"The players, essentially, they are my kids. So no one is going to pressure me into doing anything," said Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.
Tuesday 6 October 2020 17:17, UK
Veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will remain the Miami Dolphins' starter against the San Francisco 49ers in Week Five, the team announced on Tuesday.
The decision comes amid calls for the Dolphins (1-3) to turn to rookie Tua Tagovailoa, but coach Brian Flores said Monday he won't be pressured into making the change.
Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, is coming off of surgery for a hip injury he suffered while playing for Alabama last season and is yet to take a snap for the Dolphins.
"He's checked all the boxes from a medical standpoint," Flores said of the rookie on Monday.
"He has. Look, the honest thing for me is if it was my kid, and he had a serious injury like that, I wouldn't want his coach to throw him in there because of media pressure or anything like that.
"That's kind of how I approach this situation and really all situations. The players, essentially, they are my kids. So no one is going to pressure me into doing anything. When we feel like he's ready to go, we'll put him in."
Fitzpatrick, who is in his 16th season, has completed 69 per cent of his passes for 994 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. Tagovailoa has been active all four games and listed as the No. 2 quarterback.
Atlanta Falcons safety Damontae Kazee suffered a torn left Achilles in Monday night's loss in Green Bay and will miss the rest of the season, ESPN reported Tuesday.
Kazee was carted off the field during the second quarter of the Falcons' 30-16 defeat. He was in coverage when he fell to the ground in pain with 5:18 left in the half.
The 2017 fifth-round draft pick started all four games for Atlanta this season, registering 20 tackles and one forced fumble.
Kazee, 27, will be a free agent in March. He intercepted 10 passes during the 2018-19 seasons and has 199 tackles, 13 passes defensed and five forced fumbles in 52 career games (34 starts).
His loss represents a major blow for the winless Falcons, who already were without fellow starting safeties Keanu Neal (hamstring) and Ricardo Allen (elbow) in their three-safety alignment.
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