At the end of the day this is the QB situation we have been handed. Until Petty is ready, we will continue to struggle at QB. I will just hope for the best.
Pennington was deadly accurate if you kept the throws in his range. His accuracy ratings for the short to intermediate passes were always at or near the top of the league. Where his accuracy suffered was when you asked him to make throws he couldn't make, out patterns and deep balls, he didn't have enough arm to make those throws, and neither does Fitzpatrick. You can get away with that when facing poor defenses, but good defensive teams can really exploit a QB who is limited in what he can and cannot do. Thats why Chad always struggled verses the better defensive teams like Baltimore. You give a team like that a situation where they don't have to cover the whole field, and they will smother your offense.Pennington lacked accuracy after the surgery and couldn't make all the throws either.
That actually might not be a bad idea. Ideally Fitzpatrick will play well early, well enough to keep us in the hunt, then by mid season we can switch to Petty when it becomes obvious that Fitz can't handle the elements. I just hope we don't wait too long to make the switch because he played well early and we're reluctant to sit him. Thats the problem, at that point, if he won enough games early, it won't be easy to pull the trigger, even though the early results will be FOOLS GOLD.Then let him play until November and then bring in Petty. Problem solved.
That actually might not be a bad idea. Ideally Fitzpatrick will play well early, well enough to keep us in the hunt, then by mid season we can switch to Petty when it becomes obvious that Fitz can't handle the elements. I just hope we don't wait too long to make the switch because he played well early and we're reluctant to sit him. Thats the problem, at that point, if he won enough games early, it won't be easy to pull the trigger, even though the early results will be FOOLS GOLD.
Fitzpatrick played pretty well in the cold weather in Buffalo. It colder in Buffalo than the Meadowlands. I'm hoping the early bye gives his arm renewed energy after the bye. Even though Bryce is a much better Athlete, it is a stretch to think he'll be ready this year. But we'll see. It is still preseason and a lot can happen.
If we wait until end of training camp or first week to sign a backup that will allow Petty to develop quicker, but it would also make it way harder for a veteran backup to pick up the offense and develop any type of chemistry. Catch 22.
This was easy to see in the preseason game; but say what you want, on that pass to Cumberland, with any zip, the DB isn't even in the play. The way the ball flutters through the air "wide open WRs" will see DBs just miss diving tips all of the time. On Cumberland's play, he went from running wide open to an almost tipped pass...that is going to lead to drops. People will blame the WRs, but partial blame will go to no zip on his passes.
Also noticed the Pryor pick...guess we're going to get used to reading about turnovers from our first string offense more often. But it doesnt matter, its only practice.
