New York Jets: Ryan Fitzpatrick discusses opening week

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick went from backup to starter on the New York Jets faster than a New York minute. As the starting quarterback of the Jets, he brings vast veteran experience and has so far looked relatively sharp throughout training camps and preseason football. While he doesn’t have a big arm to truly air it out on offense, he’s been more than capable of running Chain Gailey’s spread offense efficiently and keeping those chains moving.

We here at The Jet Press would like to thank the Media Relations Department of the Jets for sending us a complete transcript on Fitzpatrick’s thoughts on opening week, how he is preparing for the incoming Cleveland Browns and much more. Enjoy!

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On opening day…

Opening day is always very exciting. To get into that game, just all the work we put forth and all the uncertainty surrounding, ‘Okay, what kind of team are we going to have? How we’re going to be when we face adversity?’ All that kind of stuff. I think we’ve got a veteran group here that’s handled and seen a lot of adversity, so I’m excited to see what we’re going to do. The first game of the year is always fun. We’re healthy going into the game. Everybody is excited and the uncertainty is a lot of fun too.

On how he has prepared for the first regular season game…

Getting reps in practice and having a few weeks under my belt now and being able to work with our guys that certainly helps. It helps with everything, the timing, the communication, all that stuff. Just being comfortable in the huddle, me being comfortable with them, them being comfortable with me. It was nice to get a few preseason games in, however short it was in those games, just to work through some of the kinks and get on the same page with everything.

On if he feels like this is his team…

Every week, every game, you have to go in with complete command of the game plan, (and) know everything that’s going on. Have stuff catered to the way I like it as a quarterback going into the game. One of the things with me, is knowing my strengths and weaknesses and making sure that we’re playing to my strengths. We have a lot of talent on our side of the ball and we’re excited to get out there and show it.

On how much uncertainty there is preparing for a team in Week One…

There’s always a lot of uncertainty. You can watch tape from last year, watch it from the preseason, but there’s always going to be wrinkles. Part of that is the adversity I’m talking about and stuff happening during the game that maybe we didn’t foresee or having to make certain adjustments. You know it’s going to happen in every NFL game and definitely in the first one. With our coaching staff and our experience we’re going to have to fight through some stuff and that’s part of the fun in the game.

On the Cleveland secondary…

There’s a lot of talent there. Donte Whitner, being a guy that I played with and got to see firsthand kind of the way he flies around, opportunistic, he made a lot of interceptions last year. Adding (Tramon) Williams to the secondary was obviously something, he’s a tough guy to compete against. We’re going to have our hands full, but at the same time I think we have a lot of talent going against them. It should be a fun matchup to watch.

On Coach Bowles saying his play has matured and that he’s in a good place in his career…

I think what he’s saying there is, me understanding who I am as a quarterback, what things I’m good at, what things I’m not. Just really catering to the things that I excel at. Eliminating some of the bad plays, whether it was a bad throw or bad decision, eliminating that today, tomorrow and before we get to the game on Sunday. So, I’ve got my decisions set out and I’m making the right ones on Sunday. Just the way that I’m thinking about the game maybe is a little different now than it was five years ago.

Aug 21, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) runs with the ball during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

On things he has tried to improve on over the years…

To be honest, I think you guys know most of them. I’ve seen plenty of articles where you guys pointed them out (laughter). I mean there’s plenty of stuff, but decision making, there’s so much that goes into that so it’s hard to put it on one or two things. But, decision making, I think I’ve come a long way just in terms of whether it’s matchups or whether it’s me knowing throws that I’m good at versus throws that I’m not good at, that kind of stuff.

On eliminating turnovers…

I think that’s part of it. I think that’s a huge thing for us every week is going to be eliminating turnovers, eliminating sacks, the good stuff on third down and in the red zone, that’s the stuff that’s going to happen. Turnovers, sacks they’re going to happen, you want to keep them to a minimum. We’re going to focus on that, but then also how you respond when it happens and making sure that people aren’t hanging their heads and are moving on and we’re staying confident. So there’s a lot that goes into it.

On the theory going around that he doesn’t have to be great for the team to be successful…

I’m going to go out there and I want to be great for who I am and what type of quarterback I am. I want to put the team in the right play. I want to make the right decisions. I want to make all the throws. But, great for me is going to be different than great for somebody else. I want to be as good as I know I can be and just continue to improve each week. I think I’ve continued to improve each year as my career has gone on, so continue on that up trend.

On what it will feel like to start against Cleveland after overcoming his leg injury…

It’s going to be awesome. I’d never really had a serious injury, and so just going through having surgery and putting a rod in my leg and having trouble walking for a few months, it was hard for me. It’s hard when you’re sitting around having to put in the rehab and the hours and not seeing much in terms of results for months and months. The training staff with Houston when I was there and then the training staff here have been awesome for me and we put a lot of hard work into it. It will mean even that much more to me just because of the reward of all the hard work that I put in and a lot of people on Houston and New York’s medical staff has put in, in getting me ready.

On if his leg injury has changed how he plays…

I don’t think so. I have a particular style of play and hopefully it makes me even more underrated (joking).

On if learning your strengths and weaknesses stop after being in the league for multiple years…

No, it doesn’t. Part of it is, as quarterbacks I think we’re all a little hard headed too. ‘I think I can do everything and I want to be superman, I want to do all that.’ But, there is a learning process and you come to the realization that you have to focus on the things that will make you successful.

On if having Buster Skrine has helped with game prep…

Not really, a little bit maybe. We’ve got to go out there and we’ve got to see all the different things that they’re doing and put the preparation in during the week. With as much film as we go through and all that it’s more so on us and our preparation.

Aug 29, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants running back Shane Vereen (34) avoids a tackle by New York Jets defensive back Buster Skrine (41) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

On if he thinks he is in a good spot going into the regular season in terms of sacks and turnovers based on the preseason…

I hate to even look or compare preseason stuff because it’s just a different game. It’s glorified scrimmages and there’s not a whole lot on the line. It probably doesn’t mean much, if we would have turned it over a lot maybe that would have meant something, but it doesn’t mean a whole lot. We’ll be put in a lot more difficult situations as the season goes on, so handling those situations, we’ll see as the year starts.

On if there was a point during his rehab where he thought he was done in the NFL…

No. I had a lot of people that I was able to talk to, friends and different people, that have had the same injury and just kind of talking to them about the process and what it takes. A lot of it was time, there wasn’t a whole lot I could do rather than let my bone heal. Being able to lean on some of the trainers with their experience with it and some other players I played with. There was always a light at the end of the tunnel, but it certainly was hard early on with the injury.

On if he believes he would have started in Houston if he didn’t get injured…

I hate to live in the world of hypotheticals, you know? I’m glad I’m here and I’m glad I’m a Jet and I’m looking forward to the season.

Next: New York Jets: Darrelle Revis discusses Week 1 matchup

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