John Cocktosten Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 If Fitz can correct some of his bad habits the sky is the limit for this team. This quote from Fitz about his new coach shows that he's accountable and knows he needs to be better. “I’ve never really had a technician as a coach,” said Fitzpatrick. “I’ve kind of always just gone out there and thrown. And I don’t know why I go out and throw like I do. I just go out and do it. To have a coach like him that’s able to sit there and say, ‘Hey you missed this throw six times last year and you missed it low every time. Here’s why…’ That makes a lot of sense for me. That’s something that I can process and now I understand why I’m doing it and can correct it. http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Fitz-already-improving-mechanics-under-Lee/b7a3494c-e52a-4e0e-88e8-9076dd90aefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I love reading stuff like this; I don't think many casual fans understand the mechanics of throwing or how "arm strength" is an overly simplistic characteristic. The best part is that Fitz is a cerebral guy; I have complete confidence he'll work like hell on this stuff between now and the start of the regular season, so hopefully it becomes second nature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy10 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 If there's one thing Fitz is world class at, it's taking information and synthesizing it. Like how Chan has said he only ever needs to explain things to him once and he's got it down. (He's a pretty smart guy. Went to Harvard, dontcha know.) If he can translate that to his mechanics in his work with Coach Lee, that can only mean good things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 This is the best Bills news I've heard in a very long time. If Fitz can correct his throwing motion that could plug the biggest remaining hole on the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 If there's one thing Fitz is world class at, it's taking information and synthesizing it. Like how Chan has said he only ever needs to explain things to him once and he's got it down. (He's a pretty smart guy. Went to Harvard, dontcha know.) If he can translate that to his mechanics in his work with Coach Lee, that can only mean good things. What's tough is turning that into second nature physically. It's tough to turn 30 years of slinging the rock into precision in just a few months. If he can, perhaps he has a shot at that late career spike, but its rare for a reason - its very hard. I don't doubt his will (though did he not see the issues? Why not seek help earlier?), so fingers crossed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 This is the first full off-season in his NFL career where he's been the undisputed starter. Lee should be able to help him and he seems receptive to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 He should destroy Brees this year and put up career high #'s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 (edited) I love reading stuff like this; I don't think many casual fans understand the mechanics of throwing or how "arm strength" is an overly simplistic characteristic. The best part is that Fitz is a cerebral guy; I have complete confidence he'll work like hell on this stuff between now and the start of the regular season, so hopefully it becomes second nature. If there's one thing Fitz is world class at, it's taking information and synthesizing it. Like how Chan has said he only ever needs to explain things to him once and he's got it down. (He's a pretty smart guy. Went to Harvard, dontcha know.) If he can translate that to his mechanics in his work with Coach Lee, that can only mean good things. The optimist in me agrees completely with these points--that Fitz is smart and extremely good at internalizing information and acting upon it. HOWEVER, any golfer will tell you, once you get mechanics in your dome, it can be a royal mind !@#$. Let's hope our Harvard by boy has the mental prowess to overcome the psychological demons that would otherwise plague Joe Everyman. Edited May 24, 2012 by The Big Cat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 All you can ask of an athlete is to maximize one's talents. That is what he is working on. A consistent criticism of Fitzz is his accuracy. There are games where he impressively threads the needle; then there are games where the ball is floating all over the place. If he can bump up the accuracy percentage and add that to his ability to read defenses then that is going to make a positive difference for the offense. There is no doubt that from the intangible side of the equation Fitz has it all: intelligence, composure and leadership. Now if he can be more consistent on the physical side of the equation in his passing execution then the team is going to be elevated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cocktosten Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 The optimist in me agrees completely with these points--that Fitz is smart and extremely good at internalizing information and acting upon it. HOWEVER, any golfer will tell you, once you get mechanics in your dome, it can be a royal mind !@#$. Golfing mechanics and throwing mechanics are not even close to the same things. Throwing is a much more natural motion and golfing goes against the natural kinetics of the body. I've never heard of a QB going David Duval one day. I'm sure that Lee had a nice long talk about Fitz's play-fakes as well. He just got straight up lazy at the end of the year and wasn't fooling anyone. I agree with CodeMonkey that this is as big as any off season move. It shows that the coaching staff is evolving and the players are accountable. This has truly been a dream off season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 The optimist in me agrees completely with these points--that Fitz is smart and extremely good at internalizing information and acting upon it. HOWEVER, any golfer will tell you, once you get mechanics in your dome, it can be a royal mind !@#$. Let's hope our Harvard by boy has the mental prowess to overcome the psychological demons that would otherwise plague Joe Everyman. That's 100% correct, which is why professional golfers practice, practice, and practice until the mechanics become second nature. That's the benefit of Fitz actually having a full off-season to get those reps in. I just keep getting more and more excited about what we're going to see this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt328 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 What's tough is turning that into second nature physically. It's tough to turn 30 years of slinging the rock into precision in just a few months. If he can, perhaps he has a shot at that late career spike, but its rare for a reason - its very hard. I don't doubt his will (though did he not see the issues? Why not seek help earlier?), so fingers crossed! My thoughts exactly. Old habits are hard to break. But if Fitz can consistently improve his game, he's still got a lot of years in front of him. Maybe he could become the next Rich Gannon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cincinnati Kid Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 For whats its worth, Fitz has a career 59.2% completion percentage, and went 62% last season. Jim Kelly for comparison had a career completion percentage of 60.1%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills!Win! Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I just keep getting more and more excited about what we're going to see this year. Within the span of 2 months, most people (including me), have gone from dreading September-December to wish August were here NOW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cocktosten Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 For whats its worth, Fitz has a career 59.2% completion percentage, and went 62% last season. Jim Kelly for comparison had a career completion percentage of 60.1%. Jim Kelly played in a vertical passing offense. Ftiz plays in a spread. Big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 For whats its worth, Fitz has a career 59.2% completion percentage, and went 62% last season. Jim Kelly for comparison had a career completion percentage of 60.1%. i wish there was some way to bring great shame to those that bring up kellys stats in comparison to fitz. just immense amounts of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy10 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I don't know, pro athletes seem to tweak their mechanics all the time, especially pitchers and hitters in baseball. Sure, old habits are hard to break, but these aren't weekend warriors we're talking about. They're highly paid professionals who can put their entire focus into something as seemingly mundane as the angle of your arm in a throwing motion. Sure, some of the pros are better at adjusting mechanics than others, but everything we know about Fitz says that he's not just smart. He's a humble guy with a good deal of humility who had to work against all kinds of lowered expectations to get where he is today. I don't think his ego will be getting in the way of adjusting his mechanics and improving his game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 (edited) Jim Kelly played in a vertical passing offense. Ftiz plays in a spread. Big difference. Kelly played in 1991, fitz played in 2011. the number one issue. I don't know, pro athletes seem to tweak their mechanics all the time, especially pitchers and hitters in baseball. Sure, old habits are hard to break, but these aren't weekend warriors we're talking about. They're highly paid professionals who can put their entire focus into something as seemingly mundane as the angle of your arm in a throwing motion. Sure, some of the pros are better at adjusting mechanics than others, but everything we know about Fitz says that he's not just smart. He's a humble guy with a good deal of humility who had to work against all kinds of lowered expectations to get where he is today. I don't think his ego will be getting in the way of adjusting his mechanics and improving his game. muscle memory will be the problem, not ego, clearly. its like all the talk over tebows throwing motion - hes a good guy and a hardworker but when things breakdown, its hard to use your new throwing motion. you revert to whats natural. (already regretting the tebow reference in anticipation of a bunch of totally non-relevant responses) Edited May 24, 2012 by NoSaint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cincinnati Kid Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Sometimes the facts just can't please anyone. Ok, ok, Fine. I realize there are people on this board that just hate the players we have on the Bills. Thats good. I have faith in our guys and believe in them and let their play and numbers, not my perception shape opinions of them. But yeah, Fitz and his 62% completion percentage last year, up 5% from the year before and 7% from 2 years ago, sucks and he is not accurate and is not capable of improving. I get it now. I'm supposed to hate our players, not embrace them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Sometimes the facts just can't please anyone. Ok, ok, Fine. I realize there are people on this board that just hate the players we have on the Bills. Thats good. I have faith in our guys and believe in them and let their play and numbers, not my perception shape opinions of them. But yeah, Fitz and his 62% completion percentage last year, up 5% from the year before and 7% from 2 years ago, sucks and he is not accurate and is not capable of improving. I get it now. I'm supposed to hate our players, not embrace them! go ahead and embrace them - that was a MUCH better argument. comparing to kelly is about as relevant as comparing to the qb in your flag football league at this point though. qb numbers have changed a ton over the last 20 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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