Fitzpatrick's Cannon

[Rubes]

Good grief, does noone here recognize sarcasm anymore?

[voodoo poonani]

YE OLE has been as big a proponent of Trent as anyone, but let me say this...

 

Fitzpatrick has a CANNON for an arm! Best arm strength we've had since Bledsoe... maybe even better! I'd like to see Young Ryan chuck it side by side next to Bledsoe and see whose ball travels further in the air! Even AVP knows... it's time to stretch the field!

 

Funny, he's been criticized for years about having a weak arm, now he has a cannon?

[toddgurley]

I'm pretty sure his arm was referred to as noodle arm last year. hardly a cannon

 

 

 

Buffalo News reports: '"He's got a big arm," said Bills offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, asked to list Fitzpatrick's strengths. "That's one of the things in stretching the field that is more comfortable to him. Protection issues are something that he's really strong in, as far as determining who's coming and getting protections suggested to get that taken care of. I think those are some of his strong points. His ability to run is something that we like."

[Guest dog14787]

Funny, he's been criticized for years about having a weak arm, now he has a cannon?

 

 

Fitz does have a fairly strong arm in my opinion, he appears to have more velocity on the ball then TE.

 

Cannon may be over doing a little.

[Hazed and Amuzed]

Some people just can't understand where you come from Ye Ole Cotton, but I guess that's part of the fun of it

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

Some people just can't understand where you come from Ye Ole Cotton, but I guess that's part of the fun of it

Greatest sig ever.

[Daydreamer]

I like Ryan Fitzpatrick. He seems to be very smart, hard working and a decent backup. His arm has never been described as a cannon, big arm or even a strong arm. I laughed when I saw AVP quoted as saying that Fitzpatrick has a "big arm". Coaches are expected to say that their qb has a big arm (I guess it wouldn't sound right for a coach to say that his qb has a noodle arm, but he really likes him anyway).

His stats from last year give a clue. He played in 13 games (started 12) for the Bengals after Palmer was injured. He was 221/372 (59.4%) with a 5.1 yards per attempt average. Out of 32 qbs with the most playing time last year, he was ranked 32 in ypa average. To compare, Edwards was 245/374 (65.5%) with a 7.2 ypa average (ranked 11). Maybe ypa is not the best judge of arm strength, but 5.1 ypa for a starting qb is not good. To rank 32 out of 32 is not good. (Dan Orlovsky, playing for 0-16 Detroit, had a 6.3 ypa average.) Fitzpatrick was also last in passes over 20 yards, completing only 14 in 372 attempts.

It seems likely that Fitzpatrick will start this weekend and I hope that he lights it up. Last week's win was great - but he was only 10/25 (40%) with a 4.6 ypa average. And that was with the benefit of six interceptions by the defense and good field position.

Edwards has regressed this year and the Bills may be looking at qbs again. It does seem possible, however, that regressing is only part of the story. Did it make sense to keep a mediocre OC and then fire him just before the start of the season? I like our young offensive linemen - but did it make sense to put together a very young offensive line and go with a no-huddle offense? Edwards, who was sacked only 23 times last year, was sacked 19 times in the first six games. His YPA dropped from 7.2 to 6.4 this year. (It would've been interesting to see how he played last week when they scrapped the no-huddle for the Jets game. He was 5/5 when he was knocked out.) I don't know if Edwards will ever have the pocket presence, ability to quickly read defenses, etc. to become a successful NFL qb, but he is young and the only qb on the Bills roster who even has the potential.

[Sisyphean Bills]

Fitzpatpatsack isn't afraid to just let it rip. But, his toolbox is limited. As far as AVP's comments, I suppose compared to AVP himself, Ryan has a "great arm" but that's comparing a wet dish rag to a noodle.

[dave mcbride]

Fitzpatpatsack isn't afraid to just let it rip. But, his toolbox is limited. As far as AVP's comments, I suppose compared to AVP himself, Ryan has a "great arm" but that's comparing a wet dish rag to a noodle.

His arm is actually pretty good. He has accuracy and decision issues, however, that make him a lifelong backup.

[Cotton Fitzsimmons]

What with all of the debate over Fitzpatrick's arm, YE OLE took the liberty of adding a poll question to this here fiasco of a thread! Lets base our opinion on good science, shall we?

[Coach55]

My biggest issue with this poll is comparing Fitz to the Pill. The Pill never really got a chance in his career. He had arm strength. He was just out of shape and too short. For his entire career (all 11 games started), the one comment you could make about him is he had no fear in throwing the ball. He may not have always hit the receiver intended, but he threw it. He threw it deep, he threw it hard and he threw it at his receivers. He definitely wasn't chicken sh*t back there like other QB's this team has had. Don't know if anything can be compared to the Pill. Come on - he is AVP - Almost a Valuable Player.

[Sisyphean Bills]

His arm is actually pretty good. He has accuracy and decision issues, however, that make him a lifelong backup.

I don't know what your definition of "pretty good" is, but the guy's arm is barely adequate to stick around in this league. He is probably better at reading defenses than Trent and will take shots, but why not? Nobody expects much from him anyway. He's the highest paid QB on the team and the backup. What are they going to do? Bench him?

[BobbyC81]

YE OLE has been as big a proponent of Trent as anyone, but let me say this...

 

Fitzpatrick has a CANNON for an arm! Best arm strength we've had since Bledsoe... maybe even better! I'd like to see Young Ryan chuck it side by side next to Bledsoe and see whose ball travels further in the air! Even AVP knows... it's time to stretch the field!

 

 

Fitz is maybe the 1st NFL QB I've seen who has to windup like a shortstop to get the ball there

[reddogblitz]

His arm strength looked adequate in the game Sunday. The 30 yard pass or so to the sidelines to Lee was right on target and really about as far a QB really needs to throw. He took a 3 step drop and zipped it into Lee without hesitation. Give the guy a chance. He played on a crappy team last year. One that Carson Palmer couldn't win with for the 4 games he played with. He seems to have better decision making and is more decisive than Trent. He pump fakes. He at least tries to throw the mid range passes. See the 12 yard out to Lee? That was awesome.

 

I can't imagine Mike Martz drafting a guy with a "noodle arm". Why do you think he has a "noodle arm"? Because some sportswriter said so. Let's see what he does Sunday after he had a whole week to be "the man" at practice. I'm hoping for good things. We'll see.

[GripnRip]

His arm strength is a moot point when comparing him to Edwards....hes not afraid to throw the ball more than 3 yards, thats all I need for my comparison.

[STLBILLS15]

Well guys your all missing the main point . These are the guys we have to play with, so analyze it all you want. But at the end of the day we have Fitz and TE, theres no savior around the corner. I have heard nothing but bitching and moaning about anyone who has played QB since Kelly. Deal with it, this is who we have. So lets hope for the best and a few wins. I forgot how many pro personnel gurus we have on this board. But i think if half of you werent bitching about something you wouldnt be happy.

 

 

Finally, somebody said it.

[fansince88]

Hahahaha. I love that you're using stats to justify why Fitz isn't the answer. He's obviously not the answer (and also doesn't have a cannon for an arm), but he's basically the same as Edwards. A possible upside here and there, and downside here and there, the point being: Fitz isn't the answer, but man, Trent certainly isn't either.

Except we saw Fitz roll out several times and advoid the sack. Trent ran to the sideline or got knocked back deep. Last Sunday a nice pass to Lee for a touchdown. A nice pass to Lee that should have been call a completion at about the 5 and three drops by TO that should have been big plays. We will see at end of game this Sunday whom should back up whom the remainder of the season.

[evilbuffalobob]

That doesn't make sense.

 

Ryan Fitz:

5.3 Yard per Attempt

57.7% Completion percentage

51.4 QB Rating

 

Trent Edwards:

6.7 Yard per Attempt

61.2% Completion percentage

78.0 QB Rating

 

I dont understand how you can say that Fitz has a huge arm, the guy is averaging a full yard less per attempt (and that is with starting all last year with Ochocinco and TJ Housh on his team). Trent was airing it out all year at the beginning of last year until they started rolling a guy over the top on Lee, and then we had no second WR.

 

This year we simplified the offense and proceeded to stack the deck against Trent with a young o-line (not giving him any time in the pocket to find his WR) and then installed a no huddle offense that did nothing but confuse that young O-Line.

 

Also, lets not forget that Trent hit Lee on the exact same pass last week early in the game and someone tripped him up. Fitz checked down as much if not more, and just managed to get lucky and have Lee break one. Edwards was finding his WRs and stretching the field (Shawn Nelson had a huge grab) before he went down.

 

Fitz is still just a backup and a guy who is serviceable, but he can't stretch the field any more than Trent can. The biggest difference last week was AVP on the field and finally going to a zone blocking scheme. Don't forget trent was 5-5 and had thrown for almost 10 Y/A before he went down with a concussion. Plus his YPA would have been way larger if Owens had caught that bomb against Tampa.

 

Ryan Fitz:

5.3 Yard per Attempt

57.7% Completion percentage

51.4 QB Rating

 

Cold off the bench via first action of the year, on the road in crappy weather/swirling winds?

[bizell]

from what i saw last week, in between decent and cannon imo

[Cotton Fitzsimmons]

from what i saw last week, in between decent and cannon imo

I shall update the poll to reflect your write in vote! For posterity sake of course!