Ralph's got QB issues

[clearwater cadet]

I think it's a little bit sh#ty how Ralph has said time and time again how we need a QB to make the playoff. I thinks that a little bit of a slap to Fitz. I know Fitz is not the second coming of Jim Kelly, but I don't unstand how that helps the team in the long run. Ralph should believe what ever he wants, but why announce it over and over. I have a lot of respect for fitz, he not Manning, Brady, or Bree, but he plays hard, has a lot of guts, and at least it's not this constant cycle of 3 and out. Other then maybe flutie, he played better then any other Qb since Jimbo retirement.

[1billsfan]

I think it's a little bit sh#ty how Ralph has said time and time again how we need a QB to make the playoff. I thinks that a little bit of a slap to Fitz. I know Fitz is not the second coming of Jim Kelly, but I don't unstand how that helps the team in the long run. Ralph should believe what ever he wants, but why announce it over and over. I have a lot of respect for fitz, he not Manning, Brady, or Bree, but he plays hard, has a lot of guts, and at least it's not this constant cycle of 3 and out. Other then maybe flutie, he played better then any other Qb since Jimbo retirement.

 

Dude had 23 TDs in 13 games coming in cold off the bench.

 

Looking at Drew Brees' career arch, the light went on for him around his 30th start just as it had for Fitzpatrick this season.

 

Not saying he will be as good as Brees, but he certainly can be almost as good as him. If Drew Brees and Eli Manning can win Superbowls, then so to can Ryan Fitzpatrick.

 

Fitzpatrick will have this coming season to either arrive as a top 10 QB, or prove the doubters wrong. I think there's a 50/50 chance of either happening. I seriously think he has the potential to get close in performance to the big boys like Manning, Brady, Rivers and Brees.

 

Ralph has KDS (Kelly Derangement Syndrome). The feeling that you need a football QB god to drop in your lap to get to the Superbowl. He really did slap Fitzpatrick in the face with those comments. Let's hope it provides even more incentive for our QB to prove him wrong.

[CosmicBills]

Dude had 23 TDs in 13 games coming in cold off the bench.

 

Looking at Drew Brees' career arch, the light went on for him around his 30th start just as it had for Fitzpatrick this season.

 

Not saying he will be as good as Brees, but he certainly can be almost as good as him. If Drew Brees and Eli Manning can win Superbowls, then so to can Ryan Fitzpatrick.

 

Fitzpatrick will have this coming season to either arrive as a top 10 QB, or prove the doubters wrong. I think there's a 50/50 chance of either happening. I seriously think he has the potential to get close in performance to the big boys like Manning, Brady, Rivers and Brees.

 

Ralph has KDS (Kelly Derangement Syndrome). The feeling that you need a football QB god to drop in your lap to get to the Superbowl. He really did slap Fitzpatrick in the face with those comments. Let's hope it provides even more incentive for our QB to prove him wrong.

I know it's just your opinion -- but that's expecting a lot from a guy who's never hit 60% completion rate in his career. You cannot be an elite QB in this league with a sub 60% completion rate. It's getting to the point where you need to be closer to 65 than 60.

 

While you don't need a football God -- you need an elite QB to win the Super Bowl. That hasn't just been a trend over the past decade, it's been a fact of life in the pass-happy NFL. And Fitz just isn't an elite QB.

[fansince88]

I know it's just your opinion -- but that's expecting a lot from a guy who's never hit 60% completion rate in his career. You cannot be an elite QB in this league with a sub 60% completion rate. It's getting to the point where you need to be closer to 65 than 60.

 

While you don't need a football God -- you need an elite QB to win the Super Bowl. That hasn't just been a trend over the past decade, it's been a fact of life in the pass-happy NFL. And Fitz just isn't an elite QB.

Disagree.

[hammie65]

I know it's just your opinion -- but that's expecting a lot from a guy who's never hit 60% completion rate in his career. You cannot be an elite QB in this league with a sub 60% completion rate. It's getting to the point where you need to be closer to 65 than 60.

 

While you don't need a football God -- you need an elite QB to win the Super Bowl. That hasn't just been a trend over the past decade, it's been a fact of life in the pass-happy NFL. And Fitz just isn't an elite QB.

 

You cannot be an elite QB in this league with a sub 60% completion rate ....on a team with as many holes as the Bills. You can do this with a team around you like those "elite" guys have. I'm a Manning fan but with Wayne, Harrison, Clark etc. etc. etc. around him what would his numbers be? Same with Brady who has a minimum (I've watched and timed and averaged it so many times) of 4-5 seconds per throw to find his tight ends and receivers who are excellent route runners with excellent hands, not to mention that front line.

 

The mistake the Bills have been making for ten plus years is failing to shore up their lines and put support players and staff in place to bring a winning team to Buffalo. Lets hope that Channix can change this. Give Fitzy two more years and better players around him and we'll see if your correct, and yes, draft a young guy now for the somewhat near future if you must, just don't reach unless everything you know tells you it will pay off. I'd start with D-line or if you go for a "luxury" pick go with A.J. Greene as another sure guy to throw to.

Edited February 18, 2011 by hammie65

[MyHorseAteTheKid]

Dude had 23 TDs in 13 games coming in cold off the bench.

 

Looking at Drew Brees' career arch, the light went on for him around his 30th start just as it had for Fitzpatrick this season.

 

Not saying he will be as good as Brees, but he certainly can be almost as good as him. If Drew Brees and Eli Manning can win Superbowls, then so to can Ryan Fitzpatrick.

 

Fitzpatrick will have this coming season to either arrive as a top 10 QB, or prove the doubters wrong. I think there's a 50/50 chance of either happening. I seriously think he has the potential to get close in performance to the big boys like Manning, Brady, Rivers and Brees.

 

Ralph has KDS (Kelly Derangement Syndrome). The feeling that you need a football QB god to drop in your lap to get to the Superbowl. He really did slap Fitzpatrick in the face with those comments. Let's hope it provides even more incentive for our QB to prove him wrong.

 

 

I totally agree, good post!

[djrocks]

I think it's a little bit sh#ty how Ralph has said time and time again how we need a QB to make the playoff. I thinks that a little bit of a slap to Fitz. I know Fitz is not the second coming of Jim Kelly, but I don't unstand how that helps the team in the long run. Ralph should believe what ever he wants, but why announce it over and over. I have a lot of respect for fitz, he not Manning, Brady, or Bree, but he plays hard, has a lot of guts, and at least it's not this constant cycle of 3 and out. Other then maybe flutie, he played better then any other Qb since Jimbo retirement.

that in no way makes him a franchise qb who you could build your team around.

 

he is what he is a QB who could play at an adequate level to get you thru another year while we groom our QB of the future and thats it and every NL personnel man knows that except the GM's on this board.

 

Dude had 23 TDs in 13 games coming in cold off the bench.

 

Looking at Drew Brees' career arch, the light went on for him around his 30th start just as it had for Fitzpatrick this season.

 

Not saying he will be as good as Brees, but he certainly can be almost as good as him. If Drew Brees and Eli Manning can win Superbowls, then so to can Ryan Fitzpatrick.

 

Fitzpatrick will have this coming season to either arrive as a top 10 QB, or prove the doubters wrong. I think there's a 50/50 chance of either happening. I seriously think he has the potential to get close in performance to the big boys like Manning, Brady, Rivers and Brees.

 

Ralph has KDS (Kelly Derangement Syndrome). The feeling that you need a football QB god to drop in your lap to get to the Superbowl. He really did slap Fitzpatrick in the face with those comments. Let's hope it provides even more incentive for our QB to prove him wrong.

 

seriously you are actually comparing him to the top 4 QB's in the league ?

 

you need to wake up from your delusions and start dealing with reality.

 

I know it's just your opinion -- but that's expecting a lot from a guy who's never hit 60% completion rate in his career. You cannot be an elite QB in this league with a sub 60% completion rate. It's getting to the point where you need to be closer to 65 than 60.

 

While you don't need a football God -- you need an elite QB to win the Super Bowl. That hasn't just been a trend over the past decade, it's been a fact of life in the pass-happy NFL. And Fitz just isn't an elite QB.

 

a man who gets it a and who is a realist!

[Kevin]

I know it's just your opinion -- but that's expecting a lot from a guy who's never hit 60% completion rate in his career. You cannot be an elite QB in this league with a sub 60% completion rate. It's getting to the point where you need to be closer to 65 than 60.

 

While you don't need a football God -- you need an elite QB to win the Super Bowl. That hasn't just been a trend over the past decade, it's been a fact of life in the pass-happy NFL. And Fitz just isn't an elite QB.

 

So you're saying Trent Dilfer, Mark Rypien, Jeff Hostetler, Jim McMahon, and Doug Williams were elite?

[CosmicBills]

You cannot be an elite QB in this league with a sub 60% completion rate ....on a team with as many holes as the Bills. You can do this with a team around you like those "elite" guys have. I'm a Manning fan but with Wayne, Harrison, Clark etc. etc. etc. around him what would his numbers be? Same with Brady who has a minimum (I've watched and timed and averaged it so many times) of 4-5 seconds per throw to find his tight ends and receivers who are excellent route runners with excellent hands, not to mention that front line.

 

The mistake the Bills have been making for ten plus years is failing to shore up their lines and put support players and staff in place to bring a winning team to Buffalo. Lets hope that Channix can change this. Give Fitzy two more years and better players around him and we'll see if your correct, and yes, draft a young guy now for the somewhat near future if you must, just don't reach unless everything you know tells you it will pay off. I'd start with D-line or if you go for a "luxury" pick go with A.J. Greene as another sure guy to throw to.

Are you really implying that Brady and Manning are only accurate passers because of the weapons they have? Do you REALLY want to make that argument? Think it through. Tom Brady, Manning, Brees and other elite QBs make their receivers better. Not the other way around. Brady is one of the more accurate passers in the league and he's done it without the benefit of a stable receiving corps. Look at how good Deon Branch was with Brady and how little he did without him. That's just one example of many.

 

Accuracy is, in my opinion, one of -- if not THE -- most important quality in an NFL QB. It's something Fitz has never had. To say otherwise is just false. It's not the weapons. It's the QB.

 

That's not to say that lines aren't important. They are. But it's far easier to find a pro-bowl caliber LT or DE than it is QB. That's just the way it is. Fitz is NOT an elite QB. Can he become one? Maybe. Anything is possible. Is it likely though? That's the question.

 

So you're saying Trent Dilfer, Mark Rypien, Jeff Hostetler, Jim McMahon, and Doug Williams were elite?

... re-read what I wrote.

 

Doug Williams?

[Kevin]

Are you really implying that Brady and Manning are only accurate passers because of the weapons they have? Do you REALLY want to make that argument? Think it through. Tom Brady, Manning, Brees and other elite QBs make their receivers better. Not the other way around. Brady is one of the more accurate passers in the league and he's done it without the benefit of a stable receiving corps. Look at how good Deon Branch was with Brady and how little he did without him. That's just one example of many.

 

Accuracy is, in my opinion, one of -- if not THE -- most important quality in an NFL QB. It's something Fitz has never had. To say otherwise is just false. It's not the weapons. It's the QB.

 

That's not to say that lines aren't important. They are. But it's far easier to find a pro-bowl caliber LT or DE than it is QB. That's just the way it is. Fitz is NOT an elite QB. Can he become one? Maybe. Anything is possible. Is it likely though? That's the question.

 

 

... re-read what I wrote.

 

Doug Williams?

 

Did you forget about him? Washington Redskins QB, won MVP against Broncos.

 

I also forgot about Brad Johnson. I am not trying to be a smart ass, and now-a-days you need a better QB to win the Super Bowl, but I don't think you need an elite QB. You just need one that doesn't make mistakes, and Fitz didn't make that many mistakes. To win the Super Bowl you need Defense, which the Bills don't have.

[1billsfan]

that in no way makes him a franchise qb who you could build your team around.

 

he is what he is a QB who could play at an adequate level to get you thru another year while we groom our QB of the future and thats it and every NL personnel man knows that except the GM's on this board.

 

 

 

seriously you are actually comparing him to the top 4 QB's in the league ?

 

you need to wake up from your delusions and start dealing with reality.

 

 

 

a man who gets it a and who is a realist!

 

 

If Fitzpatrick had played a hypothetical additional three games (making it a full 16 game season) and averaged his TDs per game (approx. 1.7) he would have reached 28 TDs. That would've put him right with Aaron Rogers and Matt Ryan. Right below Rivers and Brees.

 

So how is it so far fetched that he's a player that has turned the preverbal corner? Is he going to all of a sudden regress? After a full training camp as the #1 guy? Sorry, but I give him a pretty good shot of proving all the doubters wrong. As of right now, I actually like him better than Eli Manning.

[Bill from NYC]

I have a different take on the situation. Ralph left his team in the hands of failures. Donahoe had a good pedigree coming from Pitt., but he blew his best opportunities by selecting bad players such as Mike Williams and JP Losman.

So, he turned to Marv, someone who no other owner would have touched. I mean really. Marv and Jauron were inept beyond description. They "rebuilt" this franchise around small, weak, dime a dozen draft choices, and squandered 75 million dollars or so on linemen who clearly sucked. Unthinkable? Not to these two losers.

 

OK, so Ralph, at age 91, doesn't know how to build a football team. But, he knows how to make money. So in an attempt to do so, he selects Spiller after purging us of Dick Levy . He commented how Spiller would "add excitement" to the team. This move of course was a total failure. You don't build a team by using your best resources on gadget players at #9. Spiller is a tiny little scatback who is all but useless on a small, weak team.

 

Now he wants a quarterback. This time he is right in terms of making a profit/selling tickets. He will even be right in terms of building a football team if there is a worthy qb to be taken at #3.

 

I really hope this works. Bills fans are a loyal, great group of people and are deserving of better than the idiocy that we have been subject to. Imo there is a far better chance under Nix and Gailey to build this team than there was under Dick Levy, and now is the time.

 

GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OldTimer1960]

I have a different take on the situation. Ralph left his team in the hands of failures. Donahoe had a good pedigree coming from Pitt., but he blew his best opportunities by selecting bad players such as Mike Williams and JP Losman.

So, he turned to Marv, someone who no other owner would have touched. I mean really. Marv and Jauron were inept beyond description. They "rebuilt" this franchise around small, weak, dime a dozen draft choices, and squandered 75 million dollars or so on linemen who clearly sucked. Unthinkable? Not to these two losers.

 

OK, so Ralph, at age 91, doesn't know how to build a football team. But, he knows how to make money. So in an attempt to do so, he selects Spiller after purging us of Dick Levy . He commented how Spiller would "add excitement" to the team. This move of course was a total failure. You don't build a team by using your best resources on gadget players at #9. Spiller is a tiny little scatback who is all but useless on a small, weak team.

 

Now he wants a quarterback. This time he is right in terms of making a profit/selling tickets. He will even be right in terms of building a football team if there is a worthy qb to be taken at #3.

 

I really hope this works. Bills fans are a loyal, great group of people and are deserving of better than the idiocy that we have been subject to. Imo there is a far better chance under Nix and Gailey to build this team than there was under Dick Levy, and now is the time.

 

GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Spiller is not tiny. he is 5'11" and 195 (or more) with dynamic speed. I still believe that he will figure it out

and have a strong impact. At 21-22 y.o, he is nearly as big as Thurman Thomas. He has a good work ethic,

so I think he'll get it.

 

I don't think that 91 y.o. Ralph Wilson is all that tied up in profits. I do think he doesn't want to operate

the team at a loss in case he wants to leave it to one of his children.

 

I think that posts like this who claim that Ralph Wilson is a meddling, money grubbing owner are very

far off-base. Has he made mistakes in some of his hirings? No doubt, but I don't think any of it was

motivated by "screwing the fans and going for profit".

[thewildrabbit]

Dude had 23 TDs in 13 games coming in cold off the bench.

 

Looking at Drew Brees' career arch, the light went on for him around his 30th start just as it had for Fitzpatrick this season.

 

Not saying he will be as good as Brees, but he certainly can be almost as good as him. If Drew Brees and Eli Manning can win Superbowls, then so to can Ryan Fitzpatrick.

 

Fitzpatrick will have this coming season to either arrive as a top 10 QB, or prove the doubters wrong. I think there's a 50/50 chance of either happening. I seriously think he has the potential to get close in performance to the big boys like Manning, Brady, Rivers and Brees.

 

Ralph has KDS (Kelly Derangement Syndrome). The feeling that you need a football QB god to drop in your lap to get to the Superbowl. He really did slap Fitzpatrick in the face with those comments. Let's hope it provides even more incentive for our QB to prove him wrong.

I was never a Ryan Fitzpatrick fan until the Baltimore, Pittsburgh, KC OT games, with all three teams in the playoffs last season, and then the Ravens and Steelers duking it out in the AFC championship game for the chance to go to the SB!

 

The ONE singular bright spot for the entire Buffalo Bills in the 2010 season had to be the emergence of Fitz and his ability to set protections, read the defense and get the ball out so quickly it negates most opponents pass rush. Considering the supporting cast around him, bad O line with walk ons playing RT, virtually no running game, no tight ends, Roscoe out for the year. The Bills were unable to run the ball effectively and they put the QB under enormous pressure all year, the guy did a remarkable job playing QB on a bad team.

 

Having stated that, I just don't get how so many posters here can't wait to draft some of the project QB's in the upcoming draft this year. There is no clear cut QB that is as good as Sam Bradford in this years draft, if there was then Carolina would select him. All there is in this years draft are QB's who need tons of developmental work in running an NFL offense and reading pro defenses, QB's that will take 2-3 years to properly develop.

 

Look back to that Jets game in which Fitz was injured and Brian Brohm started, Brohm played horribly in that game, it sure shut up the fans clamoring to see him start and play. That game also showed the glaring weakness of the O line to properly protect a young QB that is still learning, most fans seem to want to throw another young player behind that horrid O line ....only to watch him get beaten up and broken down for the next 3 years.

 

 

This current Buffalo Bills team as so many positions of needs above a developmental QB, that selecting one in the first round at #3 is simply a lame move IMHO. The Bills already have a decent QB in Fitz who could further develop under Chan Gailey and perhaps improve his accuracy and completion percentage. Upgrading his surrounding cast would certainly improve the team and the QB's performance from my view.

 

Read this: http://msn.foxsports...reakdown-021411

 

Team Needs

 

QB (developmental), OLT, ORT, OLB, SS

 

 

The Bills have been one of the worst teams in the NFL for years against the run and the very worst last season, they had an excuse under Jauron as the Tampa 2 is noted for its weakness against the run. The move to the 3-4 was supposed to improve the defense, instead it made it worse. I can only hope that letting Marcus Stroud go was a precursor to drafting a DT-DE-LB with that #3 overall. Then follow that up with some help for the O line and LB corps.

[NoSaint]

Are you really implying that Brady and Manning are only accurate passers because of the weapons they have? Do you REALLY want to make that argument? Think it through. Tom Brady, Manning, Brees and other elite QBs make their receivers better. Not the other way around. Brady is one of the more accurate passers in the league and he's done it without the benefit of a stable receiving corps. Look at how good Deon Branch was with Brady and how little he did without him. That's just one example of many.

 

Accuracy is, in my opinion, one of -- if not THE -- most important quality in an NFL QB. It's something Fitz has never had. To say otherwise is just false. It's not the weapons. It's the QB.

 

That's not to say that lines aren't important. They are. But it's far easier to find a pro-bowl caliber LT or DE than it is QB. That's just the way it is. Fitz is NOT an elite QB. Can he become one? Maybe. Anything is possible. Is it likely though? That's the question.

 

 

... re-read what I wrote.

 

Doug Williams?

 

 

its a battle you wont win. ive tried, but logic and reason is lost in the fitz debate. truly, for those arguing he is better then eli manning, are you ready to invest eli manning money on him next contract? all these guys you compare him to are $10+ million a year qbs. doesnt seem like a smart play to give him brees, manning, big ben, rodgers, romo, brady, eli manning type money -- reason is, hes just not as good.

 

and for those saying his stats are like jimbo -- those stats put jim top 5 in the league at the time, today they are borderline to be in the discussion for top 15. as long as you can debate whether hes better then guys like orton, hes not your guy. i dont see that changing. but alas, who am i to argue we are better off trying to get an above average qb, instead of building one of the best defenses in the history of the nfl ala baltimore. just because it has been done before doesnt mean its a good plan in the future. im not going to count on getting a brady in the 6th, and im not going to count on winning the superbowl with a average to slightly below average qb.

Edited February 18, 2011 by NoSaint

[Bill from NYC]

Has he made mistakes in some of his hirings? No doubt, but I don't think any of it was

motivated by "screwing the fans and going for profit".

 

Nowhere did I say that Mr. Wilson was "motivated by screwing the fans." In fact, I respect him as a person and thank him for keeping the team in WNY.

 

Now, do I think that he "meddles?"

Absolutely.

Do I think that he is more guided by profit than winning football games?

Absolutely.

 

How about you?

[thewildrabbit]

I know it's just your opinion -- but that's expecting a lot from a guy who's never hit 60% completion rate in his career. You cannot be an elite QB in this league with a sub 60% completion rate. It's getting to the point where you need to be closer to 65 than 60.

 

While you don't need a football God -- you need an elite QB to win the Super Bowl. That hasn't just been a trend over the past decade, it's been a fact of life in the pass-happy NFL. And Fitz just isn't an elite QB.

 

Name one current NFL QB who could be an elite QB on that PoS team the Bills fielded last season... Bell at LT...scrub walk ons at RT.... Roscoe Parrish out injured... no running game...The supposed super star RB taken with the #9 pick in the draft that can't block, can't run....

 

Perhaps you guys all forget the first two games with Trent Edwards as QB...or howabout the Jets game in which Brian Brohm started...fitz the leading rusher against the Jets because they have no running game

 

 

Fitz did an amazing job considering his surrounding supporting cast was horrifically teribad, the only guy who played almost as well as Fitz all year was Stevie WSS Johnson who had the dropsies at the absolute worst time against the Steelers. Jeez, I for one would like to see what Fitz can do if given all the reps in the off season-pre season and is given all of Chan Gaileys focus and attention. Hopefully the Bills can get the running game going, find a decent solution at TE and RT .

[Kelly the Dog]

IMO, Fitz would have easily been well over 60% in percentage if he simply threw as many dump offs, WR screens, screen passes and swings passes as any of the other QBs that jack up your stats. Gailey simply didn't call a lot.

 

He would have been a couple points higher if he would have dumped the ball off on third and long and got 5 yards (before a punt) but he refused to do that and almost always tried for a first down even if the chances were not great, a quality I very much admire and want in my quarterback.

 

He would have also been a couple points higher if he didn't have to throw the ball immediately after setting up an inordinate amount of time because our line sucked, or his RB had to stay in and block rather than go out for a short route.

 

He also would have had a much better percentage if we had any kind of reliable TE he could dump the ball off to.

 

He also would have had a couple percentage points higher if he wasn't throwing to three UDFA and a 7th rounder the last three games of the season, or we had a reliable running game.

 

A passer's percentage completion is sometimes accurate -- but very often extremely misleading, both high and low (Exhibit B, Trent Edwards, whose was always high but a direct result of his sucktitude and balllessness).

 

That's not to say that Fitz is a highly accurate passer. He is wildly erratic at times, and he misfires badly too many time. But he also makes up for that for throwing a similar number of highly accurate passes into tight windows he has no business connecting on.

 

He's clearly accurate enough IMO to be a solid starter, which he was this year, under terrible circumstances, some of which were described above. He easily would have been over 60% if he was more conservative, the play-calling involved more short safe passes like the majority of teams do, or we didnt have to sacrifice a short passing game and high percentage passes because of our deficiencies.

 

That 60% is a crappy bar to set.

[DUFF]

I know it's just your opinion -- but that's expecting a lot from a guy who's never hit 60% completion rate in his career. You cannot be an elite QB in this league with a sub 60% completion rate. It's getting to the point where you need to be closer to 65 than 60.

 

While you don't need a football God -- you need an elite QB to win the Super Bowl. That hasn't just been a trend over the past decade, it's been a fact of life in the pass-happy NFL. And Fitz just isn't an elite QB.

 

 

That 60% rule is somewhat flawed when determining a good qb. our own trent edwards had a 65.5% completion avg in 2008 (captain checkdown), that year he had 11tds to fitz 23 (3 games less mind you).

http://www.buffalobills.com/team/roster/Trent-Edwards/EDW720778

[Bill from NYC]

IMO, Fitz would have easily been well over 60% in percentage if he simply threw as many dump offs, WR screens, screen passes and swings passes as any of the other QBs that jack up your stats. Gailey simply didn't call a lot.

 

He would have been a couple points higher if he would have dumped the ball off on third and long and got 5 yards (before a punt) but he refused to do that and almost always tried for a first down even if the chances were not great, a quality I very much admire and want in my quarterback.

 

He would have also been a couple points higher if he didn't have to throw the ball immediately after setting up an inordinate amount of time because our line sucked, or his RB had to stay in and block rather than go out for a short route.

 

He also would have had a much better percentage if we had any kind of reliable TE he could dump the ball off to.

 

He also would have had a couple percentage points higher if he wasn't throwing to three UDFA and a 7th rounder the last three games of the season, or we had a reliable running game.

 

A passer's percentage completion is sometimes accurate -- but very often extremely misleading, both high and low (Exhibit B, Trent Edwards, whose was always high but a direct result of his sucktitude and balllessness).

 

That's not to say that Fitz is a highly accurate passer. He is wildly erratic at times, and he misfires badly too many time. But he also makes up for that for throwing a similar number of highly accurate passes into tight windows he has no business connecting on.

 

He's clearly accurate enough IMO to be a solid starter, which he was this year, under terrible circumstances, some of which were described above. He easily would have been over 60% if he was more conservative, the play-calling involved more short safe passes like the majority of teams do, or we didnt have to sacrifice a short passing game and high percentage passes because of our deficiencies.

 

That 60% is a crappy bar to set.

 

Seriously, this was a great post no matter how one feels about a qb at #3.