5 Things to Know about New Jets QB FitzPatrick

[JetsFanatic]

I know Jets fans made fun of us when he was the starter here, now years and 2 teams later, he's you're guy. Interested how everyone feels about him. 

Now we make fun of you that Matt Cassal is your starter.

[Jet Life]

I know Jets fans made fun of us when he was the starter here, now years and 2 teams later, he's you're guy. Interested how everyone feels about him.

I know you guys made fun of Rex for years. Curious to see how you feel about him now.

[sackdance]

and Fitz was Peyton Manning circa 2004.  

 

And I'm the one being accused of hyperbole?  

[drdetroit]

It's really weird how all of a sudden Ryan Fitzpatrick is now considered the worst qb in the NFL.

[nyjunc]

So what?  There's only 6-7 good starting qb's.  Way worse players than Fitz have taken teams to the playoffs.

not many.

[Gastineau Lives]

11 and 8 w/o wins means nothing.  there's a reason his teams have never won more than 6 games w/ him as a starter in a single season.

 

Yeah, totally. When you only give up 27 pts per game over a three year span (2010,11,12), nothing short of a Super Bowl is acceptable.

[nyjunc]

Yeah, totally. When you only give up 27 pts per game over a three year span (2010,11,12), nothing short of a Super Bowl is acceptable.

Let's look at 2011, shall we?

 

Buffalo was 5-2, Bills fans were going crazy, Fitz the savior had just gotten a huge contract extension.  what does he do the next 3 weeks?

 

leads the O to 11 pts at home against us in possibly the biggest game in orchard park this Century(and 8 pts came in garbage time).

led the O to 7 pts at Dallas

led the O to 6 pts against that juggernaut in Miami

 

5-2 became 5-5 and the Bills were the 00s Bills again instead of the 90s Bills. that's the fault of the D? in those 3 games he threw 2 TDs and 7 INTs but I am sure that is the fault of the D.

 

after they were 5-2 they lost 7 straight.  In those 7 games he led the O to an average of 13 PPG.  How can a team average 13 PPg in a critical stretch over 7 games and expect to compete for a postseason spot?  blame the D all you want(and they deserve their share) but Ryan was ineffective and gave Buffalo no chance to win.

[slats]

Ryan Fitzpatrick is essentially a poor man's Chad Pennington. A smart guy with a weak arm. Except that Fitz has a gunslinger mentality to go with his pea-shooter, while Chad understood he had to be Capt. Checkdown to limit his turnovers.

Fitzpatrick is no threat to throw the ball downfield, eliminating the threat that Devin Smith or Hakim (should he win a job) would otherwise bring to the table. Teams will stack the box more than they would against Geno, knowing that Fitz cannot beat them deep. Fitz will benefit (like Geno) from having big receivers like Marshall, Decker, and Amaro to work with, though. Much like with Geno, the goal will be to limit Fitzpatrick's turnovers.

The new regime was all in on Geno in an effort to determine once and for all whether or not he could be a viable NFL starter. I fully supported that effort. This locker room incident, however, clouds the picture. It demonstrates a continued lack of maturity from Geno, and the lack of teammates rushing to his defense -condemning IK, absolving Geno- speaks volumes about how they feel about him when not squawking the company line. Right now, I think that if Fitz can play merely average in Geno's absence that he'll be tough to sit.

[KRL]

Ryan Fitzpatrick is essentially a poor man's Chad Pennington. A smart guy with a weak arm. Except that Fitz has a gunslinger mentality to go with his pea-shooter, while Chad understood he had to be Capt. Checkdown to limit his turnovers.

Fitzpatrick is no threat to throw the ball downfield, eliminating the threat that Devin Smith or Hakim (should he win a job) would otherwise bring to the table. Teams will stack the box more than they would against Geno, knowing that Fitz cannot beat them deep. Fitz will benefit (like Geno) from having big receivers like Marshall, Decker, and Amaro to work with, though. Much like with Geno, the goal will be to limit Fitzpatrick's turnovers.

The new regime was all in on Geno in an effort to determine once and for all whether or not he could be a viable NFL starter. I fully supported that effort. This locker room incident, however, clouds the picture. It demonstrates a continued lack of maturity from Geno, and the lack of teammates rushing to his defense -condemning IK, absolving Geno- speaks volumes about how they feel about him when not squawking the company line. Right now, I think that if Fitz can play merely average in Geno's absence that he'll be tough to sit.

 

Couldn't have said it better

[Gastineau Lives]

Let's look at 2011, shall we?

 

Buffalo was 5-2, Bills fans were going crazy, Fitz the savior had just gotten a huge contract extension.  what does he do the next 3 weeks?

 

leads the O to 11 pts at home against us in possibly the biggest game in orchard park this Century(and 8 pts came in garbage time).

led the O to 7 pts at Dallas

led the O to 6 pts against that juggernaut in Miami

 

5-2 became 5-5 and the Bills were the 00s Bills again instead of the 90s Bills. that's the fault of the D? in those 3 games he threw 2 TDs and 7 INTs but I am sure that is the fault of the D.

 

after they were 5-2 they lost 7 straight.  In those 7 games he led the O to an average of 13 PPG.  How can a team average 13 PPg in a critical stretch over 7 games and expect to compete for a postseason spot?  blame the D all you want(and they deserve their share) but Ryan was ineffective and gave Buffalo no chance to win.

 

11-11 in games where he led the team to 21 points or more over a three year stretch. You want to cherry pick a seven game stretch, go right ahead, but the fact remains that they gave up a steady 27 pts per game during that time.

[nyjunc]

11-11 in games where he led the team to 21 points or more over a three year stretch. You want to cherry pick a seven game stretch, go right ahead, but all your "shall we's" don't make your point any more intelligent or correct.

let's look at those 22 games:

 

I assume you are still talking about '10-'12;

 

2010:

38-30 loss at NE:  game wouldn't have been close if not for a CJ Spiller KR. Trailed 31-23 early 4th at NE 20 and he threw an INT which set up a TD that put NE up 38-23.  Threw TD to pull w/in 38-30, D gets a stop. 1st and 10 at Buf 35 w/ 3 mins and 2 TOs and first play he throws another INT. 

 

36-26 loss to jax: game tied 20-20, jax scores TD late in 3rd to go up 27-20.  Fitz then leads Buf to 3 and out. jax kicks FG then Fitz leads another 3 and out.  jax up 30-20. Jax gets another FG to go up 33-20 and Fitz leads to TO on downs.Jax gets another FG to go up 36-26 then Fitz leads late TD that was meaningless for final score of 36-26.  garbage time Td puts them over 21.

 

37-34 loss to Baltimore: lost in OT, though he had 2 INts and one led to TD won't bash Fitz over this.

 

 

3 losses where they scored 21 or more in 2010, 2 of them can be pinned on Ryan and offense.

 

2011;

27-24 loss to NYG: Trailing 24-17 in 3rd near midfield throws INT. D gets stop, he leads them to tying TD.  D gets Fitz ball back w/ under 7 mins to play. 1st and 10 at NYg 27 and Fitz throws INT, NYg kicks FG to take lead. Fitz gets ball back w/ plenty of time to tie it. drive begins on Buf 20, ends on Buf 25.

 

28-24 loss to NYG: he was excellent that day, not his fault.

 

30-23 loss to Mia: trailed 23-7 and 30-13 in 4th. score late TD to finally pull w/in a score, cannot recover OS kick,  Mostly garbage time pts.  Oh and 3 INts led to the big deficit. Trailing 10-7 throws INt to set up FG and 13-7 deficit.  Trailing 20-7 in 3rd throws 2nd INT, then still trialing 20-7 throws 3rd INT.

 

49-21 loss to NE: led 21-0 in 1st, never scored again. Threw 4 INts in 2nd half. led 21-10 throws INT, trailed 28-21.  Trailing 28-21 throws INt, trailed 35-21. trailed 42-21 throws pick 6.  then trailing 49-21 thros INT #4

 

in 2011 scored 21 or more in 4 losses, 3 were on him/offense.

 

2012:

48-28 loss at NYJ:trailed 21-0 and 41-7. threw 3 INts in that stretch, one led to Td and one was pick 6.  then led team to 21 garbage time pts to lose 48-28.

 

52-28 loss to NE: 4 more INts for Fitzy!

 

35-34 loss to Ten: led O to 27 pts.2 TOs led to 14 pts in 1 pt loss including INT up 34-28 that set up Ten near midfield to go on GW TD drive. Trailing by only 1 w/ 1 min left and 2 TOs drive started at Buf 20 and ended at buf 28.

 

37-31 loss to NE:

fumble led to 7 pts then trailing by 6 at NE 15 throws game ending INt.

 

4 21+ games in 2012 and all could be pinned on Ryan/offense.

 

do I need to continue?

[nyjunc]

Ryan Fitzpatrick is essentially a poor man's Chad Pennington. A smart guy with a weak arm. Except that Fitz has a gunslinger mentality to go with his pea-shooter, while Chad understood he had to be Capt. Checkdown to limit his turnovers.

Fitzpatrick is no threat to throw the ball downfield, eliminating the threat that Devin Smith or Hakim (should he win a job) would otherwise bring to the table. Teams will stack the box more than they would against Geno, knowing that Fitz cannot beat them deep. Fitz will benefit (like Geno) from having big receivers like Marshall, Decker, and Amaro to work with, though. Much like with Geno, the goal will be to limit Fitzpatrick's turnovers.

The new regime was all in on Geno in an effort to determine once and for all whether or not he could be a viable NFL starter. I fully supported that effort. This locker room incident, however, clouds the picture. It demonstrates a continued lack of maturity from Geno, and the lack of teammates rushing to his defense -condemning IK, absolving Geno- speaks volumes about how they feel about him when not squawking the company line. Right now, I think that if Fitz can play merely average in Geno's absence that he'll be tough to sit.

when Chad was healthy he always led his teams to the playoffs(including the 2 non Brady AFC East titles in the Brady era).  I get the comparison but he's a very, very, very, very poor man's chad.

[Gastineau Lives]

let's look at those 22 games:

 

I assume you are still talking about '10-'12;

 

2010:

38-30 loss at NE:  game wouldn't have been close if not for a CJ Spiller KR. Trailed 31-23 early 4th at NE 20 and he threw an INT which set up a TD that put NE up 38-23.  Threw TD to pull w/in 38-30, D gets a stop. 1st and 10 at Buf 35 w/ 3 mins and 2 TOs and first play he throws another INT. 

 

36-26 loss to jax: game tied 20-20, jax scores TD late in 3rd to go up 27-20.  Fitz then leads Buf to 3 and out. jax kicks FG then Fitz leads another 3 and out.  jax up 30-20. Jax gets another FG to go up 33-20 and Fitz leads to TO on downs.Jax gets another FG to go up 36-26 then Fitz leads late TD that was meaningless for final score of 36-26.  garbage time Td puts them over 21.

 

37-34 loss to Baltimore: lost in OT, though he had 2 INts and one led to TD won't bash Fitz over this.

 

 

3 losses where they scored 21 or more in 2010, 2 of them can be pinned on Ryan and offense.

 

2011;

27-24 loss to NYG: Trailing 24-17 in 3rd near midfield throws INT. D gets stop, he leads them to tying TD.  D gets Fitz ball back w/ under 7 mins to play. 1st and 10 at NYg 27 and Fitz throws INT, NYg kicks FG to take lead. Fitz gets ball back w/ plenty of time to tie it. drive begins on Buf 20, ends on Buf 25.

 

28-24 loss to NYG: he was excellent that day, not his fault.

 

30-23 loss to Mia: trailed 23-7 and 30-13 in 4th. score late TD to finally pull w/in a score, cannot recover OS kick,  Mostly garbage time pts.  Oh and 3 INts led to the big deficit. Trailing 10-7 throws INt to set up FG and 13-7 deficit.  Trailing 20-7 in 3rd throws 2nd INT, then still trialing 20-7 throws 3rd INT.

 

49-21 loss to NE: led 21-0 in 1st, never scored again. Threw 4 INts in 2nd half. led 21-10 throws INT, trailed 28-21.  Trailing 28-21 throws INt, trailed 35-21. trailed 42-21 throws pick 6.  then trailing 49-21 thros INT #4

 

in 2011 scored 21 or more in 4 losses, 3 were on him/offense.

 

2012:

48-28 loss at NYJ:trailed 21-0 and 41-7. threw 3 INts in that stretch, one led to Td and one was pick 6.  then led team to 21 garbage time pts to lose 48-28.

 

52-28 loss to NE: 4 more INts for Fitzy!

 

35-34 loss to Ten: led O to 27 pts.2 TOs led to 14 pts in 1 pt loss including INT up 34-28 that set up Ten near midfield to go on GW TD drive. Trailing by only 1 w/ 1 min left and 2 TOs drive started at Buf 20 and ended at buf 28.

 

37-31 loss to NE:

fumble led to 7 pts then trailing by 6 at NE 15 throws game ending INt.

 

4 21+ games in 2012 and all could be pinned on Ryan/offense.

 

do I need to continue?

Links?

[New York Mick]

Not even geno haters wanted geno to lose his job this way. Leaves door open to "we STILL dont know what we have in Geno" even if fitz takes team to playoffs.

This is horrible news for all jets fans.

Speak for yourself. I think it's the best thing that could of happened.

[Gastineau Lives]

let's look at those 22 games:

 

I assume you are still talking about '10-'12;

 

2010:

38-30 loss at NE:  game wouldn't have been close if not for a CJ Spiller KR. Trailed 31-23 early 4th at NE 20 and he threw an INT which set up a TD that put NE up 38-23.  Threw TD to pull w/in 38-30, D gets a stop. 1st and 10 at Buf 35 w/ 3 mins and 2 TOs and first play he throws another INT. 

 

36-26 loss to jax: game tied 20-20, jax scores TD late in 3rd to go up 27-20.  Fitz then leads Buf to 3 and out. jax kicks FG then Fitz leads another 3 and out.  jax up 30-20. Jax gets another FG to go up 33-20 and Fitz leads to TO on downs.Jax gets another FG to go up 36-26 then Fitz leads late TD that was meaningless for final score of 36-26.  garbage time Td puts them over 21.

 

37-34 loss to Baltimore: lost in OT, though he had 2 INts and one led to TD won't bash Fitz over this.

 

 

3 losses where they scored 21 or more in 2010, 2 of them can be pinned on Ryan and offense.

 

2011;

27-24 loss to NYG: Trailing 24-17 in 3rd near midfield throws INT. D gets stop, he leads them to tying TD.  D gets Fitz ball back w/ under 7 mins to play. 1st and 10 at NYg 27 and Fitz throws INT, NYg kicks FG to take lead. Fitz gets ball back w/ plenty of time to tie it. drive begins on Buf 20, ends on Buf 25.

 

28-24 loss to NYG: he was excellent that day, not his fault.

 

30-23 loss to Mia: trailed 23-7 and 30-13 in 4th. score late TD to finally pull w/in a score, cannot recover OS kick,  Mostly garbage time pts.  Oh and 3 INts led to the big deficit. Trailing 10-7 throws INt to set up FG and 13-7 deficit.  Trailing 20-7 in 3rd throws 2nd INT, then still trialing 20-7 throws 3rd INT.

 

49-21 loss to NE: led 21-0 in 1st, never scored again. Threw 4 INts in 2nd half. led 21-10 throws INT, trailed 28-21.  Trailing 28-21 throws INt, trailed 35-21. trailed 42-21 throws pick 6.  then trailing 49-21 thros INT #4

 

in 2011 scored 21 or more in 4 losses, 3 were on him/offense.

 

2012:

48-28 loss at NYJ:trailed 21-0 and 41-7. threw 3 INts in that stretch, one led to Td and one was pick 6.  then led team to 21 garbage time pts to lose 48-28.

 

52-28 loss to NE: 4 more INts for Fitzy!

 

35-34 loss to Ten: led O to 27 pts.2 TOs led to 14 pts in 1 pt loss including INT up 34-28 that set up Ten near midfield to go on GW TD drive. Trailing by only 1 w/ 1 min left and 2 TOs drive started at Buf 20 and ended at buf 28.

 

37-31 loss to NE:

fumble led to 7 pts then trailing by 6 at NE 15 throws game ending INt.

 

4 21+ games in 2012 and all could be pinned on Ryan/offense.

 

do I need to continue?

 

This guy. "Let's look at those 22 games". Shows me 11. Absolves him of guilt in two of those. Points to games where the defense gave up 35 pts or more all on their own.

 

Ignores the fact that the Bills were also near bottom of league in total defense during that stretch.

 

This guy.

[ylekram]

 

From Turn on the Jets.  Best commentary I have read so far.  

 

BREAKING NEWS: Geno Smith sucker punched by LB IK Enemkpali. Smith will be out for 6-10 weeks following surgery, Enemkpal was immediately released…

 

 

Earlier today, Geno Smith was hit by IK Enemkpali during a locker room argument. The punch fractured Smith’s jaw in two places and resulted in Enemkpali’s immediate release. Smith is going into surgery and will be out for a minimum of six weeks, making his earliest potential start Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

 

Unconfirmed reports coming from Ian Rappaort and others say Geno Smith put his finger in Enemkpali’s face during an argument, leading to the sucker punch. Enemkpali has a previous history of violence – he was arrested in 2011 for disturbing the peace and battery of a police officer, according to his NFL.com scouting report. But as Coach Bowles said to reporters: “You don’t walk up to another man and punch him in the face.”

He further remarked:  “It was something very childish that 6th graders could have talked about. It had no reason to happen.”

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick is now the starting QB, followed by Bryce Petty and Jake Heaps. While a vocal minority of Jets fans were clamoring for Fitzpatrick to take the reins, his camp has been lackluster compared to Smith’s. I don’t believe anyone would want this change to happen for such an awful reason, however.

 

Bowles has not confirmed whether or not the Jets will be pursuing another QB but there are rumors of them having interest in Tyler Thigpen, who previously had some success with offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.

 

Joe Caporoso: I’ve seen some bizarre stories since I began writing about this team but this is certainly up there. More information on the entire scope of this situation should be on the way soon, particularly after the Jets break practice. A handful of immediate reactions/thoughts:

• Six weeks puts Smith’s timetable at 5 days before the Jets week 3 game. A more realistic timetable might be after the Jets week 4 bye.

   

• Ryan Fitzpatrick has played poorly this spring and summer. However, he is a competent backup with experience in Chan Gailey’s offense as a starter. The Jets offense will have less down field capability and still be susceptible to turnovers but FItzpatrick can keep the chains moving in the short to intermediate passing game.

   

• The Jets are going to add another quarterback sooner rather than later. Bryce Petty is receiving no consideration to start. This is Fitzpatrick’s job, which he will have the opportunity to hold if the team’s offense is productive with him early in the season.

   

• This is just a personal opinion: If you are celebrating this injury to Smith, victim blaming him or trying to justify a sucker punch by IK, then you are contributor to the perception of Jets fans being moronic…and chances are that adjective fits you well individually.

 

 

sucker punched? lmao

[Jet Nut]

Yeah, totally. When you only give up 27 pts per game over a three year span (2010,11,12), nothing short of a Super Bowl is acceptable.

What is telling is we look for every reason imaginable, I've seen a number of different defenses to why he's never won more than 6.  From the same group who killed Geno the rookie for winning only 8 with a team picked by experts to win 4-6.  And refuse to factor in a total lack of offensive talent for a 4 win team.  Or even acknowledge that without talent on offense showed some improvement.

 

We do pick and choose the "you are what your record says you are" quote 

[Jet Nut]

sucker punched? lmao

Yeah, sucker punched.  You punch someone in the face unprovoked, its a sucker punch.  

[Warfish]

Yeah, sucker punched.  You punch someone in the face unprovoked, its a sucker punch.

Most reporting I'm hearing said it was, in fact, provoked.

Doesn't excuse it, but does potentially explain it.

A starting QB, and team leader, should never be in such a situation to start with.

shows this immature little kid hasn't learned anything in his time, and his glass-jaw paid the price.

[ylekram]

Yeah, sucker punched.  You punch someone in the face unprovoked, its a sucker punch.  

you, my friend, obviously don't know the meaning of sucker punched. and unprovoked either

[Jet Nut]

you, my friend, obviously don't know the meaning of sucker punched. and unprovoked either

No, it's you.  Explain why and how he wasn't sucker punched.  You and all who are trying to make this lame point will benefit

 

You hate Geno and want unprovoked and sucker punch taken out of the equation as if it makes it better.  

[Jetlife33]

Fitzpatrick is a guy who I wanted before last year when instead we brought in Vick. I am a fan, I was rooting for Geno to take the next step but I'm pretty confident Fitz can be competent. The thing about Fitz is he's soooo streaky. In a different way then Geno. Geno is inconsistent from game to game, Fitzpatrick is a guy who will light up defenses for 4 weeks and then go straight cold. What's enticing is if we can get into the playoffs and he gets on one of those hot streaks. One week at a time though.

[Jet Nut]

Most reporting I'm hearing said it was, in fact, provoked.

Doesn't excuse it, but does potentially explain it.

A starting QB, and team leader, should never be in such a situation to start with.

shows this immature little kid hasn't learned anything in his time, and his glass-jaw paid the price.

Well the report from out HC was it was unprovoked.  That it happened in an instant, that the finger to the face was false.  

 

So if what Bowles said in his presser was true then everything above is pointless.

[ylekram]

No, it's you.  Explain why and how he wasn't sucker punched.  You and all who are trying to make this lame point will benefit

 

You hate Geno and want unprovoked and sucker punch taken out of the equation as if it makes it better.  

I think the phrase sucker punched should be self explanatory. I don't hate geno and for the record, I don't hate anybody. hate is a strong word and shouldnt be used in this context. dislike is the word you should be using. and no, I don't dislike geno either. I do, however, dislike the  disrespectful actions of geno towards ik

[Jet Nut]

I think the word sucker punched should be self explanatory. I don't hate geno and for the record, I don't hate anybody. hate is a strong word and shouldnt be used in this context. dislike is the word you should be using. and no, I don't dislike geno either. I do, however, dislike the  disrespectful actions of geno towards ik

Well you don't know that Geno disrespected IK in any way.  But he was sucker punched and nothing Geno did warranted getting sucker punched.  

There isnt a scenario where its ok to haul off and hit someone in a team setting.  There is no amount of twisting that makes it OK, no matter how you feel about either person 

[ylekram]

Well you don't know that Geno disrespected IK in any way.  But he was sucker punched and nothing Geno did warranted getting sucker punched

well, some of the reports say otherwise. geno wasn't sucker punched. he was up in ik's face, pointing his finger in his face, and may have asked ik, what he was going to do about it? well, I guess geno found out the answer to his question. would any rational person, get up in another persons face and not have a clue to what could happen next? come on

[slats]

you, my friend, obviously don't know the meaning of sucker punched. and unprovoked either

I think "sucker punch" works here because -provoked or not- teammates don't punch each other in the face in the locker room. No matter how heated the discussion got, there's no way that Geno could reasonably expect a backup LB to slug him there. This isn't two strangers in a bar. Physically, it never should've gotten beyond a little shoving - which almost certainly would've led to it being broken up by the team, and a little side-blurb on the papers.

[drdetroit]

I'm amazed at how people know EXACTLY in the future how the offense is going to perform with Fitzpatrick.  What are the lucky lotto numbers btw?

[Savage69]

when Chad was healthy he always led his teams to the playoffs(including the 2 non Brady AFC East titles in the Brady era).  I get the comparison but he's a very, very, very, very poor man's chad.

Chad's 2006 playoff year was 17 tds and 16 picks in 2004 playoff year he had 16 tds and 9 picks..His 2 best years was 2002 22-6 and 2008 with the Fins 19-7.. Fitz has had 3 years in a row with 23 or over tds..

[drdetroit]

Chad's 2006 playoff year was 17 tds and 16 picks in 2004 playoff year he had 16 tds and 9 picks..His 2 best years was 2002 22-6 and 2008 with the Fins 19-7.. Fitz has had 3 years in a row with 23 or over tds..

lol @poor man's Pennington nonsense

 

If anything Fitz > Pennington

[Sperm Edwards]

These oversimplified team W/L records have gotten ridiculous.

When Fitzpatrick got injured he'd attempted 6 passes. The Texans were winning 7-0 when he got hurt. They lost 17-10, and it's being portrayed (by one, at least) as though the backups in Houston, in 2014, performed superior to the starter.

I don't think Fitzpatrick is any type of savior but repetition of a loss that was on others - one of those people who are then credited with being better - removes (or at best greatly diminishes) credibility.
 

The very suggestion would infer that a QB who completed 70% of his passes for 400 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs in a 48-45 loss is worse to have at the helm than one who completed 46% of his passes for 120 yards, 0 TDs and a pick or two, because in the latter case the team won 10-7. 

[ylekram]

I think "sucker punch" works here because -provoked or not- teammates don't punch each other in the face in the locker room. No matter how heated the discussion got, there's no way that Geno could reasonably expect a backup LB to slug him there. This isn't two strangers in a bar. Physically, it never should've gotten beyond a little shoving - which almost certainly would've led to it being broken up by the team, and a little side-blurb on the papers.

I disagree. you can stretch the phrase "sucker punch" to an unsuspected punch, you might have a small point here, but the act of getting into someones face, pointing in someones face, and if true, asking ik what he plans to do about, to me, that sounds like a challenge. if you challenge somebody, you have to expect that the person would accept the challenge. therefore, geno would have at least considered, or even expected that a punch could be coming

[JetBlue]

And when he comes back, it is a win-win situation. If Fitzpatrick is playing well, we are winning and happy. If he isn't, Geno will play and we will finally get the answer on him and we will be happy for that resolution.

I agree here.   Fitzpatrick was brought here to back up Geno and to start if Geno faltered for got hurt.   Well he got hurt, lol so Fitz is the starter.  My main concern at this point is the lack of depth.   I have confidence that Fitz can at least manage the offense and keep us in games.  With our defense we should be okay. 

[JetBlue]

I disagree. you can stretch the phrase "sucker punch" to an unsuspected punch, you might have a small point here, but the act of getting into someones face, pointing in someones face, and if true, asking ik what he plans to do about, to me, that sounds like a challenge. if you challenge somebody, you have to expect that the person would accept the challenge. therefore, geno would have at least considered, or even expected that a punch could be coming

Why are you so invested in the semantics of the word sucker punch?  The HC said used the term and explained how it was totally unacceptable.  You can split hairs all day but the bottom line is IK totally ****ed up and as a result threw his career in the toilet and did so over $600.     There is no reason to expect a teammate to punch you in the face over $600.  NONE.   

[nyjunc]

This guy. "Let's look at those 22 games". Shows me 11. Absolves him of guilt in two of those. Points to games where the defense gave up 35 pts or more all on their own.

 

Ignores the fact that the Bills were also near bottom of league in total defense during that stretch.

 

This guy.

you don't think all his TOs and lack of points in meaningful moments hurt the D at all? it was all on the D?  interesting.