Fitzpatrick Can Win Early, Stir Controversy
June 29th, 2018
BY IRA KAUFMAN
As we sift through the embers at One Buc Place, one aspect of this dumpster fire has been buried by the NFL shield.
Ryan Fitzpatrick gives this team a fighting chance.
It’s easy to minimize Fitzpatrick’s two wins as Tampa Bay’s starter in 2017 because they came against the Jets and Dolphins, but the man played solid football when Jameis Winston was sidelined by injury.
And at the age of 35, there’s no reason to suspect Fitzpatrick has lost his competitive edge as he replaces Winston for at least three weeks this fall.
Fitzpatrick signed with the Bucs in 2017 after he became convinced his days as a starter were behind him. He had no illusions about competing against Winston last summer, but when Dirk Koetter called his number, Fitzpatrick responded like a true pro.
After beating New York and Miami, Fitzpatrick scared the heck out of the Falcons, who had built a 27-6 lead before Tampa Bay embarked on two TD drives. Fitzpatrick finished the day 27-for-44, throwing for 283 yards against a playoff-bound team on the road. He was not picked off and he was sacked only once.
So who says Fitzpatrick can’t get the job done this September?
Koetter will have six weeks to devise the proper game plans and get Fitzpatrick ready for the Saints.
Winston will enter training camp as an afterthought as Fitzpatrick takes the bulk of the starter’s reps.
It wasn’t that long ago when Fitzpatrick had the New York tabloids running out of platitudes. In 2015, the Jets were 10-5, heading into Buffalo on a five-game winning streak and with a rare playoff berth in their grasp. On a 35-degree day, the Bills won 22-17 as Fitzpatrick struggled down the stretch.
That NY team averaged 24 points and never failed to score less than 17 points in any game. No one can credibly argue that Jets club boasted better targets for Fitzpatrick than the current Bucs roster.
If the Bucs start 0-3, it won’t be because Fitzpatrick is a scrub — it will be because this team isn’t as good as Jason Licht, Koetter and the Glazers think it is.
Don’t blame Fitzpatrick if he averages 40 pass attempts per week — blame an ineffective ground game and a defense that can’t keep the Bucs close.
Let’s remember that Winston is 18-27 as a starter, meaning the Bucs lose three times on average for every five games Winston has been under center. That .400 percentage doesn’t give you much leverage toward nailing down a lucrative contract extension.
If the Bucs play well under Fitzpatrick, it’s no given that Winston gets his job back at Chicago, where Tampa Bay will be operating on a short week, followed by a bye.
A month ago, the notion that Winston could be ordered to hold a clipboard when healthy and eligible to play would have been considered ludicrous.
Not anymore.
Fitzpatrick now holds all the cards and the Bucs would be foolish not to stick with the hot hand.
While he’s surely not the long-term solution, Fitzpatrick can offer some early answers about the quality and depth of Tampa Bay’s roster.
The Saints, Eagles and Steelers would be foolish to underestimate him.
Ira Kaufman is the most revered sports personality and writer in town. He has hung his hat at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters since July 2016. Tampa Bay’s only Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, Ira busts out columns here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and his award winning podcasts fire Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can also hear Ira on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio Wednesdays during football season, and see him now on Mondays at 10:30 p.m. on Spectrum Sports 360 (aka BayNews 9). Ira also is part of the FOX-13 Tailgate Sunday show and enjoys beet salads, Riesling, Chiefs victories and needling Joe.
June 29th, 2018 at 12:08 pm
I was wondering this myself.. If somehow Fitz goes 3-0 who is going to bench him?
June 29th, 2018 at 12:10 pm
Exactly what I’ve been saying.
I like our chances.
I hope RoJo is as good as we hope too.
Of course the JW Mob will say that’s the sole reason Fitzpatrick succeeded.
June 29th, 2018 at 12:10 pm
He’s a joker, he’s toker, he’s midnight groper…
June 29th, 2018 at 12:11 pm
Mommas don’t let your babies grow up to be Uber drivers…
June 29th, 2018 at 12:11 pm
Agreed! Not the best but surely the brightest QB we have!
June 29th, 2018 at 12:15 pm
Let’s get 1-2 wins at least. This really comes down to the Glazers/Licht/etc. imo. Did Winston lie to them all? How can you trust him after that?
He lied in his first statement that he wasn’t the only passenger in the ride in question. You have Banks confirming he left alone and the NFL investigation concluding the same thing.
Did he tell the truth of any of that to the team? I’m hoping he did that at least…
He really sh1t the bed with this thing bad.
And no letter or any details are going to prove sh1t in terms of whether he groped her or not – unless you have Winston actually admitting it in the letter or video evidence. I don’t get thinking the letter will prove anything outright.
But we know this 1) he was black out drunk and 2) he lied about being with others in the car ride and 3) the uber driver was sober and her story was consistent.
I’m 99.9% sure he groped the driver. Not sure how you can feel confident he didn’t. The bigger question for me is has he done this before and was he a little forceful and inappropriate with the FSU situation – but not enough to be proven physically via rape kit.
It sucks when someone you care about does something like this. Thanks for making me look like an 4sshole for supporting you dude.
June 29th, 2018 at 12:15 pm
Take what the defense gives you. Get the ball to your weapons in space. Recognize coverages. Pray for your defense.
June 29th, 2018 at 12:17 pm
Who is the chick filling in for Kay Adams this morning? She is gorgeous!
June 29th, 2018 at 12:22 pm
LOL…Dewey….a brief respite….thanks
June 29th, 2018 at 12:27 pm
To the Cut Jameis Crowd: We’ve all seen this movie too many times. We cut a controversial player and three years later he becomes a Superbowl Champion. Blount, Talib, Bennett, the list goes on and on. How many times are we going to make the same mistake? We cut them because they weren’t great character guys right? Now the Jameis Hate Club is preaching “Jameis has poor character.” As bad as it may seem character doesn’t win games. This is a business. We’ve stuck with choir boys and “great character guys” for far too long and we have absolutely zero winning to show for it. Cutting controversial players has set us back years, and now with the most important position up in the air, it’d be hard to imagine us being competitive for at least another five years. But go on, take the moral highground and enjoy losing football for another decade.
June 29th, 2018 at 12:29 pm
“But go on, take the moral highground and enjoy losing football for another decade.”
Or not take it, keep JW and enjoy losing football for another decade.
June 29th, 2018 at 12:29 pm
“Lol! Fitz is terrible. He is checkdown charlie and needs to be in the West coast office. He is terrible under Koetter scheme and probably wont last the 3 games.”
Kobe Faker
June 29th, 2018 at 12:31 pm
“So who says Fitzpatrick can’t get the job done this September?
Koetter will have six weeks to devise the proper game plans and get Fitzpatrick ready for the Saints.”
Well Ira had me right up and until he mentioned Koetter having to devise a proper game plan.
June 29th, 2018 at 12:31 pm
JW is 20-28 – he stinks and is human garbage. Cut him!
June 29th, 2018 at 12:34 pm
I think IRA nailed it at the end. Fitz gives the Bucs a chance to see how good they really are. He’s not a QB that’s going to bail you out but he’s also not a QB who is going to lose it for you. If we have a good team we can win with Fitz.
So lets see if we really do have a greatly improved defense.
Let’s see if ROJO is the real deal and if Payton can blossom this year.
June 29th, 2018 at 12:34 pm
“To the Cut Jameis Crowd: We’ve all seen this movie too many times. We cut a controversial player and three years later he becomes a Superbowl Champion. Blount, Talib, Bennett, the list goes on and on. How many times are we going to make the same mistake?”
this time it is going to back fire….time for the G’Boyz to sell….and bring in a football owner….the G’Boyz talked pops into buying a NFL franchise…they have struck gold…but are clueless about the NFL…the other 31 humor their combined geekiness
June 29th, 2018 at 12:35 pm
“The Saints, Eagles and Steelers would be foolish to underestimate him.”
And they won’t and that is why they are winning franchises.
June 29th, 2018 at 12:38 pm
Hey don’t get me wrong Ira is correct, Fitz is better in that he won’t turn the ball over as much as America’s Choir Boy. So in that regard he does give us a better chance to win than JW.
June 29th, 2018 at 12:42 pm
Kellen Winslow Jr just said he stands with Jameis.
June 29th, 2018 at 12:50 pm
FDTB, as much as I agree with you on the others, this one is different….its a sex thing, not so with the Talib, Blount and Bennet (who btw wasnt cut or traded, just wasnt resigned, MB that is)
Is a kellen winslow in this dmbarrses future? When its sexual, tht jit sticks it stays on the wall!
June 29th, 2018 at 12:55 pm
Fitz is very similar to Winston….Winston has a much bigger arm but receivers say Fitz throws a very catchable ball. Both are streaky, both need a team effort to clean up their TOs. I think we can force teams to play off the line with Fitz…Teams were daring Winston to throw because it was only a matter of attempts before he’d force something. We might surprise some people early in the season.
June 29th, 2018 at 12:59 pm
If the defense is for real and we get a run game going to set up play action, Fitz can hit his spots, and is a better run threat that Winston. If he can go 1-2 is a moral victory, I don;t think this team will be solid until midseason, say 2-3 games after the bye. We should know who the qb is and some chemistry is in place if #3 starts week 4.
June 29th, 2018 at 1:05 pm
For the record, JW3 is 18-27, for a 0.400 winning percentage. The JW3 -led Bucs offense scored ONLY 18.96 ppg last year in his third year in the league, even with all of those “weapons for Winston”.
If Winston plays the remaining 13 games on the schedule after his suspension, he needs to go 5-8 or better, which would give him a total record of 23-35 or 0.396 winning percentage after his FOURTH season in the NFL.
If he is 4-9 or worse, that would equal 22-36 or worse for a 0.379 winning percentage or worse.
MG8 went 5-13 during his rookie and second seasons, or 0.384 winning percentage, playing on a team so bad that they earned the right to draft Winston. The MG8-led Bucs offense scored 19.5 ppg during his rookie year.
For the record, I voted trade down in every single poll.
If you really want to be upset, read some of the trade rumors that Philadelphia was offering for the #1 pick that year. Probably all BS, but one said the Eagles offered Nick Foles, Lesean McCoy, and THREE first round picks. LMAO.
tickrdr
June 29th, 2018 at 1:37 pm
cut him, or stash him. Don’t let this goon play until he proves himself. Playing this sport for a living is a privilege. He should treat it as so. If he was serious, he’d be giving the bucs hourly check-ins. Imagine if this dude had to have a real job and be on call 24/7. I doubt he could handle it, yet he makes more money than someone who IS on call 24/7 might see in a lifetime. HOW DO THESE GUYS GET MULTIPLE CHANCES. WHAT DIRT MAY PLAYERS HAVE ON THE NFL? How can i as a lifelong fan support a team or a league that babies millionaires.
This crap makes me sick. People struggling to eat while these goons get away with almost anything.
You really think this was his first time since being a Buc, that he was completely WASTED in public? It’s all about mentality. This kid doesn’t have the mental or testicular fortitude to get his butt straightened out.
Cut ties, or stash and trade after rehabilitation.
June 29th, 2018 at 1:53 pm
Hey Ira
Is Fitz the “new QB” the Bucs should go after, should the allegations against JW be true?
Lack of credibility, “Sage” Taking a shot at the Sage, perhaps you should at least let the guy speak first and/or address the issue of Jameis in print. Is that too much to ask?–Joe
June 29th, 2018 at 2:00 pm
Fitz has never had the kind of weapons around him, as we now have in Tampa.
We are flat out loaded on that side of the ball.
If we can run as advertised, and play defense, we can play with just about any team.
I hope we can steal at least one of these first 3 games
June 29th, 2018 at 2:02 pm
Joe,
Kind of the point…All is silent on the Ira front, on the subject.
But I’ll be around waiting patiently.
June 29th, 2018 at 2:17 pm
@LC, Well said!
June 29th, 2018 at 2:28 pm
@Take, its called being blessed and talented…in their field of work which commands top dollar and trickles down to even top dollar for blue collars like us, because of us, the fans. Many of the players fail to get that, the fans view….we make and we can break!!!
The owners certainly felt it this past season because of the kneelers. But we’ll keep going down this road since this country’s libs are losing their minds and trying to drive us into chaos. I stopped giving a fk about the kneeling because i stopped caring about nfl players political opinions or anything else they do….only watched my Bucs and the playoffs/SB.
June 29th, 2018 at 3:27 pm
Great thoughts here Ira..as usual. I am in the minority with my opinion there will not be much drop off with Fitz. Give him a line and a Defense. Fitz can still play. He;s smart and will make great decisions with the ball. Think of what would happen if Fitz pulls out 3 or 2 of those games? Hell, I’d play him the 4th game!!
If this Defense makes at least a 50% better showing than last year..we win more games. Fitz is capable of winning 2 out of our 1st 3. I do beleive this.
June 29th, 2018 at 5:25 pm
I said that Ira Kaufman is saying in a response to one of Joe’s posts yesterday about this whole Jameis Winston debacle.
Ryan Fitzpatrick is no slouch. He’s a veteran NFL starter who brings one huge thing to the table that Winston lacks, savvy. Kaufman is right when he says Fitzpatrick isn’t going to lose any games for us, although he might not be the man to carry the team on his back. The last time the Bucs had a game manager under center they won the Super Bowl with Brad Johnson at QB. And, Johnson didn’t have anywhere close to the supporting cast that Fitzpatrick will have available against the Saints, Eagles, and Steelers.
To me, it’s going to come down to three things: (1) Have Jason Licht’s off-season moves made the defense just better enough to keep from giving winnable games away; (2) Can Ronald Jones deliver four or five explosive running plays per game and can Payton Barber deliver the pounding 4-5 yards per rushing play needed to keep the heat off Fitzpatrick; and (3) Can Head Coach Dirk Koetter and OC Tood Monken devise and call game plans that take advantage of our weapons like Mike Evans. DeSean Jackson, Chris Godwin, Adam Humphries, Cameron Brate, and O.J. Howard and can those players step up their games just a little bit.
If we can do those things, Fitzpatrick could very well start the season at 3-0, although 2-1 would be nice too.
June 29th, 2018 at 10:41 pm
People keep talking weapons on offense? Fitzpatrick is gonna be fit-sack-trick before he has a chance to utilize any of them.. Jameis can keep the play alive or use his strong arm to get out of those situations. Bucs 0-3. Jameis comes back to right the ship leading to a decent year. So many people are overreacting, and, it’s disgusting that a fan base treats the franchise QB this way. Jameis will be around a long time. Get over it and root for the Bucs! Fire them cannons!
June 30th, 2018 at 10:13 am
Well we added what looks to be a good 3rd down back….
June 30th, 2018 at 11:08 pm
Again I ask why Jameis cannot be aloud time to mature like Big Ben was only 8 yrs ago with a four fame suapension…why so much latitude given to Ben
I think we all know.
I also believe a select few of the Bucs have more of this story than what Jameis had to state so not to inflame the female and heat up #METOO.
Glazers, Licht, Koetter, Monk, Mike, DJ, McCoy, Kwon and theTE’s know more than anyone on this board!
June 30th, 2018 at 11:08 pm
Be allowed