New York Jets: Ryan Fitzpatrick discusses his opportunity

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick of the New York Jets went from being a primary backup to a starting option faster than a New York minute. With this huge opportunity to prove why sometimes veteran experience can indeed go a very long way, he is making the most of everything as he prepares to do his best to win plenty of football games for the Jets this upcoming season.

It won’t be easy but there is still plenty of time to get as much preparation as possible to start the year with a victory over the Cleveland Browns come Week 1 of the regular season. Thanks to the Media Relations Department of the Jets, here is what Fitzpatrick thinks so far of his huge opportunity and how things are different now with his teammates:

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On how today’s practice went…

It was good. We got some good work, good situational work for us as an offense at the end. Just working on timing and getting throws to receivers versus the defense and all that. Plenty of good, plenty of bad that we can work on from this practice, but it’s fun being out there and being able to have the discussions and getting the reps.

On if there was anything he saw on the film that he didn’t see during the game Thursday night against Detroit…

No, we didn’t get a whole lot. The third pass to Jeff (Cumberland) wasn’t a great ball and I knew that when I threw it. I wish I would have put a little more on it, put it in a better spot for him. I made it harder than it needed to be. I knew that when I threw it and that’s what it showed on film.

On if he like the way the offense moved the ball on the ground and what he thought about the offensive line…

Yeah, I thought it was great for us. It set the tone a little bit to lean on those guys and let them know that we’re going to try to ground this thing out early and let’s see how we do. I thought we were getting a good push. Chris (Ivory) ran the ball really hard and that’s something that’s just tough to see out here when you’re not tackling – it’s two-hand touch. That was fun to see, handing it off to him and watching him go.

On if his experience with this offense has helped him…

Yeah, I think so. It’s not only three years of experience in this offense, it’s just the amount of times that I’ve been out there, whether it’s in practice or starting a game, just being able to rely on that. I touched on this other day, the amount of vets in that huddle, and the guys that have been there and played a lot of games, that helps too.

Aug 13, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) drops back to pass during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions in a preseason NFL football game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

On what kind of wisdom he has given to Bryce Petty…

A lot of it, if you just stand there and watch us throw, Bryce has it. He has all the physical tools that he’s ever going to need. It’s just a big adjustment for anybody coming from college to the NFL, the mental side of it. We work on it every day. We’re just going to continue to try to work on basically achieving that mental clarity when the ball is snapped, knowing all the different problems you can have, identifying those and at the same time know where you’re going with the ball pretty much before the ball is snapped so that he can eliminate all that clutter after the ball is snapped. That’s the hardest thing to do as a young guy, is to be at peace when the ball is snapped. We are working on that, it takes a long time, it takes a lot of reps. It’s not something that you can sit and talk about in the meeting room and then immediately go out and do it on the practice field or in a preseason game. We’re going to continue to work on it. Like I said a bunch, he’s got the willingness to put the time in. That’s been really encouraging. We just have to get better each and every day.

On if he ever is still asked about Harvard and his background in relation…

People are done, mainly, with the jokes (joking). When I came in as a rookie I had to learn Mike Martz’ system, and that’s not an easy one to learn. He’s not very easy on you if you mess up a play in the huddle. I heard all about being the dumb Harvard kid and all that my rookie year. You’ve got to develop the thick skin and just continue to try to get better and not make the same mistakes. It’s certainly a transition and something I definitely remember from when I was a rookie.

On what it’s going to be like watching film knowing that he is the starter…

Guys like Brandon (Marshall) or Deck (Eric Decker), those guys are a little more friendly to me now (joking). I know if I have something in my beard, they’ll hand me a napkin rather than laughing (joking), get me a water if I need it, that kind of stuff. Life’s a little bit easier in that regard. They’re definitely being nicer to me.

August 11, 2015; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) during training camp at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: John Munson/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports

On whether his past experiences make this situation any easier for him…

Yeah, I mean, we still have to put the work in. it makes it easier in the sense that I know what we need to do and how we need to get there. I know what path we need to take, but there’s still a lot of hard work ahead of us to get there.

On how long it takes for the timing and rhythm to really sync up between a quarterback and receivers…

I mean, it’s tough to say exactly, but right now, there’s a decent comfort level. Even though it hasn’t been a whole lot of days where I’ve been throwing to those guys, there’s a decent comfort level. I don’t know, but it’s not going to happen overnight.

On whether there is extra communication between him and Marshall because of the situation…

That was kind of what I was pointing at when I was saying I’m not really the middle man anymore. If there’s a question that I have about why he’s running a route a certain way, if there’s a definitive way I want him to run his route, then we’re going to talk about it. I’m going to tell him where I stand and he’s got enough experience where I’m going to listen to him a lot of the time too, but that’s part of it. It’s not just the reps out there, it’s sitting back and talking about reps we had or watching other guys go and say how would you run that and what would your depth be? That’s going to be a lot of the chemistry as well.

On his comfort level with Nick Mangold…

He’s a smooth operator. I feel so comfortable already. The way that he runs the show out there, the way I run the show at the quarterback position, we’re a pretty good mix already. So that has been very smooth for me.

On whether he and Mangold share beard tips…

We make a joke here or there, yeah, but he’s got some really nice grooming combs and wax and things that I definitely need to get on (joking). I don’t know if he has a sponsorship or what’s going on, but I’ll talk to him about it (joking).

Dec 14, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; New York Jets center Nick Mangold (74) leaves the field after his team defeated the Tennessee Titans 16-11 during the second half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

On what kind of advice he gives to Petty about adjusting to the speed of the game…

It’s a learning curve. You have to get better every day. It’s not improving from one preseason game to another, it’s proving every day, from the walk through to practice to the next walkthrough to the next practice and just making sure that every single rep that he gets, whether it’s in a preseason game or whether it’s in a practice or whether it’s in a walkthrough, he’s always trying to achieve that mental clarity before the snap. That is the biggest thing as a young quarterback and just making sure that he is focused at all times trying to do that and that’s what I do and that’s what helps me out a lot, so that’s what I try to pass on to him.

On what Petty’s demeanor has been like…

Bryce has thick skin, which I think is really important. He’s a guy that’s harder on himself than everybody else is, so again, that’s something that’s very important. He’s not ever going to be satisfied, he’s not ever going to be overwhelmed because he puts more pressure on himself than anybody else. He’s got the right characteristics and the right traits. He’s going to continue to work, just like I’m going to continue to work.

Next: New York Jets: Geno Smith is not the leader they need

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