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Fitz Has Possibly Had A Broken Rib Since Toronto?


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It was eerily similar to the hit against Arizona that ended Edwards' run of good play back in 2008.

Edwards was obviously scared after that hit (not that I can blame him). I think Edwards got hit in the head, and Fitz got hit in the chest. Fitz hasn't seemed scared, just weaker. Lately he has been starting to run the ball and throw a few blocks again. He wasn't doing that for the two or three games after the Redskins game. I hope that means the lingering effects are becoming less of a factor.

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The Jets didn't..fitz to stevie worked all day...we simply keep going away from it...imho

 

You make a very valid point. The thing is this system is for Fitz to spread the ball around to the guy that, pre-snap, will see softer coverage. I wish Fitz and Steve could be a little more selfish and keep connecting until we end up this losing streak.

It just takes only one win.

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It was eerily similar to the hit against Arizona that ended Edwards' run of good play back in 2008.

 

 

Go back and watch those games, Edwards was NOT having a great season, enough with this ridiculous myth already. It's hilarious how revisionist history makes things out to be something more than it was. He did not suddenly start checking the ball down after that hit, he was doing it already. Nothing personal mr fong.

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There have been rumors (confirmed or unconfirmed) that Fitz has been injured since the hit he took from London Fletcher in the Skins game. My question, does he get a free pass if it is revealed that he has been playing with broken ribs (or more) since that hit? It seems to coincide with the start of his poor play.

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There have been rumors (confirmed or unconfirmed) that Fitz has been injured since the hit he took from London Fletcher in the Skins game. My question, does he get a free pass if it is revealed that he has been playing with broken ribs (or more) since that hit? It seems to coincide with the start of his poor play.

Would that pass be similar to the one we gave TrINT Edwards after the Adrian Wilson hit?

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There's a difference in playing hurt and playing damaged.

Fitz has not been playing with busted ribs or anything for the last 8 weeks. He may very well have been "damaged" from that hit even though he did not suffer a concussion.

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Fitz has not been playing with busted ribs or anything for the last 8 weeks. He may very well have been "damaged" from that hit even though he did not suffer a concussion.

He has been "playing" after taking a Billy Joe Hobart approach to preparations after he got his $$$$$. Better than boo boo foot but not by much.

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There have been rumors (confirmed or unconfirmed) that Fitz has been injured since the hit he took from London Fletcher in the Skins game. My question, does he get a free pass if it is revealed that he has been playing with broken ribs (or more) since that hit? It seems to coincide with the start of his poor play.

This is an excellent question. I've periodically wondered whether Fitz has been playing hurt since that hit.

 

The problem is that nothing about Fitz's body of work prior to this season suggests that he's a franchise QB. Even in the first seven games of this season, Fitz made a number of inaccurate throws that a franchise QB wouldn't have made. Against New England and other teams with very porous pass defenses, Fitz was very fortunate that more of his throws weren't intercepted.

 

Fitz had very significant early season success. But he achieved that success without very significant early season accuracy. Instead, Gailey seemed to have designed an offense that could be successful while masking both Fitz's lack of arm strength and his lack of good accuracy. This offense relied on Fitz to make very quick decisions and quick throws, to target the one receiving threat that was mismatched against a defender, and to get him the ball almost instantly. Because the throws themselves were typically very easy, Fitz's lack of accuracy didn't matter all that much.

 

Since then, defenses have figured out that Buffalo's passing attack poses no threat at all except for its short game. Defenses can (and have) ganged up on the short passing game, significantly reducing Buffalo's offensive success. Nothing about Fitz's play--either this season or previous seasons--suggests that that he'd be particularly good at throwing intermediate or deep passes. He is too inaccurate for that.

 

Is Fitz playing hurt? Maybe. Would he look better if he was healthy, or if his supporting cast had remained uninjured? Almost certainly. But none of this changes the fact that he has not, at any point, proven himself a franchise quarterback, despite having been in the league for years, and with numerous starts under his belt. If the Bills have the opportunity to draft a franchise QB in the 2012 draft, they should embrace it with open arms. I would be perfectly willing to see them trade up to obtain a franchise QB.

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There have been rumors (confirmed or unconfirmed) that Fitz has been injured since the hit he took from London Fletcher in the Skins game. My question, does he get a free pass if it is revealed that he has been playing with broken ribs (or more) since that hit? It seems to coincide with the start of his poor play.

 

 

No passes. Big Ben plays injured all the time, and with the exception of a high ankle sprain vs. the 49ers (leagues best D) he has played very well through the injuries. Also, if your so injured that you are harming the team, take yourself of the next game, or the coach should. Interesting that a well run team like the Steelers have not one, but two backups who are rumored to start this weekend. Gailey should have pulled Fitz and put in Thingpen or whoever our 3rd stringer is, or raided a practice squad (a OBD fav thing to do) and allowed Fitz to heal. No excuses for "playing injured" if its effecting your play. You shouldn't. On another note, Steve Johnson is playing injured and still doing very well. Kyle Williams has played injured since his college days and is a pro-bowler. (Imagine how good he and Marcell will be next year btw).

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There have been rumors (confirmed or unconfirmed) that Fitz has been injured since the hit he took from London Fletcher in the Skins game. My question, does he get a free pass if it is revealed that he has been playing with broken ribs (or more) since that hit? It seems to coincide with the start of his poor play.

 

In the transcript of this week's media availability, one of the reporters asks Fitz:

 

Q: On how long the hit he took from LB London Fletcher in October affect him:

A: However long I showed up on the injury report. I’m good to go now. (ed: that would be week 9 and only week 9)

 

Q: On if he had a broken rib at any point this season:

A:No.

 

 

For whatever it's worth, there it is from the "horse's mouth".

 

Of course, Fitz is an "old hand" who is well aware that if you let another team's LB know you have a chest injury, they will land on you with extra vigor, fist you in the ribs at the bottom of the pile, and take extra care to step on your ribs as they get up.

He is also well aware that if you are losing and claim injuries, it sounds like a lame excuse. (There are plenty of ways to have a chest injury linger and impact a throwing motion without having a rib actually break. Bruised diaphram,sternum injury etcetera)

 

If Fitz does have a lingering injury, I still don't give him a pass. Romo has played much better with an acknowledged broken rib.

 

In my opinion, the injuries on the OL (3rd string LT) culminating the loss of Wood (Week 10) and the resultant shuffling on the OL, have impacted Fitz much more than a rib injury. He is rushing, taking that much less time to read, sometimes not throwing at guys who seem open.

I also think the switching-around of receivers has had an impact, esp. if he's too sore to do lots and lots of throwing. Maybe he throws more to the new guys in the rotation and skimps on practice with Stevie, and that shows on the field esp if Stevie has lost a step with the groin?

 

Still...there's something beyond that I think. I think Fitz needs to learn to throw in a glove, but whaddo I know. I suppose then he'd get called a "glove wearing Mary" but I say if it works, "Hail Mary!"

 

The bottom line, at the end of the day, it's the coaches job to put in plays the players are able to execute and not demand the same plays be run despite what defenses have clued to and what the personnel on the field can handle.

 

He has been "playing" after taking a Billy Joe Hobart approach to preparations after he got his $$$. Better than boo boo foot but not by much.

 

Try the Lime Green. Or the Chartreuse.

Both suitable for someone who has become a parrot squawking the same tired line post after post.

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He does not get a pass. His body of work is not unlike any of his previous stops. Once teams jammed our receivers and dared him to go deep, his lack of an arm was exposed. We need a franchise QB before we ever can hope to be respectable or respected.

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Fitz has not been playing with busted ribs or anything for the last 8 weeks. He may very well have been "damaged" from that hit even though he did not suffer a concussion.

 

I'm not saying he has been playing hurt, but that was the basis of OP's question, not whether or not his mentality about the game had changed.

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