decide to play both along with Fitzpatrick at times, and June is a time for experimenting.General manager Chris Grier has compared Fitzpatrick to a Swiss army knife because of his versatility. And wherever Fitzpatrick line

ORCHARD PARK Kendall Sheffield Jersey , N.Y. (AP) — Matt Patricia had no time to reflect on missing the playoffs for just the second time during 15 NFL seasons.For one, this isn’t New England, where the rookie Detroit Lions coach spent his first 14 seasons as an assistant. And, Patricia said, there are still two games left for the Lions to play.“I’m not going to put anything into summation,” Patricia said after a 14-13 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday mathematically eliminated the Lions from contention.“I think we’re going to be focused on this game and trying to make sure to analyze this game and where we can get better,” he added. “There’s a lot of areas that we can work on.”The Lions fell to 5-9 and will miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season, while also guaranteed a losing record for the first time since a 7-9 finish in 2015.The result was indicative of an injury-depleted roster and a team in transition. Leading rusher Kerryon Johnson missed his fourth straight game with a knee injury. Detroit was also dealing with a patchwork group of receivers with Marvin Jones on injured reserve, Bruce Ellington out with a hamstring injury and Golden Tate traded to Philadelphia in October.Though Kenny Golladay had a career-best 146 yards receiving, Detroit punted on six of its final possessions in squandering a 13-7 lead in the fourth quarter.Bills rookie Josh Allen hit undrafted rookie receiver Robert Foster for a 42-yard touchdown with 10:26 remaining. And Allen sealed the victory by leaping for a 2-yard gain to convert a fourth-and-1 at Detroit’s 41 with 1:47 left.And the Lions’ usually reliable special teams also cost them.Detroit opened the scoring on Stafford’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Andy Jones, but botched the extra-point attempt on Don Muhlbach’s bad snap.“Awful. I didn’t do my job right John Cominsky Jersey ,” Muhlbach said, noting he had difficulty raising the ball off the ground. “I let everybody down.”Then, following Foster’s touchdown, Stafford responded by marching the Lions 45 yards on the next possession only to have kicker Matt Prater miss a 48-yard field goal wide right.“I don’t have an excuse,” said Prater, who entered having hit his previous 14 field-goal attempts. “You want to come through and make plays for your team when you get the opportunity. And it’s frustrating not to.”Patricia said there was plenty of blame to go around.“There’s plenty of situations out there on the field where we could do more to do better to help us win,” Patricia said. “It starts with me. Have to go out and execute better.”Though Stafford finished 22 of 29 for 208 yards passing and a touchdown, the Lions’ offense all but dried up in the second half. Detroit managed just 117 yards offense and five first downs over the final two quarters.That was particularly apparent on what proved to be Detroit’s final possession. The Lions gained just 2 yards in going three-and-out in punting from their own 33 with 2:56 left.“We had our chances and opportunities and just didn’t make enough plays as a team,” Stafford said.“Yeah, it’s frustrating. You play this game for the opportunity for the playoffs and a chance to win the whole thing,” he added. “So any time that gets taken away from you Qadree Ollison Jersey , it’s disappointing.” DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Two weeks into the Miami Dolphins‘ offseason practice regimen, first-round draft pick Minkah Fitzpatrick‘s running tally of interceptions is underway.“Have I been counting them? Every DB counts them,” Fitzpatrick said with a laugh after Tuesday’s workout. “I’ve got two picks and a couple of pass breakups. Just doing my job.”Contact drills won’t begin until training camp, but early indications are the Dolphins used the 11th overall pick wisely when they selected Fitzpatrick.The safety from Alabama said he’s not fazed by reports Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wanted to trade down on draft night rather than pick Fitzpatrick.“I heard about it,” Fitzpatrick said. “He’s a businessman. He’s going to see the business side of everything. This is extra motivation to prove I’m a worthy pick and deserve to be here.”More Miami Dolphins newsDolphins sign hometown WR Allen Hurns to 1-year contractNew Dolphins coach Brian Flores has his own daily workout at training campDolphins assistant coach Jim Caldwell takes leave of absence to address health issuesTwo-time Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones rejoins Dolphins after skipping voluntary practicesDolphins QBs Josh Rosen, Ryan Fitzpatrick embrace battle for No. 1 jobThe front office wanted a playmaker to upgrade a defense that ranked fourth-worst in points allowed last season, and so far Fitzpatrick looks as if he’ll make Miami better.“He has done a good job,” coach Adam Gase said. “He has gotten his hands on a lot of balls. He seems to be all over the place. He has a great motor and a great work ethic. You can tell he takes this very seriously and puts everything he has into this.”The Dolphins’ investment goes beyond a first-round choice. Fitzpatrick signed a $16.44 million, four-year deal last week.But he said he didn’t celebrate the contract, and doesn’t have any plans for the money besides buying a place to live.“Anytime you see your hard work paying off Ed Oliver Jersey , it’s a good feeling,” he said. “But you’ve got to keep telling yourself it’s not the end goal. I didn’t come here just to be a first-round pick. I wanted to be a great player here and establish a great legacy.”Fitzpatrick said the Dolphins are dividing his practice time evenly among the strong safety, free safety and nickel back positions. He said he doesn’t have a preference and is happy to move around.“They trust me to do that,” Fitzpatrick said. “They’re not putting too much on me, but they know they can put a lot on me.”Pro Bowler Reshad Jones is certain to start at one safety spot, and veteran safety T.J. McDonald also returns after starting the final eight games last season. Defensive coordinator Matt Burke may decide to play both along with Fitzpatrick at times, and June is a time for experimenting.General manager Chris Grier has compared Fitzpatrick to a Swiss army knife because of his versatility. And wherever Fitzpatrick lines up, he’s making his presence felt.“He is flying around at practice,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “He plays aggressive and plays fast, and that’s what you want to see out of a DB.”Fitzpatrick played for Nick Saban at Alabama, which may be why he hasn’t found the demands of the NFL too daunting so far. In fact Cody Ford Jersey , the coaching styles of Saban and Gase are similar, he said.“They’re both very passionate coaches,” Fitzpatrick said. “They’re both real hands-on. The only difference is coach Saban yells a bit more.”At Alabama, Fitzpatrick had a school-record four interception returns for touchdowns. He’s confident about quickly improving his professional pick total.“That’s going to keep going up,” Fitzpatrick said. “As I get more and more comfortable, I’ll make more and more plays.”