Smart People, take me to school. Chan vs Fitz

[thewildrabbit]

You've tried to make this argument before, so I'll just post the response I made to it last time:

 

It's got waaaaay more to do with the QB than the WRs.

 

Case-in-point: Tom Brady won superbowls throwing to the likes of Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney, David Givens, Daniel Graham, Ben Watson, David Patten, Deion Branch, etc. He's never won one throwing to Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez, despite how much better these players are.

 

Look at the best teams, and you see that they have the best QBs...year in and year out.

 

That simple.

see the above response to Billsrhody. None of those bolded teams in the playoffs have even made it to the SB, and Atlanta just added Julio Jones last year.

 

Its the reason why SF was one game away from the SB and brought in and signed WR Randy Moss AND WR Mario Manningham this off season. Its the reason why the Ravens have been in the playoffs year after year but recently traded for Anquan Bolden and Lee Evans only to find they already had a good young WR on the team in Torrey Smith.

 

 

 

* I'm somewhat leery of pointing this out, (because I don't want Belicheat to remember what won him SB's)but the Patriots won the SB with a great running game, and defense along with Brady spreading the ball out to several receivers. They have gotten away from the running game the last few years and tried to rely on only Brady throwing. So you basically shot down your own "its all about the QB theory"

 

SB MVP's, WR Dion Branch- WR Hines Ward- WR Santono Holmes. Its not just about the QB's, they also need a good team around them.

 

 

 

PS - Are you really trying to use Tony Scheffler, Brandon Pettigrew, and Nate Burleson as your backup to say that pass-catchers are as important as QBs? Because if that's the case, I'm officially done with this discussion, as we are definitely not on the same page here.

What I stated was the Lions have the best WR in the NFL in Megatron. The Lions problem is they lack the RB, 2nd top WR and defense to get to the SB. Edited September 14, 2012 by Fear the Beard

[thebandit27]

see the above response to Billsrhody. None of those bolded teams in the playoffs have even made it to the SB, and Atlanta just added Julio Jones last year.

 

 

Aside from the fact that 2 of the 4 teams you bolded in your response to Billsrhody have indeed made (and won) the Superbowl, I'll ignore that as part of my response, since I'm not sure what to make of that comment.

 

So you're proposing that the WRs are what is keeping the playoff teams from the Superbowl, but that it's not the QB that is keeping Buffalo from the playoffs?

 

 

Its the reason why SF was one game away from the SB and brought in and signed WR Randy Moss AND WR Mario Manningham this off season. Its the reason why the Ravens have been in the playoffs year after year but recently traded for Anquan Bolden and Lee Evans only to find they already had a good young WR on the team in Torrey Smith.

 

 

Did you watch last year's playoffs?

 

If so, are you really telling me that your takeaway was that SF didn't beat the Giants because of their WRs? Because that's not what I saw. What I saw was SF turning the ball over one too many times on special teams, which is what cost them the game.

 

I also saw Green Bay get bounced when they couldn't protect the QB...the great WR corps didn't help them there.

 

Baltimore lost when their kicker couldn't make a 30-yard field goal.

 

What does any of this have to do with WRs?

 

 

 

* I'm somewhat leery of pointing this out, (because I don't want Belicheat to remember what won him SB's)but the Patriots won the SB with a great running game, and defense along with Brady spreading the ball out to several receivers. They have gotten away from the running game the last few years and tried to rely on only Brady throwing. So you basically shot down your own "its all about the QB theory"

 

 

A "great" running game? You're not much for historical accuracy, are you? In their first Superbowl season of 2001-02, New England ranked 13th in the NFL in rushing, just a crack above the league average of 1,788 rushing yards in a season:

 

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2001/

 

Also, that year, the defense ranked 24th in the NFL in yards/game. They did rank 6th in points/game allowed though, so at least you've got that going for you.

 

In their second Superbowl season of 2003-04, New England ranked 27th in the NFL in rushing yards and 9th in passing yards:

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/passing/year/2003

 

Defense was much better that year, ranking 1st in points/game allowed and 7th in yards/game.

 

Finally, in 2004-05, your statement actually holds water (1 out 3 ain't bad, right?). New England ranked 7th in the NFL in rushing yards and 11th in passing yards, and 9th in total defense (7 spots behind Buffalo, incidentally).

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/passing/year/2004

 

So no, I'd say that doesn't exactly support your argument at all.

 

SB MVP's, WR Dion Branch- WR Hines Ward- WR Santono Holmes. Its not just about the QB's, they also need a good team around them.

 

 

Really? How about this:

 

Superbowl MVPs:

 

2011 - Eli Manning

2010 - Aaron Rodgers

2009 - Drew Brees

2007 - Eli Manning

2006 - Peyton Manning

2003 - Tom Brady

2001 - Tom Brady

 

That's 7 of the last 11...

 

What I stated was the Lions have the best WR in the NFL in Megatron. The Lions problem is they lack the RB, 2nd top WR and defense to get to the SB.

 

The Lions problem is that they lack defense. They gave up 40+ point in the playoffs...you flippantly tossed #2 WR in there because it conveniently supported your point. It's not their biggest problem by a mile.

[muffmonster]

Baltimore lost when their kicker couldn't make a 30-yard field goal.

 

What does any of this have to do with WRs?

 

One could argue a WR by the name of Lee Evans cost that game when he dropped a sure TD as well.

[thebandit27]

One could argue a WR by the name of Lee Evans cost that game when he dropped a sure TD as well.

 

Indeed. My point was that, despite the drop, they still could've gone to overtime with a 30-yard FG. WR wasn't THE reason they lost (as the poster implied).

 

I mean, it was a good head's up play by Moore to strip the ball, but Evans should've squeezed that ball away...

[HeHateMe]

^^ You guys are getting off topic but I'll chime in, QB is more important that WR... that should be obvious..

 

WRs need someone capable of throwing them the ball, do they not? It is the position most reliant on another position...

[KOKBILLS]

 

 

So yea, as one poster put it Chan Gailey is pass happy with a journeyman QB who should be just trying to manage a game rather then try to out throw Tom Brady in 4-5 WR sets. Plus, Gailey has only one good WR while constantly running 4-5 WR sets. Gailey passes to setup the run, which he should be doing the opposite because his best offensive weapon is Fred Jackson.

 

 

 

Exactly...And his 2nd best weapon may very well be Spiller...

[3rdand12]

Fitz is the weakest link based on last weeks play imho. not play calling.

[thewildrabbit]

Aside from the fact that 2 of the 4 teams you bolded in your response to Billsrhody have indeed made (and won) the Superbowl, I'll ignore that as part of my response, since I'm not sure what to make of that comment.

So you're proposing that the WRs are what is keeping the playoff teams from the Superbowl, but that it's not the QB that is keeping Buffalo from the playoffs?

Did you watch last year's playoffs?

If so, are you really telling me that your takeaway was that SF didn't beat the Giants because of their WRs? Because that's not what I saw. What I saw was SF turning the ball over one too many times on special teams, which is what cost them the game.

I also saw Green Bay get bounced when they couldn't protect the QB...the great WR corps didn't help them there.

Baltimore lost when their kicker couldn't make a 30-yard field goal.

What does any of this have to do with WRs?

A "great" running game? You're not much for historical accuracy, are you? In their first Superbowl season of 2001-02, New England ranked 13th in the NFL in rushing, just a crack above the league average of 1,788 rushing yards in a season:

http://www.pro-footb...com/years/2001/

Also, that year, the defense ranked 24th in the NFL in yards/game. They did rank 6th in points/game allowed though, so at least you've got that going for you.

In their second Superbowl season of 2003-04, New England ranked 27th in the NFL in rushing yards and 9th in passing yards:

http://espn.go.com/n...ssing/year/2003

Defense was much better that year, ranking 1st in points/game allowed and 7th in yards/game.

Finally, in 2004-05, your statement actually holds water (1 out 3 ain't bad, right?). New England ranked 7th in the NFL in rushing yards and 11th in passing yards, and 9th in total defense (7 spots behind Buffalo, incidentally).

http://espn.go.com/n...ssing/year/2004

So no, I'd say that doesn't exactly support your argument at all.

Really? How about this:

Superbowl MVPs:

2011 - Eli Manning

2010 - Aaron Rodgers

2009 - Drew Brees

2007 - Eli Manning

2006 - Peyton Manning

2003 - Tom Brady

2001 - Tom Brady

That's 7 of the last 11...

The Lions problem is that they lack defense. They gave up 40+ point in the playoffs...you flippantly tossed #2 WR in there because it conveniently supported your point. It's not their biggest problem by a mile.

Blah blah blah...blubity blubity blah. wow, talk about over the top. Lets try one point at a time

 

The Falcons already had a top 10 WR in Roddy White, They had a decent defense and and a good QB and running game, and were in the playoffs the last few years! Yet they traded the farm for Julio Jones. They gave up 5 draft picks to move up to get him. Now why do suppose they did that?

[Shamrock]

Some of the routes ran last week were just awful. Guys in just truly horrible body/ ball positions, falling over each other. Is that coaching- the head, the receivers coach or early season rust. But some routes looked like high school,

[starrymessenger]

The only thing wrong with Chan's O is the guy he picked to run it. That is the fatal flaw they talk about in discussing tragic heros.

[thewildrabbit]

The only thing wrong with Chan's O is the guy he picked to run it. That is the fatal flaw they talk about in discussing tragic heros.

Chan has had 3 years to draft a QB early, or pick up something better in free agency....he is married to Fitz!

 

The real problem is, look whats actually happening on the field, Gailey has a journeyman QB who was a backup his entire career out on the field throwing the ball around like he is Tom Brady. Constant 4-5 WR sets with only one decent WR. Fitz is not an elite QB, he is not Tom Brady and he doesn't have the receiver corps or the line Brady has.

 

Chan not only has the wrong guy, he still thinks he has the right guy and keeps calling passing plays like he has Tom Brady behind center.

[mjt328]

Here is the problem.

 

Fitz is an extremely limited quarterback. He has a below-average arm for an NFL starter. His deep ball accuracy is horrific. His decision making is spotty, especially when he is pressured or his initial reads break down.

 

Chan designed this offense to hide these flaws and take advantage of the strong point Fitz does possess - specifically the ability to make pre-snap reads of a defense. That is whey you see the spread 95% of the time. It give Fitz the ability to scan the defensive coverage, audible if necessary and then make quick-short throws with very little pressure. And for a handful of games last season, this was a very effective strategy.

 

Defenses started catching on after about 3-4 games and it's been downhill ever since. The book is out on the Bills offense. All they have to do is clog the short passing lanes and dare Fitz to beat you deep. He CANNOT do it. His receivers cannot gain separation and he cannot put the ball in a catchable position.

 

 

It's easy to SAY that Chan should do something different. It's entirely different to expect success with something different.

 

 

People say we should simply run the ball more, because Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller are our best players on offense. That sounds good on paper. But it's not so realistic when you consider the overall talents of our offensive players (and not just Fitz). Our players are just not suited to a power running game.

 

> Can FJax and Spiller CONSISTENTLY gain 4-5 yards - between the tackles - when the defense knows it is coming? I have my doubts. Spiller has a history of dancing at the line of scrimmage. Jackson was an average NFL runner until last year, when he found his niche in the spread offense.

 

> Is our offensive line physical enough to consistently outmuscle the opposing defensive line? Without a strong push by the guys up front, Fitz will be facing a lot of 3rd & 7 or 3rd & 8 (which is almost impossible for him to convert).

 

> You just can't run the ball 20-25 times a game out of shotgun. A successful running game would require us lining up under center more often. That means less receiving options and a 3-4 step drop for our quarterback. This would limit Fitz's pre-snap vision of the defense and force him to make decisions in the pocket. This completely plays against his strengths. If you think he is bad now...

[K-9]

Here is the problem.

 

Fitz is an extremely limited quarterback. He has a below-average arm for an NFL starter. His deep ball accuracy is horrific. ...

 

Can you quantify this?

 

I've asked this many times of people here that make this claim. I'm not saying you are wrong, but I'd like to see statistical proof of just how much worse some QBs are than others when it comes to the mythical "long ball." I'm sure Fitz would rank lower in the standings but I suspect the standard isn't all that high to begin with. In other words, low percentage passes are low percentage passes for a reason and I'm willing to bet that no QB completes a high percentage of them.

 

What constitutes a long pass?

What percentage of them are completed?

 

As for Fitz's arm strength, this isn't true. While he doesn't come close to a Cutler or others (and few QBs do, including some of the best of all time) he can make all the throws. His problem is he has a long wind-up and that takes him longer to get the ball out of his hand.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[thewildrabbit]

Here is the problem.

 

Fitz is an extremely limited quarterback. He has a below-average arm for an NFL starter. His deep ball accuracy is horrific. His decision making is spotty, especially when he is pressured or his initial reads break down.

 

Chan designed this offense to hide these flaws and take advantage of the strong point Fitz does possess - specifically the ability to make pre-snap reads of a defense. That is whey you see the spread 95% of the time. It give Fitz the ability to scan the defensive coverage, audible if necessary and then make quick-short throws with very little pressure. And for a handful of games last season, this was a very effective strategy.

 

Defenses started catching on after about 3-4 games and it's been downhill ever since. The book is out on the Bills offense. All they have to do is clog the short passing lanes and dare Fitz to beat you deep. He CANNOT do it. His receivers cannot gain separation and he cannot put the ball in a catchable position.

 

 

It's easy to SAY that Chan should do something different. It's entirely different to expect success with something different.

 

 

People say we should simply run the ball more, because Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller are our best players on offense. That sounds good on paper. But it's not so realistic when you consider the overall talents of our offensive players (and not just Fitz). Our players are just not suited to a power running game.

 

> Can FJax and Spiller CONSISTENTLY gain 4-5 yards - between the tackles - when the defense knows it is coming? I have my doubts. Spiller has a history of dancing at the line of scrimmage. Jackson was an average NFL runner until last year, when he found his niche in the spread offense.

 

> Is our offensive line physical enough to consistently outmuscle the opposing defensive line? Without a strong push by the guys up front, Fitz will be facing a lot of 3rd & 7 or 3rd & 8 (which is almost impossible for him to convert).

 

> You just can't run the ball 20-25 times a game out of shotgun. A successful running game would require us lining up under center more often. That means less receiving options and a 3-4 step drop for our quarterback. This would limit Fitz's pre-snap vision of the defense and force him to make decisions in the pocket. This completely plays against his strengths. If you think he is bad now...

First of all Fitz is not as bad as you make him out to be, his arm in particular. He doesn't have the arm strength of Jay Cutler, but then a lot of QB's don't have that. If he were as bad as you make him out to be he wouldn't be a starting NFL QB. The Bills FO is notoriously frugal would have never paid him what they paid him if he couldn't make every NFL throw, PERIOD!

 

Next, the current Bills could easily run the ball more in and out of the spread formation, Gailey just refuses to do it! I don't see a reason why the Bills couldn't hand off more often in shotgun, they have done it before. Heck even Jim Kelly used to do that. The problem is that even when the running game is doing very well in a game, Gailey inexplicably stops using it to throw more.

 

Just go back and look at the late 80's / early 1990 Buffalo Bills with Jim Kelly. Most of those years the Bills ran the ball with Thurman Thomas more then they passed the ball. This is a FACT! Oh, but it was the K-gun offense, the No huddle offense. But it was the Bills ( under Ted Marchibroda) utilizing the old Redskin "counter trey" offensive running scheme running the ball to setup the pass. The latest trend is zone blocking scheme.

 

 

The current talent on the Bills O line is finally approaching the talent level of a top NFL team. #2 pick Glenn at LT looks like the real deal and they now may have some depth at tackle with Hairston. There are still questions at RT and RG but overall they might improve as the season goes on, who knows.

 

 

What the Bills are still lacking is the top #2 & #3 good WR. when Gailey starts running his 4-5 WR sets. The early Jim Kelly SB Bills had Andre Reed- James Lofton- Don Beebe, and they were a dominate running team! The current Bills have had nobody to stretch the field since trading away Lee Evans. Lee was always a deep threat that teams had to respect and usually rolled their coverages towards him. Leaving Stevie Johnson single covered underneath and almost always open. With Evans gone the defenses can indeed squat on the receivers at the line and bump them out of position, this causes Fitz to hold onto the ball longer then he should and then bad things happen.

 

The Bills KNEW they needed a better option at WR in the off season, its the reason they drafted TJ Graham with the #3 pick and tried to bring in Saints WR Robert Meachem (who signed with SD) It was rumored that the Bills were also interested in SD WR Vincent Jackson who signed for an 11.5 per year with TB. They just didn't get it done, and its hurting the offense. Perhaps TJ Graham is the answer, but he can't be if he is on the inactive roster. We will see this week.

[Projay89]

Talent is the biggest thing we lack. Pick the position. We lack exceptional players and have for ten plus years. Its 11 on 11, and we just dont win match ups often enough. Yes coaches can make adjustments to help put players in position to win, but obviouly we cant do that either.( That deer in the headlight look of our defense seemingly trying nothing different to get pressure on Sanchez., I could freaking break somthing!) GOOD GOD!!! DO SOMTHING DIFFERENT!!! send the kitchen sink for goodness sake. At some point I want a coach to run on the field and get a sack, so at least someone knocks the freakn qb down. There are things that i hate about this offense like empty backfields, cant stand em. no one to pick up the blitz, no fear of a draw or screen that may slow down a pass rush. Im gonna lose my mind watchn this team, I think I have already. i dont even know what the topic is anymore. AND CAN WE GET A STOP ON 3RD AND LONG! ever? Im going back to my Captain n Coke. Go Bills!

[thewildrabbit]

> Is our offensive line physical enough to consistently outmuscle the opposing defensive line? Without a strong push by the guys up front, Fitz will be facing a lot of 3rd & 7 or 3rd & 8 (which is almost impossible for him to convert).

Say what?

LT Cordy Glenn 6'6'' 345 #2 pick

LG Andy Levite 6'2'' 305 #2pick

C Eric Wood 6'4'' 310 #1 pick

RG Kraig Urbik 6'5'' 324

RT Eric Pears 6'8'' 316

 

Man 0 man that is one massive O line. If this line can't be a top run blocking line in the league its because of lack of talent on the coaching staff

[FreakPop]

I don't claim to be smart, but it doesn't take a genius to see what current problems plague the Bills offense.

 

First off, top teams have more then one top WR. the Bills have one player ranked #19 in yards last year. The next best was David Nelson ranked # 60.

 

To put it in proper perspective the NE Patriots had one of the worst defenses last season but their offense was so potent it didn't matter.The Patriots had Wes Welker who had 122 receptions(next best was Roddy White at 100 receptions) TE Rob Gronkowski at 90 receptions and ranked #6 in yards. TE Aaron Hernandez 79 receptions ranked #31 in yards. WR Dion Branch #57 in yards. Thats 122-90-76 for the Patriots. Stevie Johnson only had 76

 

So while the Bills had one guy ranked 19th in yards & 18th in receptions the Patriots had 2 guys better then SJ and 4 players better then the Bills 2nd best WR.

 

So yea, as one poster put it Chan Gailey is pass happy with a journeyman QB who should be just trying to manage a game rather then try to out throw Tom Brady in 4-5 WR sets. Plus, Gailey has only one good WR while constantly running 4-5 WR sets. Gailey passes to setup the run, which he should be doing the opposite because his best offensive weapon is Fred Jackson.

 

The Bills with Jim Kelly back in the day used the same spread offense only they ran to setup the pass. Most years the Bills were a very balanced offensive attack and actually ran the ball more then they threw it.

 

 

The Bills passing scheme is also very limited due to Fitz's O line and protections. Fitz mostly only throws 3 step drop pass plays because Chan Gailey has setup a quick / short passing scheme to keep pressure off Fitz. Plus Fitz has had an uncanny ability to find the open receiver and get him the ball in under 3 seconds, usually around 2 seconds.

 

Then you need to take into consideration that the Bills have one of the worst defense's in the NFL, the Bills were always playing from behind the last half of last season, and Fitz almost always was trying to play catchup while throwing into nickel, and dime defensive coverages. Basically throwing into the teeth of the defense all game long. It put the QB in untenable situations game after game.

 

Just my 2 cents

 

Not that Fitz is great or even good but it's nice to see someone explain why he has difficulties and they are not of his doing. Along with all that you have said, I also see Fitz trying to force balls into smaller windows than most QBs because of the lack of WR talent and he just struggles to do that.

 

To all the Fitz bashers, if the WR can't get any separation or have their route thrown off by the initial bump at the line what is Fitz supposed to do with the ball? Hold it and take 1001 sacks? Throw it anyway, and try and fit it into that extra small window? I just don't understand what you want him to do?

Edited September 15, 2012 by FreakPop

[Hapless Bills Fan]

To all the Fitz bashers, if the WR can't get any separation or have their route thrown off by the initial bump at the line what is Fitz supposed to do with the ball? Hold it and take 1001 sacks? Throw it anyway, and try and fit it into that extra small window? I just don't understand what you want him to do?

 

The overall issue is that there's a desireable balance. To win, a QB has to be somewhat aggressive and willing to take shots sometimes. He also has to throw the ball away sometimes, to avoid both the sack and the overly-high-risk throw. In general, if the WR is jammed up on the line or can't get separation, the QB is supposed to progress through his reads and throw to his "outlet".

So here is an attempt at a bit of balance in discussing the issues with Fitz and the Bills :

1) The Bills utilize timing elements. Sometimes what looks like a horrible, off target throw is actually a miscue or a jam where the WR didn't show up where Fitz expected him to be.

2) But sometimes, especially last year to the left side, it really is a horrible, off target throw

3) Sometimes under pressure, Fitz will try to force the throw into poor separation or coverage when he should throw it away or take the sack

4) With the possible exception of SJ, the Bills lack truly elite WR(s) who can pull in those off-target throws or win the battle of the hands in tight coverage.

 

It is my opinion that with Bicknell as the Bills new WR coach (he was TE coach last year when the TE weren't doing so well), the Bills WR corps in general does not look as well prepared or sharp on their route running. It was a problem in pre-season games and it's a problem now.

 

Bicknell is a Gailey croney from his tenure as Chiefs OC. He has minimal playing experience (Boston College) and a coaching resume that is largely OL and heavy on NFL Europe and college. He had 3 years with the Chiefs, 2 as OL and one as TE coach before Chan hired him as TE coach in 2010.

 

He has never been a WR coach before.

 

Stan Hixon, last year's WR coach, had a much longer resume as a WR coach - 6 years as WR coach with the Redskins and a lot of varied college experience following college experience playing WR.

 

I don't blame the Bills for wanting to hire Metzelaars as the TE coach - jump at the opportunity. Cronyism is Chan's true downfall IMO.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Hopeful

[thebandit27]

Blah blah blah...blubity blubity blah. wow, talk about over the top. Lets try one point at a time

 

The Falcons already had a top 10 WR in Roddy White, They had a decent defense and and a good QB and running game, and were in the playoffs the last few years! Yet they traded the farm for Julio Jones. They gave up 5 draft picks to move up to get him. Now why do suppose they did that?

 

So now that the remainder of your argument crumbled, you're going to redue it to "Buffalo's problem is that they have no #2 WR, as is evidenced by the fact that Atlanta gave up 5 draft picks for Julio Jones and still couldn't win in the playoffs"?

 

Excellent.

 

I think we're done here.

[silvermike]

RIght now, I think the problem is more Fitz than Chan. Chan can't change QBs; we don't have anyone else to go to. So it can't be that Fitz is the wrong QB for Chan's offense because there's no other options. If you don't like Fitz, call the GM. The question has to be whether the offense is right for the QB. Last season is fading, but from the Jets game, my impression is that this is the offense that lets you get the most out of Fitz. The problem is that that's still not enough.

 

We set up in the spread so often because Fitz does have a quick release and we do have good pass-blockers up front: it means that we can send all five guys out on routes, or at least four. We run these short, speedy passes because Fitz doesn't have the deep-ball accuracy to make it worth our while to have things set up downfiled. Lots of options, lots of reads to make before the snap: those are Fitz's strengths. The spread maximizes those by putting catchers past the line of scrimmage, and someone will draw single coverage. Somebody will get a step on a cut and catch a pass. If we were going bigger - more fullbacks and tight ends, that means Donald Jones going to get doubled. And he's never going to be open. Our WRs are bad, but their strenghth is that they don't get worse. There's Stevie, but after that, who cares if it's Donald Jones or Brad Smith. Somebody's going to have a better matchup.

 

It also means it takes a lot for a backup to get ready, but Thigpen was so bad it's not like we needed to worry about it. We were going to suck on offense regardless of whether or not the backup understood it.

 

In the Jets game, Fitz wasn't making bad decisions, he was making bad throws. HIgh, short, long, late, early. He knew what he was supposed to do, he just misfired. And those passes weren't difficult ones: they were the middle stuff that our offense used to work off of. Five, six yards. When that's happening, Chan starts to run out of options. If your QB can't reliably complete any passes, what's left to do?

 

You can run the ball, of course. And without a doubt, Chan could stand to add a few more handoffs to the playbook. But alone, it's not enough. We ran on most of our first downs last week, and those carries would get stuffed. Now it's 2nd and 11, 2nd and 9, and everyone starts getting nervous. Or worse, we take some dumbass false start and it's 1st and 15. Those are deep holes when you only have a running game. You need some kind of plausible passing attack in the NFL. It's not that we'd need CJ and Freddie to average 6 yards per carry, they'd need to do it every time. We'd have to be mortified of 3rd and 8. We can run more, but we can never run enough to win if Fitz is going to be as bad as he's been lately.

 

This offense does everything it can to make Fitz an NFL-worthy starter. Sometimes it gets there, but usually it doesn't. We can run more and just pray on 3rd downs, or we can hope Fitz improves. But I think that's all we've got.