The room was packed. The cameras were clicking. The questions kept coming. **Josh Rosen** had his **introductory press conference early Monday afternoon** at the Dolphins' training facility and if there was one takeaway, it was this:
Josh Rosen gets it.
Even at 22-years-old with just one season of NFL experience, Rosen has a **full understanding of what this opportunity means**. He embraces it. He covets it. He is ready to prove that he belongs in this league, that this chance may in fact be his best chance.
"Very rarely," he said, "do you get a second chance to make a first impression. I'm trying to get off on the right foot."
He certainly made the right impression on Monday. Rosen came off as thoughtful and intelligent. He answered every question the way you hoped that he would. He admitted he's made some mistakes in the past, things he probably shouldn't have said, but has learned from that. He is hungry and motivated and seems ready to pay whatever price it takes to succeed. He knows the doubters are out there.
"I don't think my chip needs to grow anymore," he said. "I might tip over."
You know how difficult this past week must have been, watching Arizona take a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick one year after they called his name with the 10th overall pick. It had to be humbling, had to force him to take a closer look at himself and had to remind him of the importance of football in his life.
But if it in any way has sapped him of his confidence, you couldn't tell by the words he spoke.
Asked if he still believes he can be a franchise quarterback, there was little hesitation.
"Yes," came the reply.
Then he added, "I think I'm a good quarterback. I think I'm a good leader."
Nothing, though, will be handed to him. He must prove on the practice field and in the meeting rooms that he deserves an opportunity on Sunday afternoons. Right now he is just another quarterback on the roster. There is no depth chart in late April and there is no clear favorite. That was the message from Coach Brian Flores on Rosen's first day. The job is open. Someone needs to go out and take it.
His experiences of last season in Arizona taught him some valuable lessons.
Make the most of every day. Every hour. Every minute. That's the knowledge he took with him on that Sunday flight to South Florida. There is so much more to playing quarterback, he said, than the X's and O's. There is time management. There are study habits. There is the interaction with teammates. There are pre-practice routines. It took his rookie season for Rosen to truly grasp all of that.
Now he begins a new journey, far more knowledgeable of the demands and far more aware, it seems, of the sacrifices he needs to make.
"I have to prove I have a place here," he said. "I have to prove it every day."
Yes, Josh Rosen gets it. We'll find out over the months ahead whether it's a sign of things to come.
