Post by jcappy on Dec 13, 2015 12:22:50 GMT -5
www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mehta-bowles-ryan-fitzpatrick-back-jets-2016-article-1.2463907
Jets coach Todd Bowles has seen enough from Ryan Fitzpatrick that he wants QB back in 2016
How does a guy destined for Wall Street wind up here? How does an economics major from a place that has produced U.S. presidents, foreign heads of state and Nobel laureates find himself doing this? How does it last so long?
How has Ryan Fitzpatrick done it?
The cookie-cutter storyline was supposed to be a footnote in his life: Scrappy rookie seventh-round Ivy Leaguer cut after No. 3 quarterback training camp battle.
Thanks for the memories, NFL. Time to find a real job.
Somehow, the story has stretched 11 years through six cities. Rejection has been the soundtrack for as long as he can remember. Stanford, Arizona State and Notre Dame passed on him long before NFL journeyman became a part of his permanent record.
Fitzpatrick has never been able to take a hint. He’s been cut or traded five times in the past nine years because teams held on to the promise of something he could never be: The next big thing. There was always someone younger with more potential on the horizon.
Fitzpatrick has been the eternal placeholder, the rebound in every team-quarterback relationship, the guy you forget about five years from now.
“That’s been my whole career: I’ve been the afterthought,” Fitzpatrick told the Daily News in a quiet moment. “I’ve gotten used to it. It’s kind of what everybody thinks. I like playing the role of the underdog. That’s fine with me. I just want to go out there and win. That’s it.”
Fitzpatrick was supposed to blend into the background this season too. The Jets traded a conditional seventh-round pick to the Texans this offseason to get veteran insurance for Geno Smith. There was no quarterback competition. Fitzpatrick’s role was clearly defined: Hang out and be there... just in case.
Smith’s locker-room fight with IK Enemkpali on Aug. 11 changed everything and set in motion a career resurgence for Fitzpatrick.
The guy not good enough to build around has given hope to a star-crossed franchise. The Jets might still be searching for a long-term solution at quarterback, but Todd Bowles told the News that he wants to re-sign Fitzpatrick for at least one more season.
“Definitely,” the head coach said when asked whether he wants Fitzpatrick back next year.
The veteran signal caller is in the final year of a two-year deal that he signed with the Texans.
“We got to work (it out) after the season,” Bowles said of the impending free agent.
How is Bowles so sure that Fitzpatrick should be back with the Jets in 2016?
“You can see it in his play,” Bowles said. “You can see it in his demeanor, his professionalism. Every day, the way he approaches his job. So, it’s somebody you definitely want around.”
Fitzpatrick has found a calm and peace unlike at any other time in his career. “It’s interesting the way that all the stars have aligned,” the quarterback said.
He’s smarter on Sundays too. His career highlight prior to this season came playing for Chan Gailey in Buffalo. Fitzpatrick averaged an interception every 28 attempts during those three gun-slinging years with Gailey. He’s averaging an interception every 37 attempts in his second go-round with the play-caller.
“In Buffalo, he was trying to make every play,” Bowles said of Fitzpatrick. “He was trying to be ‘the guy’ to make every play.”
His mindset has changed. He’s no longer Maverick. He’s not buzzing the tower with unauthorized fly-bys anymore.
Now, Fitzpatrick is just another 33-year-old Harvard graduate leading a billion-dollar organization.
“There’s so much about quarterback that’s the mental side,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s about experience. It’s about being able to think through the game.
I don’t know how long I’m going to play, but I feel that I’m better now than I’ve been at any point in my career. I feel that I’m better now than I have been in terms of football IQ, the way I’m seeing the game and the way I’m throwing the ball. I would love to continue to build off that.”
“I love playing for Coach Bowles,” he added. “I love being on this team.”
Few things in life actually upset Fitzpatrick. His kids’ penchant for bending playing cards during Skip-Bo is one of them. Questioning his ability to excel on the field just because he’s 33 is another (even though he’s too nice to admit it).
Perception likely won’t change even if he helps the 7-5 Jets, who host the Titans on Sunday, break a four-year playoff drought. Stereotypes don’t magically disappear. He’s destined to be “the other guy.”
“I think that’s definitely the perception whether it’s around the league or public perception,” Fitzpatrick said. “But it doesn’t really matter to me.”
Fitzpatrick is a terrible liar. It must bother him on some level, because it should bother him. He’s on pace to tie Vinny Testaverde’s franchise record for touchdown passes in a season (29). He’s developed invaluable chemistry with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, who are having the best combined statistical seasons of any wide receiver tandem in franchise history. Fitzpatrick has infused the locker room with “confidence, energy and fun,” according to Decker.
“He does a great job of managing,” Marshall told The News. “He’s in a leadership position. Some quarterbacks want it. Some don’t. Regardless, that position is a CEO. You have to be able to lead up to the board and you have to be able to lead down to the guys on the floor. ... He does a great job of managing all of our egos and personalities.”
Being well-traveled also has its privileges. Fitzpatrick’s past experiences in ever-changing environments have helped him adjust quickly to the Jets personnel. It’s been one of the critical reasons for his success.
“Moving around so much you get used to different types of players,” Fitzpatrick said. “Big, little, fast, slow. So that’s something that I think is one of my best traits. I’ve got a lot of experience with a lot of different types of players.”
Fitzpatrick’s toughness is the primary reason why he’s universally respected in the locker room. He missed only one practice after undergoing surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament last month. The thought of losing his job due to injury was “maybe in the back of my mind, yeah, who knows,” but the driving force to accelerate his return was simply to help the team win.
“If pain is the only thing that is going to maybe keep me off the field,” Fitzpatrick said about fast-tracking his return after going under the knife, “Then there’s no way I’m going to be off the field, because it’s not a big deal.”
Fitzpatrick’s post-op numbers have been better. He has 11 touchdowns, four interceptions and three 100-plus passer ratings in the five games since the surgery. He has six touchdowns and no picks in the past two weeks, prompting the question: Where would the Jets be without him this season?
“I don’t know if Geno would have taken us here,” Bowles said. “I don’t know if he wouldn’t have taken us here. It’s hard to say and do the what-ifs at the quarterback spot… but I don’t want to even think about that.”
Nobody does. There’s an unspoken understanding around this place, a belief that sometimes the answer is right in front of you no matter how tempted you are to look past it.
Ryan Fitzpatrick saved their season.
How does a guy destined for Wall Street wind up here? How does an economics major from a place that has produced U.S. presidents, foreign heads of state and Nobel laureates find himself doing this? How does it last so long?
How has Ryan Fitzpatrick done it?
The cookie-cutter storyline was supposed to be a footnote in his life: Scrappy rookie seventh-round Ivy Leaguer cut after No. 3 quarterback training camp battle.
Thanks for the memories, NFL. Time to find a real job.
Somehow, the story has stretched 11 years through six cities. Rejection has been the soundtrack for as long as he can remember. Stanford, Arizona State and Notre Dame passed on him long before NFL journeyman became a part of his permanent record.
Fitzpatrick has never been able to take a hint. He’s been cut or traded five times in the past nine years because teams held on to the promise of something he could never be: The next big thing. There was always someone younger with more potential on the horizon.
Fitzpatrick has been the eternal placeholder, the rebound in every team-quarterback relationship, the guy you forget about five years from now.
“That’s been my whole career: I’ve been the afterthought,” Fitzpatrick told the Daily News in a quiet moment. “I’ve gotten used to it. It’s kind of what everybody thinks. I like playing the role of the underdog. That’s fine with me. I just want to go out there and win. That’s it.”
Fitzpatrick was supposed to blend into the background this season too. The Jets traded a conditional seventh-round pick to the Texans this offseason to get veteran insurance for Geno Smith. There was no quarterback competition. Fitzpatrick’s role was clearly defined: Hang out and be there... just in case.
Smith’s locker-room fight with IK Enemkpali on Aug. 11 changed everything and set in motion a career resurgence for Fitzpatrick.
The guy not good enough to build around has given hope to a star-crossed franchise. The Jets might still be searching for a long-term solution at quarterback, but Todd Bowles told the News that he wants to re-sign Fitzpatrick for at least one more season.
“Definitely,” the head coach said when asked whether he wants Fitzpatrick back next year.
The veteran signal caller is in the final year of a two-year deal that he signed with the Texans.
“We got to work (it out) after the season,” Bowles said of the impending free agent.
How is Bowles so sure that Fitzpatrick should be back with the Jets in 2016?
“You can see it in his play,” Bowles said. “You can see it in his demeanor, his professionalism. Every day, the way he approaches his job. So, it’s somebody you definitely want around.”
Fitzpatrick has found a calm and peace unlike at any other time in his career. “It’s interesting the way that all the stars have aligned,” the quarterback said.
He’s smarter on Sundays too. His career highlight prior to this season came playing for Chan Gailey in Buffalo. Fitzpatrick averaged an interception every 28 attempts during those three gun-slinging years with Gailey. He’s averaging an interception every 37 attempts in his second go-round with the play-caller.
“In Buffalo, he was trying to make every play,” Bowles said of Fitzpatrick. “He was trying to be ‘the guy’ to make every play.”
His mindset has changed. He’s no longer Maverick. He’s not buzzing the tower with unauthorized fly-bys anymore.
Now, Fitzpatrick is just another 33-year-old Harvard graduate leading a billion-dollar organization.
“There’s so much about quarterback that’s the mental side,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s about experience. It’s about being able to think through the game.
I don’t know how long I’m going to play, but I feel that I’m better now than I’ve been at any point in my career. I feel that I’m better now than I have been in terms of football IQ, the way I’m seeing the game and the way I’m throwing the ball. I would love to continue to build off that.”
“I love playing for Coach Bowles,” he added. “I love being on this team.”
Few things in life actually upset Fitzpatrick. His kids’ penchant for bending playing cards during Skip-Bo is one of them. Questioning his ability to excel on the field just because he’s 33 is another (even though he’s too nice to admit it).
Perception likely won’t change even if he helps the 7-5 Jets, who host the Titans on Sunday, break a four-year playoff drought. Stereotypes don’t magically disappear. He’s destined to be “the other guy.”
“I think that’s definitely the perception whether it’s around the league or public perception,” Fitzpatrick said. “But it doesn’t really matter to me.”
Fitzpatrick is a terrible liar. It must bother him on some level, because it should bother him. He’s on pace to tie Vinny Testaverde’s franchise record for touchdown passes in a season (29). He’s developed invaluable chemistry with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, who are having the best combined statistical seasons of any wide receiver tandem in franchise history. Fitzpatrick has infused the locker room with “confidence, energy and fun,” according to Decker.
“He does a great job of managing,” Marshall told The News. “He’s in a leadership position. Some quarterbacks want it. Some don’t. Regardless, that position is a CEO. You have to be able to lead up to the board and you have to be able to lead down to the guys on the floor. ... He does a great job of managing all of our egos and personalities.”
Being well-traveled also has its privileges. Fitzpatrick’s past experiences in ever-changing environments have helped him adjust quickly to the Jets personnel. It’s been one of the critical reasons for his success.
“Moving around so much you get used to different types of players,” Fitzpatrick said. “Big, little, fast, slow. So that’s something that I think is one of my best traits. I’ve got a lot of experience with a lot of different types of players.”
Fitzpatrick’s toughness is the primary reason why he’s universally respected in the locker room. He missed only one practice after undergoing surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament last month. The thought of losing his job due to injury was “maybe in the back of my mind, yeah, who knows,” but the driving force to accelerate his return was simply to help the team win.
“If pain is the only thing that is going to maybe keep me off the field,” Fitzpatrick said about fast-tracking his return after going under the knife, “Then there’s no way I’m going to be off the field, because it’s not a big deal.”
Fitzpatrick’s post-op numbers have been better. He has 11 touchdowns, four interceptions and three 100-plus passer ratings in the five games since the surgery. He has six touchdowns and no picks in the past two weeks, prompting the question: Where would the Jets be without him this season?
“I don’t know if Geno would have taken us here,” Bowles said. “I don’t know if he wouldn’t have taken us here. It’s hard to say and do the what-ifs at the quarterback spot… but I don’t want to even think about that.”
Nobody does. There’s an unspoken understanding around this place, a belief that sometimes the answer is right in front of you no matter how tempted you are to look past it.
Ryan Fitzpatrick saved their season.
