mjt328

Why is it so hard to believe that Eli Manning is better than Fitz? Because Fitz puts up decent stats? One of the biggest problems with statistics is that they can be SO MISLEADING. For example, a player may have a great completion percentage. Just looking at those numbers on paper, a person may assume that high completion percentage = accuracy. But that number doesn't take into account how many passes were short, medium or long. It doesn't take into account receivers dropping passes or making great plays. It doesn't take into account the kind of defense the quarterback was playing, or the situation. It doesn't take into account offensive line play or pressure. Since taking over as the starter in Buffalo, Fitz has put up good numbers - no doubt. Probably on par with guys like Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, Joe Flacco, Matt Shaub - and a number of guys talked about frequently on this board. But when you actually watch Fitz play week after week, season after season - you will find there are serious issues in his game. Probably the most visible problem with Fitz is his deep ball accuracy. This weakness makes things really difficult for the rest of the offense, since most opponents play the Bills receivers very close to the line. Of course, that weak point doesn't always show up on the stat sheet, because most of our passes are screens, slants and quick hits. But Fitz also has big problems in his short game accuracy. How many times do you see a quick slant to Stevie Johnson or Donald Jones, where the receiver is forced to dive to the ground to make the catch? That shows up on the stat sheet as a 6-7 yard completion. What people miss - is that if Fitz could hit the receiver in stride - it could be a 20-30 yard completion... maybe even a touchdown. I often think the same thing when reading posts. Last week, people were comparing Fitz to Flacco and Shaub. This week it's Rivers. These guys might be equals in fantasy football, but in real life - not so much.

Rivers most certainly is part of the problem in San Diego. That doesn't mean he can't turn things around, or go back to playing at a high level. Like I said in my post, I think most of his troubles arise from the mentality that he has to carry the team. Better coaching and better talent around him could help. Rivers has a history of winning in the NFL and playing at an MVP level. He as shown the physical and mental ability to be one of the top QBs in this league. There are many reasons to be optimistic he can do it again. Fitz has NEVER proven anything in his career. He's never been a winner, never played at a high level for a full season and never shown the physical ability.

Yes, he would be a BIG upgrade. But Rivers is not a free agent until 2016, and I doubt we would have a chance at him before then. There are a lot of people around the league that think his arm strength is degrading, and that might be true. What I see when I watch the Chargers is a guy who is trying to do too much and win game all by himself. I honestly think the talent is still there, but he needs to stop forcing passes. Consider that when Rivers was named starter for San Diego, they were one of the league's best teams and a Super Bowl contender. Since then: - He has watched his coach (Schottenheimer) get replaced by one of the biggest bum head coaches in the league following a 14-2 season. The team hasn't been the same since. - The decline and release of future HOF running back LT, along with San Diego letting Michael Turner and Sproles walk in free agency. The Chargers ground game now sucks bad. - The offensive line falling to shambles, especially after injuries destroyed the career of his left tackle Marcus McNeil. - The decline of his best weapon, Antonio Gates, and free agency loss of his best downfield receiver, Vincent Jackson. It's no wonder that Rivers feels the pressure to carry the team on his back.

I would be willing to bet the "anonymous source" about Tebow was completely made-up. I'm a journalism major and I worked as a newspaper reporter for 5 years. That type of garbage doesn't fly with real journalists. The New York media has been itching for a Tebow story for months, and for the most part the Jets haven't cooperated. It was only a matter of time before the media took matters into their own hands.

In 2008, the Miami Dolphins held the first pick in the draft. The debate was between: 1) Jake Long Considered by many to be the best left tackle to come out of the draft since Anthony Munoz, and easily the safest pick in the draft. 2) Matt Ryan The best quarterback in a weak draft class, who played at a small school and had lots of question marks. Parcells went with Jake Long, who has gone on to make 4 Pro Bowls. Until getting injured 2 seasons ago, he was widely considered the best left tackle in football, and most still consider him one of the elite players at the position. Ryan has made 1 Pro Bowl and is generally considered "just outside" the elite group. Few would argue that Long has been the better player thus far. Yet if you ask any Dolphins fan or individual within the organization.... if they had to do over, they would pick Ryan in a heartbeat. No single player has more impact on an NFL team than the quarterback.

I live in St. Louis, so I've gone to see Bills games here at home and at a few surrounding stadiums. I've also gone to see ONE game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. As a lifetime fan of the team, the behavior of Bills fans was more than embarrassing. Drunk idiots stumbling around, cussing and throwing trash everywhere - an hour before the game even started. Fighting in the stands. Terrible language - with families around. It was pathetic. I came out of that game with a new perspective of Bills fans and the City of Buffalo. I started to understand why the NFL makes fun of us, players don't want to come here, and why the league wants us to pack up and move. In most other stadiums that I've been to (St. Louis, Indianapolis, Kansas City), this behavior is NOT tolerated. Acting like a drunk moron will get you thrown out by the mid-first quarter. By the way, Kansas City manages to have an AWESOME tailgating experience, which is fun for families and kids - without the garbage you get in Buffalo.

We've played 10 games and the Bills have failed to score a touchdown in 3 of them.

I'll be curious to see how he looks Week 16 against us at home. Part of me wants to be excited about the way the defense played tonight. But experience tells me this was probably the exception and not the rule.

I think it's more like, "Hey Steve, we've got a game in Buffalo this week. Can you watch last week's game against the Pats and make a few comments about Ryan Fitzpatrick." If they asked him to watch the Houston game one week earlier, I guarantee his opinion would be completely different. And for all the people that stick up for Fitz on this board... CONSISTENCY is the name of the game. Every quarterback will put up a stinker once in awhile - even Rodgers, Brees, Manning, etc. But 6-7 per season is too many bad games for us to ever be a regular playoff team. And after 3 seasons as our starter, that's about the average we can expect from Fitz. By my count, after 9 games he's already had 3 terrible performances (Jets, 49ers, Texans) and an average performance where he lost us the game with a horrible pick (Titans). We all know that Fitz can be lights out and play at a Pro Bowl level for a handful of games every year. But once you hit 6-7 losses, the season is over. If our quarterback is putting us in a hole that many times, he needs to be replaced. And for the record, I'm not giving a pass to the defense at all. By my count, they have had 3 good games this season (Chiefs, Browns, Cardinals), one decent game (Texans) and the other 5 have been horrific. There also need to be major changes to the defense too.

He's probably never watched a Bills game, unless forced to by the network. This opinion is based on stats. Anybody who watches Fitz play every week knows he isn't the answer.

I agree. Sometimes the secret to being a good quarterback is just not making the back-breaking mistakes... Knowing when to take a chance with a big throw, and knowing when to hold off. Tom Brady has made a Hall of Fame career with this mentality. The Tennessee game was proof-positive that Fitz does not have this trait. It's the same reason that somebody like Tony Romo (who is more physically talented than Fitz and surrounded with great talent) continues to struggle and pull his team down, year after year. Flacco and Schaub aren't big stat guys, but they rarely make those back-breaking mistakes to put their teams in a hole. And when their teams need a big play, they usually come through.

Upgrading Fitz should be number ONE priority in the 2013 offseason. 1. If the right guy is in the draft, the Bills need to do everything in their power to get him. If it means passing on a more talented player at another position, draft the quarterback anyway. If it means reaching for him 2-3 rounds too early, then so be it. If it means selling the farm to trade up, then do that too. We cannot play around this year. 2. If the right guy is not in the draft, it's time to target someone by free agency or trade. Somebody HAS to be available. The Bills cannot afford to pass again.

Wrong. Fitz's numbers look a lot better when averaged out over the course of the whole season. When his play is dissected closely (game by game, throw by throw), it's another story. He's been a major factor in at least 4 of our 6 losses - New York, San Francisco, Tennessee and Houston. Here is a question for Fitz supporters: Is there anything he does consistently well? > He doesn't win games. > He doesn't do a consistently good job of reading the defense and making good decisions. > He doesn't have a strong arm and fails to get the ball downfield, even when receivers have separation. > His accuracy is all over the place. The standards in Buffalo are ridiculously low for the quarterback position. Just because he's doing a better job than Losman, Edwards and Holcomb doesn't mean anything, because they were all terrible.

Yes, I believe we would be MUCH MUCH MUCH better with either of those guys under center. People need to focus less on stats and fantasy football ratings, and actually watch guys play. > Both Schaub and Flacco have much better short to mid accuracy. They consistently hit their receivers in stride, in the hands. Fitz is constantly throwing short, throwing high, throwing behind, etc. > If the defense clogs the box to stop the run, Schaub and Flacco can hit the deep ball. I don't think Fitz has hit a long pass in 2 years. > They are better decision-makers. Fitz lost us the Tennessee game with his interception with 3 minutes left. He makes throws like that all the time. Real quarterbacks like Schaub/Flacco don't. > Fitz is again near the top of the league in turnovers. They are not. It's easy to pad stats when you have a pass-happy coach (like Gailey) and your defense can't stop anybody.

I'm not a big stat guy, but according to your link - both Schaub and Flacco are rated higher than Fitz. Schaub may have the luxury of a better defense, but that also means that he doesn't get a chance to pad his stats. The Texans are a run-first and run-second team. By late-third quarter, they are usually up by enough points to put the brakes on and just hand the ball to Arian Foster. Similar with Flacco. For instance, on Sunday he had 5 touchdowns and was on the bench by mid-third quarter. And anybody that watches Baltimore should know that their defense isn't winning them many games anymore. Cam Cameron also seems to have Chan Gailey disease and is reluctant to get Ray Rice involved as much as he should. This year, most of that 6-2 record falls on the shoulders of Flacco. Stats also don't take into account consistency. For every good game Fitz has (Kansas City, Cleveland, New England), he has games that are horrifically bad (Jets, San Francisco, Houston, Tennessee). When their team needs them to make big throws, Flacco and Schaub usually come through. Fitz throws picks. Has he even completed ONE deep ball all season?

What makes you think the Colts can't keep it up? They were a perennial playoff team for over a decade - with 2 Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl win, until the Manning injury last year. That whole team was built around Manning. It was clear they had no backup plan at QB and after a couple tough losses, the team QUIT. It should have been very clear that talent-wise, Indianapolis was better than it's 1-15 record in 2011. Now that the team has some hope at the quarterback position, that veteran talent (Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney) is stepping up again. Not to mention, Andrew Luck is getting better almost every week. Even as a rookie, there is a good chance he will be a top 10-15 quarterback by season's end. Don't be surprised if they upset New England this week...

I've watched a lot of Ravens/Texans football this year, and this is not accurate in the slightest.

I guess it's hard to make headlines about a rookie wide receiver running the wrong route. The media has no idea what to do if they can't blame the quarterback or head coach. The offense played well on Sunday. The defense didn't. The final playcall was a good one, and had a good chance of working. The throw by Fitz would have been good and probably a touchdown - if Graham would have made his cut in front of the defensive back (which is what he should have done).

I'll stick just to the AFC to keep things simple. If the playoff started today, these would be the AFC's playoff quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Schaub, Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning Last year's playoff quarterbacks: Brady, Flacco, Roethlisberger, Dalton, Schaub, Tebow The year before: Brady, Sanchez, Flacco, Roethlisberger, Manning, Cassel The year before: Brady, Sanchez, Palmer, Flacco, Manning, Rivers Once in awhile, a team with an average quarterback can sneak into the playoffs. But the odds are very slim. And they very rarely have continued success year after year.

Intelligent football discussion? Among schizophrenic Bills fans? Fitz craps the bed week after week, and everyone in Buffalo (including Buddy Nix) is in full agreement that we desperately need a new quarterback. He puts up a good performance and suddenly he isn't a problem anymore. Give me a break. > Week 1 against the Jets, Fitzpatrick's terrible throws were the main reason that we got into a big hole. 3 picks and he couldn't even throw for 200 yards with the Jets playing soft the entire 4th quarter. > Week 5 against the 49ers - 125 yards passing, 0 tds, 1 pick and 3 points. Nothing more to say. You can't beat anyone with the quarterback playing this bad. > Week 6 against the Titans - He had a decent game statistically, but threw the game-losing interception with 3 minutes left and a 6-point lead. Traditional Ryan Fitzpatrick. > Week 7 against the Texans - Fitz was up and down all day. The Bills failed to get in the endzone for the second time this season. 9 total points. Fans are too worried about figuring out the BIGGEST problem on the team. One week it's the quarterback. The next week it's the linebackers. The next week it's the coaching. The next week it's Aaron Williams. The truth is, we have several problems. And it doesn't really matter if Fitz is contributing to more losses, or if Kelvin Sheppard is. We need to get better at both positions. Here is the bottom line. Even if Fitz isn't the worst player on the team, it's very hard to get a starting quarterback outside of the first round of the draft. Mid to late round picks rarely work out, and free agent options are almost always backups. Proven QBs are never available for trade - and when they are, they also require high draft picks in exchange. Other positions are easier to find. For instance, good linebackers can be found almost every year in the 2nd-3rd round - and often later than that. There are frequently good free agent options, and teams are more willing to part with linebackers by trade.

Honestly, I think the Colts are a better team. They have a 3-game lead on us. And our head-to-head matchup is in Indianapolis. I find it very unlikely that 9-7 will be enough to make the playoffs. To have a shot, we will have to win out. And even though our remaining schedule is relatively "easy" we still have to play three division games (which we almost never win) and two games against teams with winning records (which we almost never win). Although - in typical Bills fashion - I could see us winning the next 6 games. Then with the playoffs on the line, losing 45-0 to a Tim Tebow led Jets squad.

Our defense is terrible. Bringing in another veteran to compete can't hurt.

Fitz has been up and down like this his whole career. He has had plenty of time to prove that he can be consistent in the NFL. It's never going to happen. Over 16 games, he may play like a Pro Bowler for 3-4 games. But he will also have 5-6 games that he is a liability and costs us games with his bad decisions. It's time to move on.

I've been calling this since Week 1. The Bills will win 6 of their last 7. They will finish 9-7, just barely missing the playoffs... yet taking themselves out of the chance to draft one of top 3-4 QBs. Don't be surprised if they wait until the Jets in Week 17 - with playoffs on the line - to blow it either.

Nobody respects our franchise. They are a complete joke to most of the media and the fans. A couple of weeks ago, I was watching the Denver-New England game and Phil Simms made the statement that "Peyton Manning started the No Huddle Offense." Not a single mention of Jim Kelly and the Bills (who tore up the league using that offense 10 years before Manning came into the league) - or Boomer Esiason and the Benglas (who actually started the idea). The disgusting part is, Simms played QB the same time as Kelly and Esiason and knows exactly who first made the No Huddle Offense big in the NFL. He just doesn't think Buffalo or Cincinnati are important enough to mention.