Since the days of Jim Kelly and the four Super Bowl runs in the early 1990s, there have been some rough years in Buffalo. But with the emergence of Ryan Fitzpatrick as a legitimate franchise quarterback, and a nucleus of talented, young players around him, the Bills are looking like a solid up-and-coming team, poised to make a run at the playoffs.
Fitzpatrick has been a positive surprise to everyone outside of Buffalo with his play so far this season. The Bills showed a lot of confidence in Fitzpatrick after last year, where he passed for 3,000 yards and 23 TDs.
A lot of the “draft experts” suggested the Bills should use their third overall draft pick on a quarterback, but Buffalo didn’t draft or sign a free agent quarterback because they felt that Fitzpatrick had the tools to carry them to the next level.
Fitzpatrick has rewarded that faith by playing error-free football so far this season. The Bills are first in the league in points scored with 79 in two games, and Fitzpatrick is currently tied with Tom Brady and Matt Stafford for the league lead with 7 touchdown passes in the first two games.
Now Fitzpatrick is starting to get noticed. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who went from the obscurity of the Arena League to Super Bowl MVP, said of Fitzpatrick, “I love the way Ryan is playing right now. He reminds me a lot of me.”
In an interview on Around the League this week, Warner said, “He’s a gunslinger, he’s a guy who attacks you, throws the ball down the field…. He’s been extremely impressive and exactly what that young team needs.”
Fitzpatrick also seems to fit the personality of the Bills perfectly. He is a smart, solid player with a blue collar work ethic. He isn’t the “rock star” quarterback that some teams have – he’s not likely to do a GQ photo shoot with pictures of him in a bubble bath. He’s more like the guy in your neighborhood who knows a little bit about everything, and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.
He frequently jokes about the fact that many stories written about him in the past referred to him as “Fitzgerald.” Asked this week about whether he thought all the added national attention the Bills have attracted with their 2-0 start would finally encourage people to get his name right, he responded, “I don’t really care. I think that my mom cares.”
Talking about the media attention, he explained that, “It’s probably not my favorite thing in the world to do.” But he went on to explain that, “you can’t let it be a distraction. On the other hand, it’s good for guys on our team to get the recognition, to get some respect around the league.”
“The only way you get respect in this league is to go out there and play.”
So far this season, the Fitzpatrick and the Bills have done exactly that.
And now that Fitzpatrick has stepped up, the ball is in the Bills court to get a contract extension done. Fitzpatrick’s contract runs through the end of this season, and both Fitzpatrick and the Bills would like to get an extension done before the season ends.
Fitzpatrick has expressed a desire to stay in Buffalo, so we expect a contract extension to be completed well before the end of the season. WGR Sports Radio 550 reported that the Bills made an extension offer to Fitzpatrick before the team’s win against Oakland last weekend.
With Fitzpatrick and all the talented young players on their roster, the Bills could be on the verge of another golden age like they had in the early 1990s. This weekend will provide a good test, as Tom Brady and the New England Patriots come to town for a matchup of two undefeated teams, with two of the most effective passing offenses in the league.
