First of all, Alex Smith is better than Fitz.
Second of all, Manning would not fail here. It would only be to what degree he would lift this franchise.
Thirdly, it might be inaccurate to say that Gailey relies too heavily on Fitz. The discussion this week has been whether Gailey gives Fitz enough leeway to call audibles. That was what the whole Stevie drama was about.
The irony is that according to Gailey, the plays in which Fitz was not allowed to audible out of were running plays. Gailey clearly stated this and said the reason was because he wanted the team to run the ball more.
The implication of this is that maybe earlier in the season that Fitz was audibling to pass plays too often which could possibly mean that the reason the Bills have been over-reliant on the pass is due to Fitz, and not Gailey.
Bottom line, there's a possibility (again very ironic if true) that Fitz has put too much on his shoulders passing the ball and that Gailey is trying to unburden him with "required running plays."
Finally, I don't feel horrible for Fitz.
Fitz has a Harvard degree, a lovely wife who was an All-American soccer player, and has already made millions of dollars in his career.
Oh, and his wife has a Harvard degree too.