Silverman: Journeyman Fitzpatrick A Solid Short-Term Option For QB-Starved Jets
By Steve Silverman
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There's no such thing as easy time in the NFL.
If Ryan Fitzpatrick even thought for one minute that he would cruise into Jets' camp and go through the motions as a well-paid back-up quarterback and have an easy time of it, he was badly mistaken.
Fitzpatrick, a Harvard man, is far too smart to have such a thought enter his head. The backup quarterback has to be ready at a moment's notice, and he probably had a pretty good chance to beat out Geno Smith even before Tuesday's regrettable incident.
Smith is now out of action for at least six weeks as a result of a broken jaw (in two places), courtesy of a backup linebacker named Ikemefuna "I.K." Enemkpali, who delivered a solid punch to Smith's face. Enemkpali is now a former Jet.
This is clearly not the way head coach Todd Bowles wanted to begin his coaching career with the Jets. Bowles might have discovered in a few weeks that he really had no use for Smith, but he would have preferred to make that discovery on his own and not courtesy of Enemkpali's fist.
Fitzpatrick gives the Jets a fighting chance at quarterback. He has the mobility to get away from the pass rush, is an accurate short- and medium-range passer and he can also throw on the move.
He is capable of playing a huge game from time to time, and he is also capable of taking what the opposing defense will give him. Fitzpatrick had a 6-6 record in starting 12 games for the Texans and he completed 197 of 321 passes for 2,483 yards with 17 TDs and eight interceptions, while getting sacked 21 times.
That's an impressive performance, but Fitzpatrick has gotten overwhelmed from time to time as the quarterback of the Rams, Bengals, Bills, Titans and the Texans. It seems whenever he starts to get comfortable in the position and ready to establish himself as a better-than-average quarterback, he makes mistakes by believing his arm is stronger than it really is.
As a result, he starts to believe he can throw the ball into windows that are not there. That's a problem because this has been an issue throughout his 10 previous seasons in the league. The Harvard man has not learned from his mistakes.
Still, the Jets may be in a better position to win games with Fitzpatrick under center than they would have been with Smith. It's not likely the Jets would have had a better quarterback situation than more than one or two teams if Smith had not been injured.
On the other hand, Fitzpatrick ranks with the best backups in the league. Former Jet Mark Sanchez was very sharp in 2014 after Nick Foles was hurt, and Chip Kelly has to feel good about having Sanchez as Sam Bradford's backup this season. However, Jets fans know better than anybody that Sanchez is not the most predictable player.
While he may have had a good 2014 season -- 2,418 passing yards, 14 TDs and 11 interceptions with four 300-yard games -- he is not dependable. Some might think that last season's productivity means that he will have a down year in 2015.
Matt Schaub of the Ravens may be the top backup quarterback in the league this season. The long-time Texans starter was never quite good enough to win big games for Houston, but he could be in a perfect position backing up Joe Flacco. He has the intelligence and the arm strength, and if he is asked to play a game or two, that is not likely to overwhelm him.
Drew Stanton of the Cardinals had some success backing up Carson Palmer, and he has the size and strength to stand tall in the pocket and deliver strikes. Of course, Palmer was not the only Arizona quarterback to get hurt last season. Stanton could not stay healthy either, and that derailed Arizona after the team's solid start.
Fitzpatrick is now the Jets starting quarterback, and it's clear that the team made an excellent move by trading a conditional seventh-round pick (now likely a sixth-rounder) for him.
There is little doubt that Fitzpatrick has the skills to get the job done in the short term. However, there is plenty that he must prove if he is going to get it done in the long run.
Follow Steve on Twitter at @ProFootballBoy
