Ultimately there is one question you must ask with a QB, can we win a championship with this guy?
Winning games and being competitive are nice, so is making the playoffs, but if you are a HC or GM and you are not asking the above question, you are not in this thing for the right reasons.
That said, CAN YOU, can you win a championship with Ryan Fitzpatrick if you have a strong complimentary running game, a strong complimentary defense, and two terrific BIG WR's as we do now with the Jets?
We all know what he is and what he isn't, we know he doesn't have a cannon, IMO his arm strength is average which is better than I thought it was when we signed him, but we can all agree he doesn't have a gun. So we know the limitations, but there are also some real strengths I didn't understand until I watched him every week for a prolonged period of time with the Jets. He's smart, tough, makes good reads and quick decisions which makes him a hard guy to sack, consistently gets the ball into the hands of his playmakers and allows them to move the chains, much better at converting red-zone possessions into TD's and not settling for a slew of FG's as we have in recent years. He's also much better with his legs than I imagined, a legit duel threat who has kept numerous drives alive with his legs. That, too me, has been he most surprising aspect of his game, something I was unaware of when we signed him.
And lastly, the guy has serious leadership skills and likability with his team-mates. You listen to them talk about Fitz and its clear that his team-mates really like and respect him, so much so that I really believe there would be a mutiny in that locker room if you tried to bench him for Geno or Petty as I suggested when we lost 3 out of 4, which I never attributed to Fitz. I never said Fitz was playing poorly. I lost faith in the team as a whole, but I digress, point being this guy is beloved in that locker room, make no mistake about it, his veteran calm and sense of humor, AND PLAY, has won the locker room.
So do I think you can win a championship with Ryan Fitzpatrick, not the journeyman who kicked around with a half dozen teams before he looks to have found a home with the Jets, but the Fitzpatrick we've seen with the Jets thru 13 Games?
I have to say YES, despite his limitations I believe he does enough good things and has enough positive attributes that you can win a championship with this QB provided the defense plays up to its talent level and the complimentary running game doesn't disappear as it did during that one bad stretch. If we run the ball the way we can, and play defense the way we can and should, then I think we have the QB and WR's to take it the distance. Doesn't mean we will, or that we'll even make the playoffs this year which is far from a foregone conclusion, but if we can get to the dance I believe this team has the ability to shock some people and advance, and not in spite of the QB like we did with Sanchez in my view, but with a QB who is more of a catalyst than a passenger.
DO NOT misunderstand me, thats not to suggest Ryan Fitzpatrick is a franchise QB or the long-term answer, I realize he's neither and he's probably in the throes of a proverbial "career year", but I've seen teams win Super Bowls with NON FQB's and guys who were having career years, guys with average arm strength too, and guys who were given up for dead by their previous teams then had a career resurgence and led their teams to the championship, like Jim Plunkett for example, by the time he signed with the Raiders he was viewed as a shot QB who had lost his fastball, and he did lose his fastball, he no longer had the gun he had at Stanford, with the Raiders he had an average arm at best, but he was tough, smart, extremely likable, earned the respect of his team-mates, and ultimately he led that Raiders team to two championships in spite of his limitations and despite being given up for dead. There are other examples on NON FQB's winning SB's and it doesn't always require an all world defense, sometimes a good defense, smart coaching, a good running game and good WR's were enough for guys like an aging Jim Plunkett, Bob Griese, Doug Williams, Jeff Hostetler, Mark Rypian etc., it doesn't always have to be the 85 Bears or 2000 Ravens carrying NON FQB's to the Super Bowl.
So YES, I do think the Jets can win a SB with Ryan Fitzpatrick this year or next, provided the other guys do their part and don't underachieve as they did (IMO) during that 1-3 stretch, but instead consistently play like they are now. In fact I'm gonna go out on a limb RIGHT NOW and say if they beat Dallas which concerns me (IMO Tennessee wasn't the trap game everyone feared, but this one might be on the road and on a short week, directly in front of Patriots week), so this one scares me, but if we SHOW UP and do what we're supposed to do in Dallas this week, i.e. WIN THE GAME, I'll predict RIGHT NOW that this team will beat NE the following week.
I would not be able to say that if I did not believe we had a QB who could do enough to beat the Patriots despite Tom Brady playing for the other team. I know we have a good enough team to beat them at home, but without a QB whose been playing the way Fitz has been playing this year, there's no way I could like our chances verses Brady in any game.
Winning games and being competitive are nice, so is making the playoffs, but if you are a HC or GM and you are not asking the above question, you are not in this thing for the right reasons.
That said, CAN YOU, can you win a championship with Ryan Fitzpatrick if you have a strong complimentary running game, a strong complimentary defense, and two terrific BIG WR's as we do now with the Jets?
We all know what he is and what he isn't, we know he doesn't have a cannon, IMO his arm strength is average which is better than I thought it was when we signed him, but we can all agree he doesn't have a gun. So we know the limitations, but there are also some real strengths I didn't understand until I watched him every week for a prolonged period of time with the Jets. He's smart, tough, makes good reads and quick decisions which makes him a hard guy to sack, consistently gets the ball into the hands of his playmakers and allows them to move the chains, much better at converting red-zone possessions into TD's and not settling for a slew of FG's as we have in recent years. He's also much better with his legs than I imagined, a legit duel threat who has kept numerous drives alive with his legs. That, too me, has been he most surprising aspect of his game, something I was unaware of when we signed him.
And lastly, the guy has serious leadership skills and likability with his team-mates. You listen to them talk about Fitz and its clear that his team-mates really like and respect him, so much so that I really believe there would be a mutiny in that locker room if you tried to bench him for Geno or Petty as I suggested when we lost 3 out of 4, which I never attributed to Fitz. I never said Fitz was playing poorly. I lost faith in the team as a whole, but I digress, point being this guy is beloved in that locker room, make no mistake about it, his veteran calm and sense of humor, AND PLAY, has won the locker room.
So do I think you can win a championship with Ryan Fitzpatrick, not the journeyman who kicked around with a half dozen teams before he looks to have found a home with the Jets, but the Fitzpatrick we've seen with the Jets thru 13 Games?
I have to say YES, despite his limitations I believe he does enough good things and has enough positive attributes that you can win a championship with this QB provided the defense plays up to its talent level and the complimentary running game doesn't disappear as it did during that one bad stretch. If we run the ball the way we can, and play defense the way we can and should, then I think we have the QB and WR's to take it the distance. Doesn't mean we will, or that we'll even make the playoffs this year which is far from a foregone conclusion, but if we can get to the dance I believe this team has the ability to shock some people and advance, and not in spite of the QB like we did with Sanchez in my view, but with a QB who is more of a catalyst than a passenger.
DO NOT misunderstand me, thats not to suggest Ryan Fitzpatrick is a franchise QB or the long-term answer, I realize he's neither and he's probably in the throes of a proverbial "career year", but I've seen teams win Super Bowls with NON FQB's and guys who were having career years, guys with average arm strength too, and guys who were given up for dead by their previous teams then had a career resurgence and led their teams to the championship, like Jim Plunkett for example, by the time he signed with the Raiders he was viewed as a shot QB who had lost his fastball, and he did lose his fastball, he no longer had the gun he had at Stanford, with the Raiders he had an average arm at best, but he was tough, smart, extremely likable, earned the respect of his team-mates, and ultimately he led that Raiders team to two championships in spite of his limitations and despite being given up for dead. There are other examples on NON FQB's winning SB's and it doesn't always require an all world defense, sometimes a good defense, smart coaching, a good running game and good WR's were enough for guys like an aging Jim Plunkett, Bob Griese, Doug Williams, Jeff Hostetler, Mark Rypian etc., it doesn't always have to be the 85 Bears or 2000 Ravens carrying NON FQB's to the Super Bowl.
So YES, I do think the Jets can win a SB with Ryan Fitzpatrick this year or next, provided the other guys do their part and don't underachieve as they did (IMO) during that 1-3 stretch, but instead consistently play like they are now. In fact I'm gonna go out on a limb RIGHT NOW and say if they beat Dallas which concerns me (IMO Tennessee wasn't the trap game everyone feared, but this one might be on the road and on a short week, directly in front of Patriots week), so this one scares me, but if we SHOW UP and do what we're supposed to do in Dallas this week, i.e. WIN THE GAME, I'll predict RIGHT NOW that this team will beat NE the following week.
I would not be able to say that if I did not believe we had a QB who could do enough to beat the Patriots despite Tom Brady playing for the other team. I know we have a good enough team to beat them at home, but without a QB whose been playing the way Fitz has been playing this year, there's no way I could like our chances verses Brady in any game.
Last edited:
