Ryan Fitzpatrick

[Deviant]

Legitimate quality NFL starting quarterback?

[dave]

In today's NFL, a QB needs to have an IQ, needs to make reads against weird D setups. Fitzpatrick has the IQ. Coach Gailey clearly understands today's NFL and has put the Bills in the spread offence/offense. It's too early to declare Buffalo's QB situation permanently solved, but Fitzpatrick sure looks like the real deal right now ... but, more than anything, their run game has produced out of the spread.

[DoubleDeuce]

He played good last season and has gotten off to a great start this year.

He's definitely an underrated quarterback.

[Warner2BruceTD]

He's a gunslinger. He'll have ugly days, he'll have awesome days, and he won't have many in between.

I think he's done well and has earned his job, but he's probably best suited as an upper tier backup on a really good team. The kind of guy who comes off the bench and can give you a spark for a quarter or a game or a couple of games. Think Doug Flutie, Jeff Garcia, etc.

[Aso]

The Bills offense is definitely fun to watch because of him. Whether they end up doing well this season or not.

[dave]

He's a gunslinger. He'll have ugly days, he'll have awesome days, and he won't have many in between.

I think he's done well and has earned his job, but he's probably best suited as an upper tier backup on a really good team. The kind of guy who comes off the bench and can give you a spark for a quarter or a game or a couple of games. Think Doug Flutie, Jeff Garcia, etc.

Jeff Garcia was a Pro Bowler, he's not an upper-tier backup. Doug Flutie never got the respect he deserved at the NFL level.
IMO, you're saying Fitzpatrick isn't a top-5 or 10 NFL QB, which he isn't, but that doesn't make him an "upper tier backup".

Only 8-10 NFL teams have elite starting QBs, the rest just hope to have someone good enough to win.

[Aso]

In todays NFL when you have guys like Alex Smith, Chad Henne, Rex Grossman starting, Fitzpatrick definitely is good enough to be a starter in the NFL. Normally I would agree but QB play imo is just too low atm.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Jeff Garcia was a Pro Bowler, he's not an upper-tier backup. Doug Flutie never got the respect he deserved at the NFL level.
IMO, you're saying Fitzpatrick isn't a top-5 or 10 NFL QB, which he isn't, but that doesn't make him an "upper tier backup".

Only 8-10 NFL teams have elite starting QBs, the rest just hope to have someone good enough to win.

As usual dave, you completely miss the point.

I don't care about hokey Pro Bowl appearances, btw.

Anyway, i'm saying that guys of this ilk are best suited as upper tier backups on really good teams. I didn't say they shouldn't be starters, in fact, I said Fitzpatrick has earned the job and has played well. I think guys like Fitzpatrick, Garcia, and Flutie are better off being high caliber backups than starting 16 games for middling teams, and being exposed.

[DoubleDeuce]

The word 'elite' gets tossed around too much.

[j.hen]

I think his team is fully behind him now, he's a smart dude who can definitely sling it.

[dave]

As usual dave, you completely miss the point.

I don't care about hokey Pro Bowl appearances, btw.

Anyway, i'm saying that guys of this ilk are best suited as upper tier backups on really good teams. I didn't say they shouldn't be starters, in fact, I said Fitzpatrick has earned the job and has played well. I think guys like Fitzpatrick, Garcia, and Flutie are better off being high caliber backups than starting 16 games for middling teams, and being exposed.

And I'm saying there are not 32 QBs the quality of Fitzpatrick.
You're missing the point here.
Fitzpatrick absolutely deserves the credit he's getting right now. He's not a good backup on an elite team, he's a good starter on a potential 8 to 10 win team.


Edit: As an NFL player, I'd rather be "exposed" playing than just holding a clipboard.

[Aso]

And I'm saying there are not 32 QBs the quality of Fitzpatrick.
You're missing the point here.
Fitzpatrick absolutely deserves the credit he's getting right now. He's not a good backup on an elite team, he's a good starter on a potential 8 to 10 win team.

Now you're just being silly. I'd still put him in the lower echelon of QB's. He really started to plateau towards the end of last year.

[Wildcard]

It's because Steve Johnson is a top 5 WR.

[dave]

Now you're just being silly. I'd still put him in the lower echelon of QB's. He really started to plateau towards the end of last year.

He may be the lower echelon of QBs, I'm not even arguing that, but he's producing ... and producing in an offense/offence where the QB is the main guy.

Do I think Fitzpatrick is a franchise QB? Not really. Do I think he can win games? Yes.

[Warner2BruceTD]

And I'm saying there are not 32 QBs the quality of Fitzpatrick.
You're missing the point here.
Fitzpatrick absolutely deserves the credit he's getting right now. He's not a good backup on an elite team, he's a good starter on a potential 8 to 10 win team.

Yes, and i'm saying that guys like Fitz, Flutie, Garcia, are better suited as being high caliber backups on good teams, where they can step in for a few games and keep things moving, rather than being the 16th best starter in the league or whatever and go nowhere. Because make no mistake, you are going nowhere if Ryan Fitzpatrick is your starter. Sorry. Nice player, I like him a lot, he deserves to start, but ideally he'd be backing up Peyton Manning or Phillip Rivers or whoever, where his skills would be better suited than winning 9 games for some middling team.

It's actually a compliment, in a odd sort of way. There is a place for guys like this. Flutie and Garcia played forever, and so will Fitzpatrick.