Gaughan Fitz Article Re: D. Lee and Mechanics

[The Big Cat]

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/article886429.ece

 

Big takeaways:

 

"Fitzpatrick's passing yardage total of 3,832 last season was third best in Bills history. He ranked sixth in the NFL in completions, ninth in completion percentage and 10th in touchdowns. He also led the league in interceptions with 23." (I didn't know Fitz was first in INT's... )

 

"There's a lot to do with that, He does an unbelievable job, fellas, at looking people off. I've coached Pennington -- smart guys. This guy looks where he's not throwing better than anybody I've ever seen." --David Lee (Nice!)

 

 

"Today was his best day," Lee said Friday. "I didn't anticipate him hitting a back shoulder till the middle of camp. And he just nailed that. He hit the go route. So I'm really pleased with how quickly he's taken to it but it's not muscle memory yet, because we haven't done it long enough. You throw one way your whole life then somebody tries to adjust some things, it doesn't just happen overnight."(Reinforces a discussion we had here not long ago about fussing with a life-long passer, but Fitz's brain able to overcome)

 

 

 

**Having read through some of the comments, I'd like to add this:

 

David Lee was a great addition to our roster this offseason. It would have been nice to have added a stellar receiver, but since they locked up Stevie and Freddie, I can't say that the 2012 offseason was anywhere CLOSE to being a failure. Also, the addition of Cordy Glenn could be HUGE.

 

However, even though the offseason was kind to the offense this year, the greatest impact on the unit's performance will come as a result of what happened on the defensive side of the ball.

 

It can't be stressed enough how much a dominant defense can lighten the load for an offense, like giving them more options, particularly the option to take the game out of the quarterback's hands and win with the run game and small ball. That is an option that was virtually nonexistent, and has been for quite some time.

 

The additions on the defensive side of the ball WILL affect all three phases of the game, not least of which will be the offense.

Edited June 4, 2012 by The Big Cat

[CosmicBills]

I've been as hard on Fitz as anybody on this board. But damn! It's hard not to get excited when you read that article.

 

Fitz is fun to watch, he's gutsy (bordering on stupid at times) and plays hard every snap. If accuracy can indeed be taught, which I still don't believe it can be, then Fitz would make the ideal student. Let's hope it works!!

 

Go Bills!

[PromoTheRobot]

6th in completions, 9th in comp%, 10th in TDs, over 3800 yards. That screams back up. If that were Sam Bradford's stat line we'd be lauding him as a true franchise QB, even with being #1 in INTs.

 

PTR

Edited June 4, 2012 by PromoTheRobot

[CosmicBills]

6th in completions, 9th in comp%, 10th in TDs, over 3800 yards. That screams back up. If that were Sam Bradford's stat line we'd be lauding him as a true franchise QB, even with being #1 in INTs.

 

PTR

If Sam had put up those numbers in his 2nd year, absolutely.

 

...But last year was Fitz's 7th in the league. He's started 52 times and has a record of 17-31-1.

[John from Riverside]

Did we just put the glasses on Wildthing Vaughn or something...

[yungmack]

6th in completions, 9th in comp%, 10th in TDs, over 3800 yards. That screams back up. If that were Sam Bradford's stat line we'd be lauding him as a true franchise QB, even with being #1 in INTs.

 

PTR

Not around here because...he was a 7th round pick, because...Ralph is too cheap to pay for a franchise QB so he can't be one, because...the large number of NFL talent evaluators who post here say so.

[CosmicBills]

Did we just put the glasses on Wildthing Vaughn or something...

I hope so!

 

Fitz is primed to have a great year. I hope he shuts me up and plays lights out football. For the first time in close to 10 years there's real talent on this team on both sides of the ball. They will compete and I expect a playoff birth at the very least. Anything short of that will be an epic failure.

[PromoTheRobot]

If Sam had put up those numbers in his 2nd year, absolutely.

 

...But last year was Fitz's 7th in the league. He's started 52 times and has a record of 17-31-1.

A record Bradford can only dream about. Didn't the Rams have the #2 pick this year?

 

PTR

[CosmicBills]

A record Bradford can only dream about. Didn't the Rams have the #2 pick this year?

 

PTR

You are correct. In 2 seasons as a starting QB, the 24 year old Bradford has a winning percentage of 30% (over 26 starts). He has miles to go to catch up to Fitz's winning percentage of 33%.

[NewEra]

1338833671[/url]' post='2480256']

Not around here because...he was a 7th round pick, because...Ralph is too cheap to pay for a franchise QB so he can't be one, because...the large number of NFL talent evaluators who post here say so.

 

No. It's because he sucked in the 2nd half of the year. A year in which we were in the playoff hunt. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt due to his injury, to the injuries of others and the play of our defense the 2nd half of the year. This year, no more benefits of the doubt. Put up wins and I'll believe. All this talk about stats is frivolous IMO. Let's talk about wins. Hopefully he gets us 10+ this season. The schedule is weak this year. The time to make the playoffs is now. Fitz has to lead us there.

[C.Biscuit97]

If Sam had put up those numbers in his 2nd year, absolutely.

 

...But last year was Fitz's 7th in the league. He's started 52 times and has a record of 17-31-1.

 

1) Last year was his first year as a starting QB entering the season. As anyone who follows football can tell you, the amount of snaps a starter gets compared to a backup is completely different.

 

2) For the millionth time, please stop with the W-L record for QBs. It is completely biased. Football is the ultimate team game. Alex Smith had a better record than Phillip Rivers. So by your logic, Smith is a better QB than Rivers? Or is it that Smith plays on a better team than Rivers?

 

If I remember correctly, you are one of the Bills' biggest critics. Did you honestly believe this was a playoff team last year and Fitz was holding them back?

[billsfan89]

Its make or break for Fitz this season no doubt.

[CosmicBills]

1) Last year was his first year as a starting QB entering the season. As anyone who follows football can tell you, the amount of snaps a starter gets compared to a backup is completely different.

 

2) For the millionth time, please stop with the W-L record for QBs. It is completely biased. Football is the ultimate team game. Alex Smith had a better record than Phillip Rivers. So by your logic, Smith is a better QB than Rivers? Or is it that Smith plays on a better team than Rivers?

 

If I remember correctly, you are one of the Bills' biggest critics. Did you honestly believe this was a playoff team last year and Fitz was holding them back?

 

Your first point is written with blinders on. Which is fine, we're all fans of the Bills and Fitz is, and deserves to be, the starting QB. But he's started 52 games in his career. That's over 3 seasons worth of starting football. Last year was his second year as a starter on the Bills and the second year in the same system. He's 30 and closer to the end of his career than the beginning -- which is basically saying "he is what he is by now." Can he improve? Maybe. I hope so. But last season was a microcosm of Fitz's entire career: flashes of brilliance thwarted by constant inaccuracy and boneheaded decisions at the worst possible moments.

 

Did team injuries play a part in his second half decline? You could make a strong case for this. But you could make an equally strong case for the argument that the second half swoon was caused by Fitz regressing back to his career averages after a blindingly hot start. Anyone who says they know which one is the real answer is kidding themselves.

 

But we WILL find out the answer this season. If the Bills don't make the playoffs, injuries or not, fair or not, it's going to land on Fitz. That's the QB's job.

 

As for your second point, winning, more importantly winning championships, is the ONLY measuring stick for a QB's success. Everything else is meaningless. There are many people, myself included, who believe that the definition of a Franchise QB isn't found in stats, physical measurables, or how high they were picked in the draft -- but in that QB's ability to elevate the play of his teammates. Fitz has a lot of moxie, he's a team first guy and has the balls to motivate others with his play -- but so far that has not translated to either a winning record or a playoff birth. Until he proves he can bring a team to the playoffs it's silly to call Fitz a Franchise QB.

 

He's just not there yet.

 

As for your third point, I'm not a critic of the Bills just to be difficult. I'm a fan, first and foremost. I want to see this team win championships. Nothing else. And for the past 12 years this team has been poorly managed, poorly assembled, poorly coached and has been irrelevant outside of Western New York. Have I been hard on OBD for the ****ty product they've continually put onto the field the past 12 years? Absolutely. Do I think this organization made tremendous strides this past off season to put this ugly chapter behind them? Without question.

 

But it's all still academic at this point.

 

This team has the talent to be a playoff team THIS year. Not making the playoffs this year will be a failure. There are no more moral victories to be had. It's put up or shut up time for Fitz AND the Bills. Thankfully I believe this team has the talent to silence all the doubters. But it will inevitably come down to whether or not Fitz is able to consistently perform. So far in his career he has never been able to do that.

 

Those are the facts. As fans you can either be honest about the facts or ignore them and blindly root for your team. Either way works.

[sllib olaffub]

6th in completions, 9th in comp%, 10th in TDs, over 3800 yards. That screams back up. If that were Sam Bradford's stat line we'd be lauding him as a true franchise QB, even with being #1 in INTs.

 

PTR

 

I think most of us are realistic about Fitzpatrick. He has streaks where he is really good, and streaks where he is really bad. Sometimes he misses passes that certain elite QB's would not - and, I know, every QB has had bad days. All things considered, though, no one is arguing that Fitz cannot lead the Bills to wins. It's just a matter of whether he can be consistent enough to show up enough, and then when we're in the playoffs, to show up and take us all the way. In order for him to do that - especially as he's been the last few years - we'd either have to have an insane defense, like Tampa Bay's or Baltimore's when they won the SB recently, or, he'd have to improve his consistency.

 

If he can do that - improve his consistency (which is more or less saying improving accuracy, or just limiting his inaccuracies) then he would be a very ideal QB for this team, because he is so smart and such a fast decision maker. This is his year to prove it to everyone - and I hope he pulls it off. Frankly, if Fitz can manage to transform his play into a consistent 16 games of what he was at his best last year, with the additions the Bills have made everywhere else, there is no reason to think we couldn't be a contender for the Super Bowl this year. If our defense is as good as it looks like it can be (and, if it can handle New England twice this year), then add to that an offense that has Fred Jackson and Spiller, AND a passing game like we did early last year! Man, that would be VERY tough to beat.

 

So, I'm all for seeing Fitz light it up this year.

[C.Biscuit97]

Your first point is written with blinders on. Which is fine, we're all fans of the Bills and Fitz is, and deserves to be, the starting QB. But he's started 52 games in his career. That's over 3 seasons worth of starting football. Last year was his second year as a starter on the Bills and the second year in the same system. He's 30 and closer to the end of his career than the beginning -- which is basically saying "he is what he is by now." Can he improve? Maybe. I hope so. But last season was a microcosm of Fitz's entire career: flashes of brilliance thwarted by constant inaccuracy and boneheaded decisions at the worst possible moments.

 

Did team injuries play a part in his second half decline? You could make a strong case for this. But you could make an equally strong case for the argument that the second half swoon was caused by Fitz regressing back to his career averages after a blindingly hot start. Anyone who says they know which one is the real answer is kidding themselves.

 

But we WILL find out the answer this season. If the Bills don't make the playoffs, injuries or not, fair or not, it's going to land on Fitz. That's the QB's job.

 

As for your second point, winning, more importantly winning championships, is the ONLY measuring stick for a QB's success. Everything else is meaningless. There are many people, myself included, who believe that the definition of a Franchise QB isn't found in stats, physical measurables, or how high they were picked in the draft -- but in that QB's ability to elevate the play of his teammates. Fitz has a lot of moxie, he's a team first guy and has the balls to motivate others with his play -- but so far that has not translated to either a winning record or a playoff birth. Until he proves he can bring a team to the playoffs it's silly to call Fitz a Franchise QB.

 

He's just not there yet.

 

As for your third point, I'm not a critic of the Bills just to be difficult. I'm a fan, first and foremost. I want to see this team win championships. Nothing else. And for the past 12 years this team has been poorly managed, poorly assembled, poorly coached and has been irrelevant outside of Western New York. Have I been hard on OBD for the ****ty product they've continually put onto the field the past 12 years? Absolutely. Do I think this organization made tremendous strides this past off season to put this ugly chapter behind them? Without question.

 

But it's all still academic at this point.

 

This team has the talent to be a playoff team THIS year. Not making the playoffs this year will be a failure. There are no more moral victories to be had. It's put up or shut up time for Fitz AND the Bills. Thankfully I believe this team has the talent to silence all the doubters. But it will inevitably come down to whether or not Fitz is able to consistently perform. So far in his career he has never been able to do that.

 

Those are the facts. As fans you can either be honest about the facts or ignore them and blindly root for your team. Either way works.

 

Fair points. And for the record, I've never once thought of Fitz as a true franchise QB but I do think people give him way too much hate. This was not a very talented offense going into last season. I still would have liked to see another blue chip type receiver added to the mix.

 

But unless our FAs on defense are complete busts, Fitz is the one with the spotlight on him. I do think we have legit playoff talent, especially on defense. But I do think besides maybe 5 or so QBs, the rest of the bunch are interchangable and depend on their team to help them be success. For example, what if Fitz and Matt Stafford switched teams? Stafford is a physically more talented QB than Fitz in every way. However, he plays with one of the most physically gifted receivers ever. Plus, a 1st round TE and several solid proven NFL receivers. Is Stafford the same player on Buffalo? I think it is an interesting question. I do think any QB is limited by Donald Jones being your #2 receiver though.

[You herd it hear last]

If Sam had put up those numbers in his 2nd year, absolutely.

 

...But last year was Fitz's 7th in the league. He's started 52 times and has a record of 17-31-1.

Looks like he's due for a 15- 1 season to get back to .500

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Anyways Big Cat, the Gaughan article basically is a more in-depth version of Chris Brown's article on the same subject, the addition of David Lee and the effect this will have on Fitz' mechanics.

 

Here's the topic: http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/146538-a-little-something-to-ponder/

 

And here's Chris Brown's piece: http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Fitz-already-improving-mechanics-under-Lee/b7a3494c-e52a-4e0e-88e8-9076dd90aefe

 

Many people are incredulous that Fitz has not had this type of instruction yet in his football career… either provided by his team of by himself.

[3rdand12]

May i suggest that part of Fitzes downfall was a lack of balance in the play calling. sure there is plenty more to it but, I expect that our quality of running backs demands that we give them the ball out of the backfield now. solidifying the o line also screams " run more because we can ". I think we are going to settle down this year and become consistent. The bringing on board of Lee just affirms that in my mind. Nix and Gailey are getting closer to what they think a long term contender looks like.

And they sincerely expect to win.

This is a big year for the whole team. It's time to put this monster on the field and let it happen. With Fitz as the Captain. This time around we win those close games we make it to the playoffs back to back years and we get that darned elusive super bowl.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

Fallacies of TSW regarding fitz:

 

1. He can't get better. --> Last year was his best year by leaps and bounds, there is no evidence or body of knowledge to suggest he won't keep improving. Brett Farve had his best season his second to last. Elway took over a decade to Play his best. Warner, Gannon, steve young, All got off to slow starts but finished strong. Look at the 2011 Vick compared to the falcons Vick.

 

2. You can't win without an elite or franchise qb-->There are plenty of examples of each case. There is no absolute. Carson Palmer was by definition a franchise qb. Cinci ditched him and had their best year in ages with an unknown rookie. Rivers is a franchise qb, yet SD struggles to get over the playoff hump.

 

Franchise qb of dream team Vick failed to lead the eagles anywhere.

 

Eli beat Brady twice in the biggest game. Eli has been questioned as a franchise qb year after year, not so much for tommy...

 

3. Fitz stats show he is not accurate--> comp % is very good. Fewer picks and hed rate in top 5

 

4. He was in the Harvard marching band... There are plenty of articles about that.

[CosmicBills]

Fair points. And for the record, I've never once thought of Fitz as a true franchise QB but I do think people give him way too much hate. This was not a very talented offense going into last season. I still would have liked to see another blue chip type receiver added to the mix.

 

But unless our FAs on defense are complete busts, Fitz is the one with the spotlight on him. I do think we have legit playoff talent, especially on defense. But I do think besides maybe 5 or so QBs, the rest of the bunch are interchangable and depend on their team to help them be success. For example, what if Fitz and Matt Stafford switched teams? Stafford is a physically more talented QB than Fitz in every way. However, he plays with one of the most physically gifted receivers ever. Plus, a 1st round TE and several solid proven NFL receivers. Is Stafford the same player on Buffalo? I think it is an interesting question. I do think any QB is limited by Donald Jones being your #2 receiver though.

I agree with you on almost everything here. To be fair, I'm one of the posters who have given Fitz a lot of grief -- but I've always been quick to point out I'm talking more big picture. I love watching the guy play. He's fearless and entertaining because you never know what the heck he's going to do. Sure I pull my hair out when he messes up (as I will do with every Bills QB), but I root and cheer as loud as anyone every Sunday ... it's just Monday through Saturday where the critic comes out. Call it a coping mechanism for the past decade and change