loserlovers Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) Heres my take on why fitz greatly regressed after a fast start...(which in part I blame Gailey) in order of his biggest problem to the smallest... 1. Fitz became enamored with the idea of not being sacked, and so, threw the ball almost every play at the two second mark. The problem with that was, only slants or quick go routes could be thrown. How many times did we see dropped slants, tipped balls that got picked, and sideline "long" balls that were picked? the recievers just dont have time to get open in 2 seconds. yes being sacked isnt fun but sometimes you have to go for longer routes, more play action and the threat of a run via a rb in the backfield would help with that. 2. Fitz under-threw almost every "deep" ball he attempted. Thats why they either fell incomplete or got picked. Very few were actually completed and none were to wide-open receivers who could catch and run with them. They were all highly contested jump balls. you might say its his arm strength but he threw much deeper in his first two years here, he has better mechanics now so Im thinking its that hes too used to throwing the slant and just doesnt have the same touch on deep balls. he throws them very flat and not far enough. 3. I cant believe im going to say this one...Fitz needs to dump the ball off more...ok ok I need to take a deep breath. After the living hell of watching a certain someone dump the ball to running backs on nearly every play, we go to a qb that virtually never dumps the ball off. Ya he throws to the rb but thats a different route that ends up being contested. I wanted to see the ball get dumped to a blocking RB that breaks late into the empty space that the secondary leaves behind 2-3 seconds into the play. I saw fitz force alot of balls to covered guys just as Fred or CJ would run out into a wide open flat. 4. Fitz threw to his first read nearly everyplay. I watched his head and eyes when possible on my HD 48 inch and my hd dvr. He never turns his head! Hes so smart he was usually correct about his read before the snap, but how many times did he throw to covered players as we watched other wide open receivers throw their hands up??? I saw that alot. Ever notice when he threw to triple covered receivers?? he just didnt turn his head. Notice i didnt mention accuracy. I think fitz would be a great qb if he had a coach that could tell him to throw with more arc, throw to the runningback when everythings covered, and who gave him some better plays where running is actually a threat and receivers run other patterns besides slants and go routes. I know fitz can chuck it, he did it so many times to TO and Evans before. Isnt it funny how every year we get a qb who start throwing two basci patterns? Losman was all about the skinny post and the streak, Holcolm loved the 5 yard out and the 5 yard in, edwards loved the dump off and ...the dump off. And now Fitz is in love with the slant and the go route. Ok I still think Fitz a good qb...hes obviously got some talent and I fully blame gailey for his regression. The receivers run basically a slant or an in or a go route. So its either short and easy to cover, or its long and hard to complete. Gailey also calls too many empty back field sets on third and short, why take the running threat out of the equation? ever! Then he puts the back in the backfield he tells the other team "draw"! how bout you run routes that are medium range since the back or TE can stay in sometimes and pass block??? Gaileys offense is far from genius and is basically one dimensional, its not even close to our last,somewhat effective OC, I cant believe im going to say this...Mike Malarky, remember him?. Edited January 2, 2012 by loserlovers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#34fan Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 The experiment is over. Fitzpatrick in not a good QB. Let's dump him, and move this team forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Fitzpatrick's tenure in the NFL is long enough to safely say "he is who he is". He's no longer an up-and-comer. IMO, Fitz is the ideal backup...smart, all about the team, could win you a couple games in the starter's absence. As usual, the Bills FO was too incompetent to realize this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Best Player Available Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 He needs to shelve the beard, and retire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 a stronger arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Fitzpatrick's tenure in the NFL is long enough to safely say "he is who he is". He's no longer an up-and-comer. IMO, Fitz is the ideal backup...smart, all about the team, could win you a couple games in the starter's absence. As usual, the Bills FO was too incompetent to realize this. This. Love the guy, love his attitude, his smarts and all he brings. He doesn't have the physical talent needed to consistently win as a starting quarterback. Agree with the OP too. I started a topic months ago how Fitz and Gailey had become obsessed with "getting the ball out early" allowing the defense to only have to play defense for the first two seconds of every play. I really can't bear to watch another rushed, inaccurate throw on 3rd and 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b stein 22 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Fitz needs to anticipate throws better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Fitz needs to anticipate throws better What's UCONN 2014? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) I agree with much of what you say. I'd like to note, though, that to improve our W/L record, Fitz could continue to do much of what you complain of - if he could just cut the number of INTs he throws in half. Those are the real momentum-changers and team-buriers. Why he throws so many INTs is of course related to what you say. 1. Fitz became enamored with the idea of not being sacked, and so, threw the ball almost every play at the two second mark. The problem with that was, only slants or quick go routes could be thrown. How many times did we see dropped slants, tipped balls that got picked, and sideline "long" balls that were picked? the recievers just dont have time to get open in 2 seconds. yes being sacked isnt fun but sometimes you have to go for longer routes, more play action and the threat of a run via a rb in the backfield would help with that. 4. Fitz threw to his first read nearly everyplay. I watched his head and eyes when possible on my HD 48 inch and my hd dvr. He never turns his head! Hes so smart he was usually correct about his read before the snap, but how many times did he throw to covered players as we watched other wide open receivers throw their hands up??? I saw that alot. Ever notice when he threw to triple covered receivers?? he just didnt turn his head. This is a really good point. Sexy Rexy confirmed this himself - said "Fitz gets rid of the ball really quickly, we know we're not going to get sacks, that's OK with us". Rexy means exactly what you're saying - that they know if they pressure Fitz enough, he will hurry his throws and become inaccurate. When he played better in the 2nd Jets game, he took some sacks and didn't always try to fling it out so quickly. IMO your point 4 and point 1 are related phenomena. When Fitz is rushed, he will throw to his first read and not take time to go through his progressions. Again, sometimes he has to be willing to risk a sack or throw it away in order to give himself more time. Frankly I believe that all the injuries to the OL and esp. the loss of Wood, are major contributors to poor play by Fitz. But not all of it - the phenomenon could be seen early-on in the loss to Cincy. 2. Fitz under-threw almost every "deep" ball he attempted. Thats why they either fell incomplete or got picked. Very few were actually completed and none were to wide-open receivers who could catch and run with them. They were all highly contested jump balls. you might say its his arm strength but he threw much deeper in his first two years here, he has better mechanics now so Im thinking its that hes too used to throwing the slant and just doesnt have the same touch on deep balls. he throws them very flat and not far enough. I actually think this is deliberate. I think Fitz is trying to learn to throw "more on a line" because it's needed when the weather is windy in the Ralph and other northern stadia. I don't think he's got it right, whether because he just lacks the intrinsic arm strength or doesn't have the mechanics right. Ok I still think Fitz a good qb...hes obviously got some talent and I fully blame gailey for his regression. The receivers run basically a slant or an in or a go route. So its either short and easy to cover, or its long and hard to complete. Gailey also calls too many empty back field sets on third and short, why take the running threat out of the equation? ever! Then he puts the back in the backfield he tells the other team "draw"! how bout you run routes that are medium range since the back or TE can stay in sometimes and pass block??? Gaileys offense is far from genius and is basically one dimensional, its not even close to our last,somewhat effective OC, I cant believe im going to say this...Mike Malarky, remember him?. I blame Fitz for his regression - he's a big boy and he's got to take the initiative to get with a personal trainer or QB coach or put in extra time or whatever he needs to do. I blame Gailey for a pass-happy play calling and for over-reliance on empty backfield sets even as we're scraping the barrel with WR talent and injuries on OL. It sets up this nasty cycle where the other team keys on pressuring Fitz, Fitz hurries and makes mistakes, mistakes give the other team a lead, and Chan goes even deeper into pass reliance. Fitz is not and never will be an elite QB, so those who believe only an elite QB can win Superbowls and that's the only goal worth having have some reason. I look around and say "you know, there are some pretty average QB in the playoffs", the thing is they aren't being asked to execute the same pass-heavy game plan. The thing is I'm not so convinced that if we waved a magic wand and teleported a better QB in here, it would make much difference to the end result (the number of wins) - not until we have better depth on our OL, better quality and depth on WR, different playcalling, and better defense. And if the QB weren't able to set passing records without winning (a la Newton), in 2 years we'll be hearing how he's a bust, just like St Louis is starting to hear about Bradford, even if he's a top pick with great credentials. Maybe I should change my screen name to "skeptical"? Edited January 2, 2012 by Hopeful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b stein 22 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 What's UCONN 2014? I graduate in 2014 at the University of Connecticut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Heres my take on why fitz greatly regressed after a fast start...(which in part I blame Gailey) in order of his biggest problem to the smallest... 1. Fitz became enamored with the idea of not being sacked, and so, threw the ball almost every play at the two second mark. The problem with that was, only slants or quick go routes could be thrown. How many times did we see dropped slants, tipped balls that got picked, and sideline "long" balls that were picked? the recievers just dont have time to get open in 2 seconds. yes being sacked isnt fun but sometimes you have to go for longer routes, more play action and the threat of a run via a rb in the backfield would help with that. 2. Fitz under-threw almost every "deep" ball he attempted. Thats why they either fell incomplete or got picked. Very few were actually completed and none were to wide-open receivers who could catch and run with them. They were all highly contested jump balls. you might say its his arm strength but he threw much deeper in his first two years here, he has better mechanics now so Im thinking its that hes too used to throwing the slant and just doesnt have the same touch on deep balls. he throws them very flat and not far enough. 3. I cant believe im going to say this one...Fitz needs to dump the ball off more...ok ok I need to take a deep breath. After the living hell of watching a certain someone dump the ball to running backs on nearly every play, we go to a qb that virtually never dumps the ball off. Ya he throws to the rb but thats a different route that ends up being contested. I wanted to see the ball get dumped to a blocking RB that breaks late into the empty space that the secondary leaves behind 2-3 seconds into the play. I saw fitz force alot of balls to covered guys just as Fred or CJ would run out into a wide open flat. 4. Fitz threw to his first read nearly everyplay. I watched his head and eyes when possible on my HD 48 inch and my hd dvr. He never turns his head! Hes so smart he was usually correct about his read before the snap, but how many times did he throw to covered players as we watched other wide open receivers throw their hands up??? I saw that alot. Ever notice when he threw to triple covered receivers?? he just didnt turn his head. Notice i didnt mention accuracy. I think fitz would be a great qb if he had a coach that could tell him to throw with more arc, throw to the runningback when everythings covered, and who gave him some better plays where running is actually a threat and receivers run other patterns besides slants and go routes. I know fitz can chuck it, he did it so many times to TO and Evans before. Isnt it funny how every year we get a qb who start throwing two basci patterns? Losman was all about the skinny post and the streak, Holcolm loved the 5 yard out and the 5 yard in, edwards loved the dump off and ...the dump off. And now Fitz is in love with the slant and the go route. Ok I still think Fitz a good qb...hes obviously got some talent and I fully blame gailey for his regression. The receivers run basically a slant or an in or a go route. So its either short and easy to cover, or its long and hard to complete. Gailey also calls too many empty back field sets on third and short, why take the running threat out of the equation? ever! Then he puts the back in the backfield he tells the other team "draw"! how bout you run routes that are medium range since the back or TE can stay in sometimes and pass block??? Gaileys offense is far from genius and is basically one dimensional, its not even close to our last,somewhat effective OC, I cant believe im going to say this...Mike Malarky, remember him?. He nneds a new life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I really like Ryan Fitzpatrick but after seeing him for the whole season now, He is not going to take us to the playoffs. We need a QB that can throw a depp ball accurately. He just has no touch on the ball past 10 to 15 yards. We need a new QB, keep Ryan as a backup. Maybe get that Flynn guy from Green Bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 You can win with Fitz and he has won WHEN he has some good talent around him. Do you really expect the Bills to be competitive with Derek Hagan and Ruvell Martin as your number one and two WRs? Let's see, D Hagan as your number 1 WR....a guy who has been cut by three teams. Same with Martin. Then add Kevin Brock as your TE, and N Roosevelt and D Nelson two undrafted free agent WRs. You have better WR talent than that on some college teams. Look at the games when Fitz has S Johnson, Chandler, and a decent crop of WRs and his INT goes way down. That being said he really has to add some bulk in the offseason and work on his deep ball. He is a smart guy with good enough accuracy on his short to medium balls. With a backfield of Fred and CJ, Steve Johnson a decent number 2 Chandler, Roscoe and Nelson you have a good offense. It really is no coincidence when Chandler and the rest of the teams WR corps went out that that is when this offense sputtered. Why Chan insists on going 5 wides with that type of WR corps is beyond me though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ieatcrayonz Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 No more post contract Billy Joe Hobart imitations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loserlovers Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 No more post contract Billy Joe Hobart imitations. whats that mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDaDdy Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Regarding your list 1) Fix the line and then he won't have to throw so quickly 2) Fitz doesn't have a big arm so it is what it is. At best more time from the line will allow him to work on deep ball timing with his WRs. 3) I don't think it's a matter of dumping the ball off more. The offense is designed to make presnap reads, determine your best matchups and let it fly inside 2 seconds. I think the RBs just flat out need to be targeted more or considered favorable matchups in his head. 4) See issue one you brough up with the quick release. Looking more closely and boiling it down 2 or 3 of the issues could be greatly helped by more time in the pocket to throw. With some personal improvement from Fitz and upgrading the line I think those problems are largely solvable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandius Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Talent, genetics, honesty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ieatcrayonz Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 whats that mean? As soon as he signed for the big $$$$$ it seemed like he stopped reading the playbook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim from jersey Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) It seems that every time Fitz tries to "muscle" his throws he loses all his accuracy. Yesterday he was the old Fitz, relaxed and just letting the ball go. He got hit and then tried to throw everything through a brick wall. I think his arm is strong enough for what Chan wants to do. I do believe that his main problem is that he is trying to do too much. The weight of his contract has had an effect on him. Edited January 2, 2012 by Jim from jersey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Beard Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I graduate in 2014 at the University of Connecticut My daughter graduated from UConn in 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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