Ryan Fitzpatrick’s career high win Fedex Air POW Nomination
Dec 6, 2015 22:13:43 GMT -5
Jetworks, Bing© in Buffalo Chairman, and 2 more like this
Post by thebigragu on Dec 6, 2015 22:13:43 GMT -5
As Josh Brown was going through his pre-kick routine, seemingly about to tie game 23-23 in overtime Sunday at MetLife Stadium, the two most important Jets — who happen to be tied together by a special common bond — sat next to each other on the visiting-team sideline and were having a moment.
“Hey, I’ve been in the league 10 years and you 11 and we’ve bounced around from team to team,’’ Jets receiver Brandon Marshall said to his quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick. “The football gods are hearing us right now so he’s going to miss this kick.’’
And so he did.
Brown, who had made a Giants’ franchise-record 29 consecutive field goals, including two on Sunday, missed the 48-yard attempt with 6:33 remaining in the Jets stirring 23-20 overtime comeback victory.
“I was kind of thinking about the next series, but I had Brandon in my ear talking about ‘10-year, 11-year career … we’ve never been … stars are aligning.’ I don’t know what he was saying,’’ Fitzpatrick said, joking. “I was glad I was sitting next to him when it happened. It was a cool moment for us.’’
The cool moment quickly turned into a humorously awkward moment in the bedlam that ensued when Brown’s kick hooked wide left of the upright.
“We sat there for a second,’’ Marshall said. “We didn’t get up and run onto the field. We just hugged each other. He put me in this weird position that was really awkward where I was like laying on top of him.’’
In the aftermath of a wild day between the two MetLife co-tenants, there was much to analyze and dissect, beginning with Giants’ coach Tom Coughlin injecting life into the Jets when he went for a fourth-and-2 and failed instead of kicking a gimme field goal to take a 13-point lead.
But for the Jets, the focus should be squarely on their journeyman quarterback who keeps delivering despite the reticence of so many to give him credit.
Eli Manning, the quarterback on the opposite sideline, has two Super Bowl MVP trophies at home. Fitzpatrick, in his 11th NFL season and playing in his 101st game, has never has a taste of the postseason.
Fitzpatrick had never won more than six games in a season. Sunday’s win was his seventh win this season for the 7-5 Jets, who are in the thick of the AFC wild-card race with four games remaining in the regular season.
“Other than Christmas, December is never really a fun time for me for some reason,’’ Fitzpatrick said, a joking reference to his failure to make the playoffs. “This late in the year [I’ve never been] in this situation in terms of where we’re sitting at as a team and a type of win like that.’’
Just when you didn’t think Fitzpatrick could get any better than he was last week when he was torching the Dolphins’ defense for four touchdown passes, he took things to a different level. With the stakes higher and the scenario quite a bit more tenuous.
Fitzpatrick completed 36 of 50 passes for 390 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. More importantly, he took a Jets offense that had managed to score just one touchdown in the first 55 minutes of the game and led it to 10 points in the final 4:24 to send the game to overtime.
Then, in overtime, he led the Jets on a 13-play, 61-yard drive for the eventual winning field goal.
When the Jets acquired him, Fitzpatrick was dismissively thought of as nothing more than a reliable backup, a safety net in case expected starter Geno Smith faltered.
After the game, Smith sounded like someone who had just witnessed a tutorial on how to quarterback in the clutch.
“What he did in the fourth quarter was astronomical,’’ Smith told The Post. “On that last drive to tie the game he made some phenomenal plays. What he did definitely deserves a lot of respect.’’
Asked what he’s learned most watching Fitzpatrick, Smith said: “Just his overall demeanor. He’s very calm in those situations. You don’t see any signs of frustration. He’s a very, very, very poised guy, the type of guy that leads the team. You need a guy like that.’’
What Fitzpatrick has turned out to be 12 games into his first season with his sixth NFL team is the team’s unquestioned MVP, and — depending on how the next month goes for the Jets — perhaps a part of the conversation as the league’s MVP.
So you can understand Marshall fawning all over his teammate as Brown was lining up that overtime field-goal attempt.
“I wanted to tell him how proud I am of him for leading us,’’ Marshall said. “Not only [Sunday], but the whole season.’’
nypost.com/2015/12/06/ryan-fitzpatricks-career-high-win-has-jets-believers-testifying/
“Hey, I’ve been in the league 10 years and you 11 and we’ve bounced around from team to team,’’ Jets receiver Brandon Marshall said to his quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick. “The football gods are hearing us right now so he’s going to miss this kick.’’
And so he did.
Brown, who had made a Giants’ franchise-record 29 consecutive field goals, including two on Sunday, missed the 48-yard attempt with 6:33 remaining in the Jets stirring 23-20 overtime comeback victory.
“I was kind of thinking about the next series, but I had Brandon in my ear talking about ‘10-year, 11-year career … we’ve never been … stars are aligning.’ I don’t know what he was saying,’’ Fitzpatrick said, joking. “I was glad I was sitting next to him when it happened. It was a cool moment for us.’’
The cool moment quickly turned into a humorously awkward moment in the bedlam that ensued when Brown’s kick hooked wide left of the upright.
“We sat there for a second,’’ Marshall said. “We didn’t get up and run onto the field. We just hugged each other. He put me in this weird position that was really awkward where I was like laying on top of him.’’
In the aftermath of a wild day between the two MetLife co-tenants, there was much to analyze and dissect, beginning with Giants’ coach Tom Coughlin injecting life into the Jets when he went for a fourth-and-2 and failed instead of kicking a gimme field goal to take a 13-point lead.
But for the Jets, the focus should be squarely on their journeyman quarterback who keeps delivering despite the reticence of so many to give him credit.
Eli Manning, the quarterback on the opposite sideline, has two Super Bowl MVP trophies at home. Fitzpatrick, in his 11th NFL season and playing in his 101st game, has never has a taste of the postseason.
Fitzpatrick had never won more than six games in a season. Sunday’s win was his seventh win this season for the 7-5 Jets, who are in the thick of the AFC wild-card race with four games remaining in the regular season.
“Other than Christmas, December is never really a fun time for me for some reason,’’ Fitzpatrick said, a joking reference to his failure to make the playoffs. “This late in the year [I’ve never been] in this situation in terms of where we’re sitting at as a team and a type of win like that.’’
Just when you didn’t think Fitzpatrick could get any better than he was last week when he was torching the Dolphins’ defense for four touchdown passes, he took things to a different level. With the stakes higher and the scenario quite a bit more tenuous.
Fitzpatrick completed 36 of 50 passes for 390 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. More importantly, he took a Jets offense that had managed to score just one touchdown in the first 55 minutes of the game and led it to 10 points in the final 4:24 to send the game to overtime.
Then, in overtime, he led the Jets on a 13-play, 61-yard drive for the eventual winning field goal.
When the Jets acquired him, Fitzpatrick was dismissively thought of as nothing more than a reliable backup, a safety net in case expected starter Geno Smith faltered.
After the game, Smith sounded like someone who had just witnessed a tutorial on how to quarterback in the clutch.
“What he did in the fourth quarter was astronomical,’’ Smith told The Post. “On that last drive to tie the game he made some phenomenal plays. What he did definitely deserves a lot of respect.’’
Asked what he’s learned most watching Fitzpatrick, Smith said: “Just his overall demeanor. He’s very calm in those situations. You don’t see any signs of frustration. He’s a very, very, very poised guy, the type of guy that leads the team. You need a guy like that.’’
What Fitzpatrick has turned out to be 12 games into his first season with his sixth NFL team is the team’s unquestioned MVP, and — depending on how the next month goes for the Jets — perhaps a part of the conversation as the league’s MVP.
So you can understand Marshall fawning all over his teammate as Brown was lining up that overtime field-goal attempt.
“I wanted to tell him how proud I am of him for leading us,’’ Marshall said. “Not only [Sunday], but the whole season.’’
nypost.com/2015/12/06/ryan-fitzpatricks-career-high-win-has-jets-believers-testifying/
