was coming for OTA’s and I’m sitting in a hotel room by myself, like that was a little bit weird. So, just family life helps that out.”

On working with TE Logan Thomas:

“It definitely helps him in that he sees it differently than a normal tight end would see it. It also helps our relationship just in the things we’re able to discuss. Things we’re able to talk on the sideline about whatever it is. He just has a way about him of finding the open spot. Obviously, like his big body, his length, his smarts, and then just the catch radius. He is a very versatile tight end that can kind of do it all. When you sit and I haven’t known him for very long, but so happy for him and getting the new contract that he did because when you sit and you’re trying to build a football team and you want to figure out who the pillars of your program are, and the guys that you want to be examples for your team, that’s the guy. We want everybody to look up to his work ethic, kind of his path here and how it wasn’t smooth, but it was a rocky path where he’s on a couple different teams, worked his butt off and look where he is now. That’s the coolest story that some of these young guys can look up to. Just say okay, how is this possible. And then go ask him how the heck did you do it? Just watch him every day.”

On COVID-19 vaccinations:

” I’ve had, I’ve had plenty of guys engage me in conversation, questions, guys that have been vaccinated, guys that haven’t been vaccinated. I just try to open honest discussion about what I think. It is a personal choice. That’s the end of the discussion for me. I’m going to respect whatever you do. You’re making a decision because you think it is best for you and your family. Beautiful. My personal decision may be different than that. I had, let’s see how many kids were in school last year, six of the seven were in school last year. As soon as I can get my older kids vaccinated, we did. The younger kids, as soon as that rolls out, we’ll get them vaccinated. They’ll all wear masks in school this year and follow the protocols. And that’s just kind of the world we live in right now. That’s the way I go about it. Respect everybody else’s decision and then make mine and what I think is best for my family.”

On something that no one has seen from the outside since camp started:

“I think one thing is we like each other. Nobody, not everybody has to like each other, but guys get along. This is, it’s got a real team feel to it. Sometimes in the NFL, that’s missing a little bit because guys are there for a year or, it’s just cutthroat with guys competing against each other. It’s a very competitive team on the field, but a close team off the field. And even through what everybody went through last year and some of the protocols and things this year, guys seem to really like each other. I think that’s a good thing.”

On what kind of leader he is:

“I want to be the guy that when we are in the fourth quarter or facing some adversity and people don’t know what to do, they can look at me. I have been through a lot of my career and have been through a lot of my life and I just try and stay steady. I want to be the same guy every day and the same guy in those situations. If I can provide a calmness for them in those biggest moments, that is the guy I want to be.”