Brian Flores doesn’t want Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw a steady stream of check-downs. But he doesn’t want his QB throwing into traffic, either.

DAVIE — Coach Brian Flores was performing a balancing act that would make a gymnast proud as he described how he wants quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to run the Dolphins’ offense Sunday vs. the Baltimore Ravens.

Fans weary of check-downs that have been a staple in recent years would be happy to hear that’s not what Flores wants.

Fans who have seen Fitzpatrick’s gunslinger mentality sometimes get him in trouble would be happy to hear Flores saying there’s a line to be drawn on that, too.

“I think every good quarterback has a little bit of a gunslinger mentality in him,” Flores said. “That’s part of playing the position.”

But it can’t be a staple, especially on a Dolphins team ill-equipped to overcome turnovers. Fitzpatrick can run hot and cold. Just look at last season in Tampa, where he opened with three consecutive 400-yard games but later had a stretch of three games with at least two interceptions.

“Streaky,” Ravens safety Earl Thomas said. “He can get hot, and it can go the other way for him.”

It’s not often you hear such criticism from an opponent, but it’s hard to gloss over.

“At one point, people were saying he was one of the top guys last year,” Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “And then at another point, not as good.”

The Ravens are coming off a season in which they led the league in total defense and ranked fifth against the pass.

“He’s a fighter,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s a competitor of the first order. He goes for it. That’s his M.O. He’s certainly not afraid, ever. He’s trying to make as many big plays as he can at all times. That’s the way he plays, and we have a lot of respect for him.”

When Fitzpatrick throws his first pass Sunday, he’ll become the first quarterback in league history to pass for eight franchises. Flores chose him after a summer-long competition with Josh Rosen, saying he gives the team the best chance to win. Not avoid losing, but win.

“You don’t want guys to sit back and just check it down every snap,” Flores said. “That’s not going to get it done. So you’ve got to make good decisions. When the opportunities are there to throw the ball down the field and guys are open, you want to give a guy a chance. I think that’s the right way to play.”

The wrong way?

“We don’t want to throw the ball into traffic,” Flores said. “We don’t want to force things that aren’t there. But we’ve hit that hard.”

Flores wouldn’t say whether he stressed to Fitzpatrick a need to dial back his aggressive style, dial it up or keep it as-is. But there clearly has been discussion on the subject.

“We talk about some decisions that have been made,” Flores said. “The hope is that the good decisions, we continue to make those decisions. The bad ones, hopefully we’ve learned from them.”

Fitzpatrick has been around since 2005. His nature would appear that of a guy who’s coachable. But being the veteran he is, how much of a change in style could anyone expect?

“I think historically, if you watch me and the way that I play in real games and the things that I do, I think my history speaks for itself,” Fitzpatrick said.

hhabib@pbpost.com

@gunnerhal

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