So, why no love for Fitz? How was 6-10 his fault?

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

OK...Fitzty started out hot the first four games with a QB rating over 100 which, by season's end had plumeted to under 80. Why? Does he just flat out suck? Maybe? Maybe not! I won't try and BS anyone that Fitzy is franchise QB. He aint. But, his defense ain't worth a piece of pig turd. Not only that, from opening day to the end of the season, the offense lost 6 of 11 starters plus Roscoe Parish. What QB survives that? Especially in his first full season as a starter? So, he puts the team on his shoulders, and in doing so tries to do too much. Throws 23 picks... not all of which were his fault. And the 23 sacks allowed. That was more a credit to Fitzy getting rid of the ball quickly than it was the offensive line. Hell with a patchwork Oline, he was still making them look better than they really were.

 

So, why is anyone calling for his head? If the Bills offense were playing with a full deck most of the season, would you still be calling for his head? I doubt it, because the Bills would have been a wild card team despite the defense.

 

The offense did not let this team down, nor did Fitzy. The defense was the problem, and has been the problem for several years. Even with McGee, Kyle Williams, and Merriman in the lineup, the Bills never ranked higher than 28th.

 

So, why do we have fans calling for the Bills to draft a QB with the 10th pick? How many brain cells does one have to lose to come up with a gem like that. Do they think RGIII is the second coming of Cam Newton? Well, whooptie doo if he is. Last I checked Cam Newton and the Panthers were 6-10. What, no miracles from Cam? How come the 7th ranked QB with a defense ranked only two notches below the Bills didn't get his team to the playoffs? So, Cam had better numbers than Fitz. Did he lose 7 key players on his offense in doing so? No. Did he win more games than Fitz? No. Then, with those fanslogic, the Panthers should draft a QB with their first pick.

 

Yep... Bring Rogers, Roethlisberger, Brees, or whomever you want to be the Bills QB. This team still aint going to the playoffs with the 26th ranked defense and an offense as ravaged by injuries as the Bills were this season. But, let's still blame 6-10 on Fitzy. Brilliant, just brilliant.

 

Cam is a rookie pal. If this were fitz's rookie year folks would be all sorts of optimistic. The dude has 60 games and 7 nfl seasons under his belt.

 

Let's see how many wins cam has in his seventh year...

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

Fitz is an OK QB. He aint no super star.

 

Maybe he should lose the wierdo beardo gag. It aint doing him any good. (other than a pay check)

[thewildrabbit]

Some random thoughts about Fitz...

 

1. His inconsistency is maddening, and I simply cannot put my finger on the cause/solution. Accuracy is certainly an issue. But we have seen many instances where he can thread the needle -- and throw it on a rope between defenders. Clearly the long ball isn't his strength, but he he has often been inaccurate on too many short passes (screens included) as well. His errors tend to be more physical errors than mental ones, as reading defenses IS a strength. On a related note, his biggest strength is with is pre-snap reads and knowing where to go with the ball quickly. That is a big reason why the Bills were among the league leaders in fewest sacks allowed this year. I think part of what happened this year is that the defense was so bad that he often felt COMPELLED to score on every possession, which led to too many negative plays.

 

 

2. He certainly does not have elite arm strength, but it is adequate. As I alluded to above, the deep ball is NOT a strength of his. But I do not think it is a matter of arm strength. As often as he under-threw receivers, he also over-threw them. Since he does not have an elite arm (a la Rogers, Cutler, Stafford or Vick), he cannot get away with poor mechanics. That is, poor footwork is often a culprit of bad passes from Fitz as was best exemplified by those 2 INTs he threw in the Giants game.

 

 

3. He was not helped by play calling or supporting cast. It is not a coincidence that Fitz's fortunes started fading at the time that injuries to the surrounding players on offense revealed just how thin the roster is. I know many here are unhappy with Stevie -- and what he did in the season finale was just plain foolish -- but the Buffalo Bills are NOT going to be a better team if they allow him to leave. I liked what I saw from Hagan Sunday, and I wonder if he could be a player like Brandon Lloyd who suddenly figures it out after several years in the league. The possibility of Easley making it onto the field in 2012 intrigues me, but he has yet to play a down in a real NFL game. Roscoe is probably a goner. As a WR3, David Nelson is fine; but he doesn't belong on the outside. Donald Jones and N. Roosevelt both needed to be upgraded. Since Chan is so stuck on running these multi-WR sets, it is imperative that the Bills have depth at the position. I would like to see the Bills re-sign Stevie AND bring in another WR in the off-season. Chandler was a revelation at TE this year, and the Bills can certainly get by with him. But I do have to wonder how much better the offense would be with an elite guy like Gronkowski there. It wouldn't hurt Chan to take a page out of the Patriots' playbook and run multi-TE sets with Chandler and a another quality pass-catching TE at the helm. Of course, if they take care of the WR position, Nelson can function in that role as a slot WR too. Getting back to the play calling, I am worried that Chan is starting to get Kevin Gilbriditis. Like Chan, Gilbride has been a successful OC here (at least in 2002) and elsewhere. He certainly deserves some credit for what the Giants have done in recent years. However, he sometimes INSISTS on throwing the ball when it just doesn't make good sense -- just like Chan. With SJ benched, Chandler out of the game and the OL fortified (valiantly) with numerous back-ups, you would have thought that Chan would focus more on the running game once the Bills took a 21-point lead.

 

 

4. Not sure there is help on the horizon. There are probably about 10 starting QBs in the league that I would rather have than Fitz right now, and there about an equal number of QBs in the league to whom I believe that he is undoubtedly superior currently. I would say that he ranks somewhere in the 13-18 range at QB -- or, in other words, he is an average starter. Now, there are currently a number of positions that are woefully below average (especially WR2 and LB/DE). Getting an elite QB trumps all else, and I would hope that the front office heads into next season with the same mind-set that they did last year. That is, they can survive with Fitz, but if a franchise QB falls to them, then they HAVE to take him. Alas, those guys do not grow on trees. They are not going to be able to get Luck -- and probably not RG3 either. What I do hope they do differently than last year is that if a high risk/high reward guy like Mallet happens to be there for the taking (as he was as late as the 3rd round last year), then they should pull the trigger. Even if it takes him a year or 2 to develop, the Bills have the luxury of being patient with adequacy at the position with Fitz.

 

At least that is my 2 cents...

Well done, well thought out and some good points.

 

The Bills don't have a young QB that they are grooming, unless you consider Brad Smith in that role. But I'd rather not take a rookie early at this point as fans will want him in there every time Fitz throws a bad pass. If you look at Tom Brady in the last game, not every pass is perfect, some are thrown at the WR's feet and bounce off the turf. The Ball slips outta the hand. The QB hurries the throw. The QB6 doesn't step into the throw, for whatever reason.

 

The Bills receiver corps really does suck considering the Bills pass so much, so often! As much as I love MD, I think the better choice would have been AJ Green no question. Then if the Bills could find 2 young studs at TE like the Patriots have they might actually be able to keep up with them in scoring.

 

Look around the league at various teams with stud, star WR's corps, Green Bay - Pittsburg - Detroit "Megatron" Atlanta - Roddy White & Julio Jones.Saints- Moore- Colston - Meachem -Henderson ( +4 really really good RB's) Patriots, Wes Welker....Gronk

For the love of god, the bills need a Victor Cruz!!!

 

The Bills also need some stud O linemen, a decent back up center, a decent starting LT, the rest they can get by with.

 

The Bills need 2 TE's like the Patriots have, or just one like the Saints have in Jimmy Graham.

 

As bad as the defense currently is, I would spend almost the entire draft on offense save for one top pass rusher.....unless you could find one in free agency

[Tcali]

OK...Fitzty started out hot the first four games with a QB rating over 100 which, by season's end had plumeted to under 80. Why? Does he just flat out suck? Maybe? Maybe not! I won't try and BS anyone that Fitzy is franchise QB. He aint. But, his defense ain't worth a piece of pig turd. Not only that, from opening day to the end of the season, the offense lost 6 of 11 starters plus Roscoe Parish. What QB survives that? Especially in his first full season as a starter? So, he puts the team on his shoulders, and in doing so tries to do too much. Throws 23 picks... not all of which were his fault. And the 23 sacks allowed. That was more a credit to Fitzy getting rid of the ball quickly than it was the offensive line. Hell with a patchwork Oline, he was still making them look better than they really were.

 

So, why is anyone calling for his head? If the Bills offense were playing with a full deck most of the season, would you still be calling for his head? I doubt it, because the Bills would have been a wild card team despite the defense.

 

The offense did not let this team down, nor did Fitzy. The defense was the problem, and has been the problem for several years. Even with McGee, Kyle Williams, and Merriman in the lineup, the Bills never ranked higher than 28th.

 

So, why do we have fans calling for the Bills to draft a QB with the 10th pick? How many brain cells does one have to lose to come up with a gem like that. Do they think RGIII is the second coming of Cam Newton? Well, whooptie doo if he is. Last I checked Cam Newton and the Panthers were 6-10. What, no miracles from Cam? How come the 7th ranked QB with a defense ranked only two notches below the Bills didn't get his team to the playoffs? So, Cam had better numbers than Fitz. Did he lose 7 key players on his offense in doing so? No. Did he win more games than Fitz? No. Then, with those fanslogic, the Panthers should draft a QB with their first pick.

 

Yep... Bring Rogers, Roethlisberger, Brees, or whomever you want to be the Bills QB. This team still aint going to the playoffs with the 26th ranked defense and an offense as ravaged by injuries as the Bills were this season. But, let's still blame 6-10 on Fitzy. Brilliant, just brilliant.

No single player is completely to blame.But Fitzy stunk for 9 games this year.He was a big part of the problem.

[LGB]

Ever since the Toronto game, it appeared as though Fitz was not the same QB. Whether he has had cracked/broken ribs or just been shell-shocked (a la TE & JP), who knows, but he sure has not displayed the ability to put together a complete/consistently forward moving season.

[Gray Beard]

Ever since the Toronto game, it appeared as though Fitz was not the same QB. Whether he has had cracked/broken ribs or just been shell-shocked (a la TE & JP), who knows, but he sure has not displayed the ability to put together a complete/consistently forward moving season.

I have been wondering/hoping that after the season ended, news would get out regarding the severity of Fitz's injury as a result of that hit from London Fletcher.

[PromoTheRobot]

Fitz has his flaws, as do the Bills. But lets maintain some perspective. All if the anecdotal observations don't hold up when you look at the stats.

 

The way we talk you'd think the Bills offense was bottom 5 in every category instead of top 10.

 

PTR

[LGB]

Fitz, to me has not looked any different (since the Toronto game) than Trent or JP, but since CHIX signed him up for a big contract, it doesn't matter how bad he is - right?

 

Also, when watching Fitz during the last game, he is no better or worse than Kelly Holcomb - instead of thinking he would make a play, you ended up thinking he would cost you a play.

Edited January 4, 2012 by LGB

[PromoTheRobot]

Fitz, to me has not looked any different (since the Toronto game) than Trent or JP, but since CHIX signed him up for a big contract, it doesn't matter how bad he is - right?

 

Also, when watching Fitz during the last game, he is no better or worse than Kelly Holcomb - instead of thinking he would make a play, you ended up thinking he would cost you a play.

How did Fitz give up 42 points? I guess giving the D a 21 point lead isn't enough.

 

PTR

Edited January 4, 2012 by PromoTheRobot

[Hapless Bills Fan]

It's not that Chan doesn't trust CJ, it's that Chan's offense is built around the pass. And he wants to RBs to change the pace, so neither will get many touches. Think back. Fred didn't get many more carries than CJ.

 

PTR

 

I could be wrong, but I think those are different words saying what I said. The problem is, Fitz does not have the arm to throw accurate deep balls, back the D off, and set up the run. So when the D is keying on the pass with heavy pressure, there are solutions for backing this off, but none Chan chooses to employ.

 

Perfect statement that so many just don't see or understand

 

Its unreal to watch Gailey call so many shotgun pass plays out of the spread offense with an empty backfield when the Bills have a lead, and mostly ignore the run game. But then when the team loses the lead his play calling for passing intensifies, which makes no logical sense. When you are behind in the score the opposing defense tend to play their nickel and dime packages more, so in essence Chan is throwing right into their strength.

 

Look at the NE game, in the first QTR NE was forced to respect the run game with Spiller being able to break long runs. Once the Patriots got the lead and were able to reinforce their 2nd worst pass defense with extra BD's the complexion of the game changed very quickly. Then to compound the issue Scott Chandler goes out with an injury, and Gailey benches Stevie Johnson the entire game. Thus hamstringing the already under more duress QB.

 

Then look at the Buffalo Bills receiving corps, WR Derek Hagan, WR Ruvell Martin, WR Naaman Roosevelt, TE Kevin Brock....WTF are these guys? And the play caller intensifies the passing game as the opposing defense steps up its pass defense packages...

 

This type of play calling makes no logical sense to me, and it never will. From my perspective it has almost nothing to do with Fitz's arm or accuracy. I'd think ANY QB in the league would suffer the same fate as Fitz does under those circumstances. Look at what happened to Tom Brady in the Buffalo Bills first game against them. Buffalo has almost no pass rush but was still able to pressure Brady. Then imagine removing Wes Welker and Gronk from the game on Brady and see what would happen.

 

I see it, you see it, others see it, why can't Chan see it? PS thanks for the kind words

Edited January 4, 2012 by Hopeful

[Maddog69]

23 interceptions.

 

6 wins.

 

No excuses.

 

+1

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Really good post IMO which of course I would say, as it mirrors my own thinking in many ways. A couple comments below:

 

Some random thoughts about Fitz...

 

1. His inconsistency is maddening, and I simply cannot put my finger on the cause/solution. Accuracy is certainly an issue. But we have seen many instances where he can thread the needle -- and throw it on a rope between defenders. <...> His errors tend to be more physical errors than mental ones, as reading defenses IS a strength. <...> I think part of what happened this year is that the defense was so bad that he often felt COMPELLED to score on every possession, which led to too many negative plays. '

 

I have the same "WTF?" frustration with Fitz. You're right, it's not that he's intrinsically inaccurate or noodle-armed. He can't be, and put up the numbers he has not just in one game, but in several games in a row. He has games where his accuracy is amazing. Then he has games where he flat-out sucks.

I agree, I think there is a mental component, a feeling of "we MUST score on this drive" that leads him to make mental errors and try to force the ball just a little too hard. I can't put my finger on the cause/solution either. I do have two additional theories:

1. He has small hands, and I think his grip on the ball is less certain than it needs to be at times in cold or wet weather. I think he should talk to Warner, and consider gloving up.

2. More significant, I think Fitz needs a critical amount of time to set and throw accurately. It's not much - he can throw quickly - but when the pressure intensifies to push him below this time threshold, he loses his mechanics and gets into trouble especially when he tries the same tight throws into coverage that he can thread when he has more time. Supporting evidence: Fitz best games, with ~ 78% completions, occurred when he had strong protection. Fitz accuracy goes downhill when Chan stops running and the D kicks the pass pressure up a notch. Fitz needs to learn to know himself, and take fewer chances when he's feeling more pressure. Chan needs to quit with abandoning the running game and emptying the backfield when we're the least bit behind.

4. Not sure there is help on the horizon. There are probably about 10 starting QBs in the league that I would rather have than Fitz right now, and there about an equal number of QBs in the league to whom I believe that he is undoubtedly superior currently. I would say that he ranks somewhere in the 13-18 range at QB -- or, in other words, he is an average starter. Now, there are currently a number of positions that are woefully below average (especially WR2 and LB/DE). Getting an elite QB trumps all else, and I would hope that the front office heads into next season with the same mind-set that they did last year. That is, they can survive with Fitz, but if a franchise QB falls to them, then they HAVE to take him. <...>What I do hope they do differently than last year is that if a high risk/high reward guy like Mallet happens to be there for the taking (as he was as late as the 3rd round last year), then they should pull the trigger. Even if it takes him a year or 2 to develop, the Bills have the luxury of being patient with adequacy at the position with Fitz.

I agree on all points here.

[Orton's Arm]

I have two questions.

 

The first is: what do you mean by "chance to draft one"? Does it mean if there's a guy there when your team drafts, who you think has the potential to be a franchise QB, you draft him when your turn comes even if you already have a decent starting QB on the roster (Rodgers/Favre for example)? If so, I agree - if he's the BPA and a once-in-several-years caliber player, you take him. If you don't think he's worth that high of a pick, you don't take him at the expense of drafting a better player who can help the team at another position.

 

Does it mean if there's a QB available that you like and think might be a franchise guy, who is projected at #1 or #2, you do whatever it takes to move up and draft him?

Trade every draft pick you have, and your first round picks for several years if that's what it takes?

 

This might be where we disagree. I don't believe it makes sense to mortgage every position on a team to one draft prospect, however promising. One must point out that of the teams with widely acknowledged elite QB in this year's playoffs, one drafted their franchise QB in the 6th round, one signed their franchise guy as a FA, one drafted their franchise guy at #24 in the 1st) The playoff QB drafted at #1 overall has been widely regarded as a disappointment, even a bust, for the last 5 years. I also get puzzled by the definition of franchise QB - is Smith a franchise QB? Is Flacco? Is Dalton? He's looking pretty good, and was taken in the 2nd. Roeth was drafted 11th. The point is, the rare, truly great ones come in different ways and at different points in the draft so why sell your team's draft rights for a "mess of pottage", even if it's tasty-looking pottage?

 

The second question is: if there can be no reasonable dispute on a point, doesn't that make your argument tautological**? (Your assertion, by definition, can not be disproved, because any argument or dispute is by definition, unreasonable.) I respect your right to your opinion, and I'm highly suspicious of assertions that can not entertain reasonable counterexample or argument, or that can not be disproved.

 

**Tautology means a series of self-reinforcing statements that cannot be disproved because the statements depend on the assumption that they are already correct.

 

Your two questions are reasonable. Before I answer them, I'd like to look at some historical data.

 

Team: NYJ. Founded: 1959. Number of franchise quarterbacks in the team's history: 1. (Joe Namath.)

 

Team: Buffalo Bills. Founded: 1960. Number of franchise quarterbacks in the team's history: 1. (Jim Kelly.)

 

Team: New England Patriots. Founded: 1960. Number of franchise quarterbacks in the team's history: 1.5. (Tom Brady and the first half of Drew Bledsoe's career.)

 

Team: Miami Dolphins. Founded: 1966. Number of franchise quarterbacks in the team's history: 2. (Bob Griese and Dan Marino.)

 

A typical AFC East team has averaged about 1.5 franchise quarterbacks over the last 50 years. As I pointed out earlier in this thread, nine of the last ten Super Bowl winners have had franchise quarterbacks.*

 

Adding a franchise QB will fundamentally change the next 10+ years of your franchise's history. Looking at the above list of AFC East franchises, you will see that nearly all their Super Bowl appearances and wins coincided with their (rare) moments of having a franchise QB. Having a franchise QB didn't guarantee a Super Bowl win, as the Bills found with Kelly, the Dolphins with Marino, and the Patriots with the first half of Bledsoe's career. But at least those teams were legitimate threats to win the Super Bowl. AFC East teams have almost never managed to become bona fide Super Bowl threats when they have lacked franchise QBs. (Which has been most of the time.)

 

How much would I give up to obtain a franchise QB? Obviously, that all depends on my level of confidence that the guy I was targeting really was going to be franchise material. I'd also look at his upside, because not all franchise QBs are created equal. Johnny Unitas was worth more than Terry Bradshaw. After looking at those factors, would I decide to trade the house for one player? Maybe. Suppose (for example) that the Bills had traded away literally all their draft picks from 2000 - 2007, and had gotten a rookie Joe Montana in return. Would that one player have provided more value to the franchise than everyone they actually drafted during that eight year span? Absolutely and unquestionably!

 

The above is an extreme example, and I certainly wouldn't advise a team to trade away eight years' worth of picks for one player! Just because that trade would have been better than what a chopped liver team actually did, does not mean that trade would have led to a Super Bowl win. It probably wouldn't have. But suppose a team traded away just three years' worth of draft picks, and received a Joe Montana in return. Might that tactic help lay the foundation for a Super Bowl winner? It absolutely might! On the other hand, if you are trading away three years' worth of picks, you'd better be 100% confident you're getting the next Montana, Unitas, or Aaron Rodgers!

 

* I'd like to specifically address the issue of Eli Manning. Giants fans hoped he would be Peyton Manning version 2. During Eli's first few years in the league he was well below that. Peyton Manning has averaged 7.6 yards per attempt over the course of his career. From 2004 - 2008, Eli Manning never averaged more than 6.8 yards per attempt. In some seasons he averaged less. On the other hand, he played like a franchise quarterback during the postseason in which the Giants won the Super Bowl. He also played like a franchise QB in the Super Bowl and was named Super Bowl MVP.

 

But during the last three seasons something seems to have clicked for him: he has averaged 7.9, 7.4, and 8.4 yards per attempt during the 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons, respectively. Those numbers are very solid by Peyton's standards, and that's saying something! Eli is currently playing at a top-5 level, and has been for the last three seasons.

[Meark]

Fitz's hands must be too small because he doesn't seem to grip the ball well at all. Many of his bad passes seemed to slip out of his hand. I have to assume he has small hands or a poor grip of the ball. I don't know if it's his mechanics, hands or just strength in general. That's just my opinion as an observer..

[PromoTheRobot]

Fitz's hands must be too small because he doesn't seem to grip the ball well at all. Many of his bad passes seemed to slip out of his hand. I have to assume he has small hands or a poor grip of the ball. I don't know if it's his mechanics, hands or just strength in general. That's just my opinion as an observer..

+1

 

PTR

[Fan in San Diego]

Ryan has a lot of positives. He can read the defenses well, can male the short throws, has good wheels, tough as nails. He struggles with the long ball. He really has to windup to make the throw and loses the fine touch. I think it is pure genetics where the muscle attaches to the bone, how long your arm bone is, it is pure catapult mechanics.

 

When I was a kid, there was a kid we played football with, he could throw the ball farther than anyone of us just with a light flick of his arm, than anyone of us taking a running start at throwing the ball with a monster windup. It was freaky how far he could throw the ball. It had to be pure mechanics of bone length, muscle attachment, etc.

 

So naturally he played QB and had great touch on hitting the WR's. I think he could throw the ball 70 to 80 yards without to much trouble and be accurate.

[BiggieScooby]

Fitzpatrick has to get a big possession wide receiver.

[Thirty Year Fan]

I blame Chan more than Fitz. Chan scripts plays like he has Aaron Rodgers back there

I agree 100%

[12Kachy]

OK...Fitzty started out hot the first four games with a QB rating over 100 which, by season's end had plumeted to under 80. Why? Does he just flat out suck? Maybe? Maybe not! I won't try and BS anyone that Fitzy is franchise QB. He aint. But, his defense ain't worth a piece of pig turd. Not only that, from opening day to the end of the season, the offense lost 6 of 11 starters plus Roscoe Parish. What QB survives that? Especially in his first full season as a starter? So, he puts the team on his shoulders, and in doing so tries to do too much. Throws 23 picks... not all of which were his fault. And the 23 sacks allowed. That was more a credit to Fitzy getting rid of the ball quickly than it was the offensive line. Hell with a patchwork Oline, he was still making them look better than they really were.

 

So, why is anyone calling for his head? If the Bills offense were playing with a full deck most of the season, would you still be calling for his head? I doubt it, because the Bills would have been a wild card team despite the defense.

 

The offense did not let this team down, nor did Fitzy. The defense was the problem, and has been the problem for several years. Even with McGee, Kyle Williams, and Merriman in the lineup, the Bills never ranked higher than 28th.

 

So, why do we have fans calling for the Bills to draft a QB with the 10th pick? How many brain cells does one have to lose to come up with a gem like that. Do they think RGIII is the second coming of Cam Newton? Well, whooptie doo if he is. Last I checked Cam Newton and the Panthers were 6-10. What, no miracles from Cam? How come the 7th ranked QB with a defense ranked only two notches below the Bills didn't get his team to the playoffs? So, Cam had better numbers than Fitz. Did he lose 7 key players on his offense in doing so? No. Did he win more games than Fitz? No. Then, with those fanslogic, the Panthers should draft a QB with their first pick.

 

Yep... Bring Rogers, Roethlisberger, Brees, or whomever you want to be the Bills QB. This team still aint going to the playoffs with the 26th ranked defense and an offense as ravaged by injuries as the Bills were this season. But, let's still blame 6-10 on Fitzy. Brilliant, just brilliant.

 

Sounds like someone bought a #14 jersey.

 

So why is f$tzmoney terrible. Let me see. The bills and fans were looking gor that guy for a long time. They grab a backup qb with not so great history and thrust him into the starting roll. He stats speak for themselves. Go look. You can blame the o line and injuries all you want. To pay a guy who had a good start to the season 9 mil a year, more than rodgers, was stupid. They should have tallked him down to 6 mil a year. For the next three years at least when you look at ryan f$tzmoney, your looking at the franchise qb of the buffalo bills.

 

I hope gailey and nix see something that the rams, bengals and his history dont tell. Going off his past, the future will be worse or similar.

[Trader]

OK...Fitzty started out hot the first four games with a QB rating over 100 which, by season's end had plumeted to under 80. Why? Does he just flat out suck? Maybe? Maybe not! I won't try and BS anyone that Fitzy is franchise QB. He aint. But, his defense ain't worth a piece of pig turd. Not only that, from opening day to the end of the season, the offense lost 6 of 11 starters plus Roscoe Parish. What QB survives that? Especially in his first full season as a starter? So, he puts the team on his shoulders, and in doing so tries to do too much. Throws 23 picks... not all of which were his fault. And the 23 sacks allowed. That was more a credit to Fitzy getting rid of the ball quickly than it was the offensive line. Hell with a patchwork Oline, he was still making them look better than they really were.

 

So, why is anyone calling for his head? If the Bills offense were playing with a full deck most of the season, would you still be calling for his head? I doubt it, because the Bills would have been a wild card team despite the defense.

 

The offense did not let this team down, nor did Fitzy. The defense was the problem, and has been the problem for several years. Even with McGee, Kyle Williams, and Merriman in the lineup, the Bills never ranked higher than 28th.

 

So, why do we have fans calling for the Bills to draft a QB with the 10th pick? How many brain cells does one have to lose to come up with a gem like that. Do they think RGIII is the second coming of Cam Newton? Well, whooptie doo if he is. Last I checked Cam Newton and the Panthers were 6-10. What, no miracles from Cam? How come the 7th ranked QB with a defense ranked only two notches below the Bills didn't get his team to the playoffs? So, Cam had better numbers than Fitz. Did he lose 7 key players on his offense in doing so? No. Did he win more games than Fitz? No. Then, with those fanslogic, the Panthers should draft a QB with their first pick.

 

Yep... Bring Rogers, Roethlisberger, Brees, or whomever you want to be the Bills QB. This team still aint going to the playoffs with the 26th ranked defense and an offense as ravaged by injuries as the Bills were this season. But, let's still blame 6-10 on Fitzy. Brilliant, just brilliant.

 

 

He needs more than 1.5 seconds to throw the ball. Once the Bills are in a passing situation other teams just tee off on us and Fitz just flings it into coverage hoping his receiver can win the battle. The problem is part him and and general Pass blocking, Fred jackson's injury made pass blocking worse. Fitz needs to be more diciplined and he needs an LT. Pass blocking help could also come from a second TE, a stronge CJ spiller. Using McIntyre more or another big back. When they go into that 4 wide spread it becomes a sprint to the QB and Fitz just launches it It's a 50-50 proposition at that point.