Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't who some thought he would be
So far under center for the New York Jets, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been exposed for what he really is. He simply isn’t who we all thought he would be based on last year.
The New York Jets held on till the 11th hour to sign quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Their reluctance to sign him all throughout the offseason was a sign they knew that what we are seeing was a possibility.
Now, they probably didn’t expect 10 interceptions in five games. Nor could they expect a completion percentage of 57.8, considering it hasn’t been that low since 2010. However, they did expect a huge step back.
If they didn’t they wouldn’t have reluctantly given him $12M. The fans and the media portrayed their negotiations with Fitzpatrick as a game of chicken. Maybe it wasn’t a game of chicken. Maybe they knew something the media and fans didn’t.
What else? The NFL has figured out how to stop Fitzpatrick. Normally, teams would want to rattle a quarterback to get him off his game. That’s not the case with Fitzpatrick.
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His accuracy comes and goes, and it’s not more evident than in two numbers. Teams aren’t blitzing Fitzpatrick as much (25.8% in 2015 and 20.9% in 2016).
Thus, leading to more coverage and more reading.
Secondly, his numbers are down in short (15 yards or less) passes.
In 2015, he went from 67.60% to 60.70% and his total QBR has tremendously dropped from 70.6 to 32.7, glaring, to say the least.
Only one member of the media said that Fitzpatrick had a bad season last year, and that’s ESPN’s Ron Jaworski:
General manager Mike Maccagnan fell for the mirage, like many of us would if we were thirsty in the desert. We all fell for it technically, and now, have to accept the fact that the Jets are in for a long season ahead.
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