New York Jets: Ryan Fitzpatrick breaks down game film

The New York Jets hit the film room this week to breakdown their big win over the Cleveland Browns to start the regular season on a good note. Everything seemed to click well but it wasn’t perfect. The Jets still had some issues starting off slow defensively and still had four penalties. The Jets now prepare to head to Indianapolis to face the Colts on Monday Night Football which should ultimately be a good test to see how they play against one of the top teams in the NFL.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick recently spoke to the media about breaking down the game film from the Jets/Browns game, injuries and much more. We here at The Jet Press would like to thank the Media Relations Department of the Jets for sending us his complete transcript. Enjoy!

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On if anything stands out to him after watching Sunday’s film…

I think there’s a lot of stuff we could improve upon. I think we knew that coming out of the game. But, just looking at it, whether there’s certain runs, certain throws, certain protections, there’s a lot we can improve on from that game. It’s nice to come in with a win, everybody’s in good spirits, but we know we have to get back to work and we have to continue to get better.

On how much of an emphasis there was to get rid of the ball quickly on Sunday…

With Chan’s (Gailey) offense in general, the ball’s coming out, I think everybody knows that. We put a huge emphasis on not taking sacks as a quarterback and being smart with the ball. You never know going into a game what kind of defense they’re going to play or how they’re going to play you on third down, but we did a good job of protecting up front.

On what the feeling was when he heard both Antonio Cromartie’s and Lorenzo Mauldin’s injuries were not as significant as initially thought…

It’s always great, obviously, to not have major, serious injuries to teammates. It’s just one of those things, you have to continue to play with who’s out there, stuff happens. You don’t know how long guy’s are going to be out, a week, two weeks, or the year and you just have to continue to put your head down and play.

On what happened on the botched shotgun snap…

It was my fault. It was just a miscommunication and something that I have to make sure that I clear up and it doesn’t happen again. How I got it? I have no idea (laughter). I’m still trying to figure that one out. I got flipped on my head and magically, in slow motion, the ball popped up right to me. That one was crazy. There was a big game of Yankee-doodle going on under the pile and I was the one that had it.

On how big of a play it was to recover that fumble…

We lucked out on that one. That definitely, potentially, could have turned the game there if we lost that one.

On if there’s any personal satisfaction after yesterday’s win…

No, it’s one game. For us, it’s not about one game, it’s the long-haul and just getting better each and every game. Personal satisfaction will not be there until the end of the year if we accomplish all of our goals. Right now, it’s nice to come in with a win, but we have a lot of work to do. We have a road game coming up, we have a Monday night game versus a great Indy team and so, we have our work cut out for us.

On if Mauldin’s injury reminds him of how dangerous the game can be…

Yeah, you hate to see it. Unfortunately, when playing for a while, you see it a decent amount or at least once or twice a year where you’re kind of scared. You’re not sure what’s going on down there. We had no idea with him laying still and all of the doctors. Once you see all of those coats run out there, that’s never a good thing, but we’re glad that he’s doing better.

On what stuck out to him about how Chris Ivory played…

He just goes about his business. He, at times, he’s seeking contact. He’ll break through the line, he’ll show speed, but sometimes those safeties come up to tackle him and he’s not trying to go left or right, he’s going to go right at them. I think as the game went on he wore those guys down a little bit and they were a little less enthused to tackle him as he burst through the line.

Sep 13, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets running back Chris Ivory (33) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

On how much it helps to have a running back like that in the second half of a game with a lead…

It was great. I think Bilal (Powell) was a nice change up too. Just different styles and even being able to put Powell in there after Chris did some good stuff, that change of pace, I think it certainly helps having two good ones.

On what it’s like to come out of a game without being hit much…

It’s nice to come out of a game clean. I think the guys up front really pride themselves on that. The hits are going to happen. I know this year I’ll take plenty of hits, whether they’re bringing more than we can block or whatever it is, there’s great problems all around the league on defense, so the importance of my job is not making mistakes with the ball and getting it out and not taking sacks when I don’t need to.

On the touchdown throw to Eric Decker…

It was at the end of the two-minute drive and just a play that we had called, that I knew Eric was going to find the right spot and it was nice. It was just nice because of the anticipation, because of kind of knowing where he was going before he was there and all that, there were some good things on that play.

On if he felt his background with Coach Chan Gailey was instrumental during the game…

I think it helps. We’ve been in this thing and at it for a few years now. I thing just having the few weeks of preseason as well to kind of get everything together and talking throughout the week, leading up to this game, I think that was helpful. It was a good reminder of the experience we have together.

On how good he thinks this offense can be…

I think we can be a really good offense. I don’t know what that really means at this point, but I think we’ve got, not only a lot of talent, but a lot of smart guys in that huddle and that’s really important in this league and we’re real competitive. It’s fun to be in that huddle. Even yesterday, we relied on the running game a lot, and the receivers were in to it. We want to win, we don’t care about the stats, we don’t care about any of that, we want to go out there and win the game. It was good to see that in the huddle yesterday.

On how they are smart guys…

I think experience, relying on past playing experience, also just guys that we can make adjustments on the sideline, we can see a look once and make sure the next time we get it, we’re going to beat it. Everybody is on the same page. Those are two of the biggest things I think when we talk about smarts on the football field that I’m talking about.

On if seeing Brandon Marshall in the red zone is a favorable matchup…

Yeah, he’s a big, physical guy and that’s where he has to make his money. He’s got to earn it. Brandon has done that a lot in his career and hopefully he’ll continue to do it, but we’re going to give him the opportunity for sure.

What are sources of improvement for the offense…

I mean, there’s a lot of stuff we can improve on, just in terms of some missed assignments and some communication stuff. We weren’t perfect on third down and even in the red zone there’s some stuff we could improve on in there. Every week is a different challenge and Indianapolis is going to pose a much different challenge than Cleveland did, just by the type of defense that they run. We’ll just have to continue to get better.

Sep 13, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) throws a pass during the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Browns 31-10. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

On if Chris Owusu’s performance surprised him based on him not making the initial roster…

No, not at all. He’s going to be a great player in this league. He’s got a lot of talent and he’s one of those guys that maybe hasn’t played as much, but he’s smart. He understands the game and we’ve got a good feel for each other. So, I really like having him out there.

On how he graded out with his son…

So, shortly after seeing him, asking him what his favorite play was, he said one of Chris Ivory’s touchdown runs and then he started talking to me about Minecraft (joking). I don’t think he was as interested as I thought he’d be.

Next: Coffee with the New York Jets: Could less be more?

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