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Fewell sticking with Fitzpatrick for Bills/Pats tilt

It's not a surprising development, but it's one that will continue to spark a little debate: Buffalo Bills interim head coach Perry Fewell confirmed on Monday that Ryan Fitzpatrick will remain his team's starting quarterback.

Given that the Bills have won two of their last three games with Fewell and Fitzpatrick leading the charge, the status quo is exactly what was expected for a coach looking to earn himself a permanent head coaching gig. But apart from the fact that the Bills are 3-3 in games Fitzpatrick has started this season, the five-year veteran from Harvard has hardly earned the job.

Fitzpatrick is coming off of consecutive dreadful performances. In his past two games - a loss to the Jets and a win over the Chiefs - Fitzpatrick has completed 21 of 43 passes (48.8% completions) for just 184 yards, with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. He did not eclipse 100 passing yards in either contest. He's also run for 49 yards, which is nearly the exact equivalent of his passer rating in those games (48.98). Add in two fumbles lost and five sacks, and you get an even clearer picture of just how bad Fitzpatrick has been of late.

In the seven games in which Fitzpatrick has seen significant snaps (his six starts and a Week 6 win in New York in which he played in relief), he's thrown for 123 yards or less in five of those games. He only averages 13.6 attempts per team game this season, which disqualifies him from NFL.com's QB rating rankings; if he did qualify, he'd rank ahead of only three league quarterbacks: Jake Delhomme, Josh Freeman and JaMarcus Russell.

Buffalo has managed a 4-3 record in the seven games Fitzpatrick has finished thanks in large part to the team forcing a whopping 23 turnovers in those contests. That's in comparison to the six turnovers forced in the team's other six games.

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3 articles in 1 day for you Brian? Nice........

Busy day……..

I personally wouldnt mind seeing Brohm start……..but I can see why Peppermint Perry is sticking with Fitzy………he’s coaching for his job too……so might as well stick with the best chance to win he’s got……..

Yeah, I just stare at my desk, but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch too, I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work. - Peter Gibbons

by norcaliangelsfan on Dec 14, 2009 7:03 PM EST reply actions  

Why?

He’s not going to show you anything. He doesn’t know the offense.

by twoeightnine on Dec 14, 2009 10:55 PM EST up reply actions  

How?

How did Buffalo manage a .500 record in seven games? Just curious.

Why do today, when it can wait til tomorrow; the games on!

by UtahBillsFan on Dec 14, 2009 7:59 PM EST reply actions  

probably something about him not starting the first of those seven

It's not all that bad.... Go Bills 2010 !!!!

by killascript on Dec 14, 2009 8:30 PM EST up reply actions  

.500 record in games he started. He didn’t start in the win over the Jets.

Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott

by Brian Galliford on Dec 14, 2009 9:10 PM EST up reply actions  

I think you mean over .500

I read it as being right at .500.

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Dec 14, 2009 10:19 PM EST up reply actions  

I meant right at .500. He’s started 6 games, and the Bills are 3-3 in those games.

Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott

by Brian Galliford on Dec 15, 2009 5:14 AM EST up reply actions  

But this is what you said in the blurb......
Buffalo has managed a .500 record in the seven games Fitzpatrick has finished

Yeah, I just stare at my desk, but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch too, I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work. - Peter Gibbons

by norcaliangelsfan on Dec 15, 2009 12:54 PM EST up reply actions  

Friggin Kurt Warner

Enjoy your win this week as my team simply imploded. Frick.

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Dec 14, 2009 10:57 PM EST up reply actions  

Nice Guy, But He's Bad

Hate to say it, but I thought they should have pulled him for Trent because I thought he was going to cost them a winable game. Leave Fitz in for NE and then Wilson has to say to play Brohm (a la Bud Adams). If it’s Perry’s choice then I don’t blame him for sticking with Fitz.

by MrFurious1 on Dec 14, 2009 8:22 PM EST reply actions  

No. No, Wilson doesn’t have to say play Brohm like Bud Adams said play Vince. Why? About 58 million reasons.

Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott

by Brian Galliford on Dec 14, 2009 9:11 PM EST up reply actions  

Is that the difference in Vince Young’s and Brian Brohm’s salaries?

"Play like hell and win." - Perry Fewell
Your daily source for Buffalo Bills information.

by MattRichWarren on Dec 16, 2009 1:32 PM EST up reply actions  

you get an even clearer picture of just how bad Fitzpatrick has been of late.

A lot of comments say that Fitz is Fewell’s best chance at winning (ala norcaliangelsfan above). Your article really puts that into question. It also puts into question Fewell’s thought process (IMO). How can you expect to win with a QB putting up the numbers Fitz has. Oddly enough, Edwards’ numbers are better. Yet, Fewell is sticking with the lesser producer. If Fitz plays against NE the way he has been, we will all be watching DVDs by the start of the second quarter. But what’s the difference?…not much between 5-11 or 6-10. I think Fewell is making a bad decision…a bad coaching decision.

by fansince60 on Dec 14, 2009 8:53 PM EST reply actions   1 recs

" I think Fewell is making a bad decision…a bad coaching decision."

i’d argue there is no decision here besides a bad decision. It’s a bad decision to keep playing Fitz. It’s a bad idea to put a guy who doesn’t know the playbook behind a line that can’t block in the vain hope he can win more meaningless games than the other guy. And it’s a bad decision to play the guy that the team openly revolted against.

Jonathan Stupar won the Heisman…while playing in the NFL!

by JPH on Dec 14, 2009 9:29 PM EST up reply actions  

I don't think it matter who plays QB

The team only wins if the D forces 4+ turnovers and the offense runs the ball reasonably well….

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Dec 14, 2009 10:21 PM EST up reply actions  

And then they still have to hang on at the very end to win the game.

Twitter: helping to make anti-social people anti-socially social.

by TheAfghanTwilight on Dec 15, 2009 7:01 AM EST up reply actions  

GO BILLS! BEAT the Brady! We know you can do it.

For me as a Phins fan I loved our sweep of the Jest. Wish we had done it to the Brady too. I am fine with a split with the Bills.

If Phins win out (yes difficult but doable) and the Brady loses just 1 game Phins win the AFC East again. I would LOVE to see the Bills beat the Brady as that loss! I bet that the Brady is looking past the Bills, got a W penciled in already.

Good luck! (No hard feelings about all those Kelley-Marino duels from here)

Just think how stupid the average Jest fan is, and then realize that half of them are even stupider! ( a parody of a George Carlin line)

Attorney General of the Matty I Fan Club
Driver of the draft Brandon Spikes bandwagon

by PhinsTifosi on Dec 14, 2009 10:32 PM EST reply actions  

As much as I hate the Doll-fish from the Marino days....

…my current hate is for the Patsies. I would love to see them sitting their butts at home during the playoffs for the 2nd year. Despite the fact that your sorry team won the division.
It would be worth the Bellychunk snide comments and some more Randy Moss “pretend playing”.

"A failure becomes just one time at bat if you refuse to let it defeat you." Marv Levy.

by SERGEANT MAJOR THOR on Dec 14, 2009 11:17 PM EST up reply actions  

ugh

Its looking like a veteran QB will be the answer next year while a second rounder develops. We arent getting Bradford or Clausen picking in the late 10s, Locker is going back, and we have nothing on the roster. Welcome to Buffalo Chad Pennington.

"you just have to know there's always going to be adversity. None of these games are going to be easy. Nothing will be given to us" - Paul Posluszny

by poz on Dec 14, 2009 10:58 PM EST reply actions  

You're welcome on the Pike bandwagon :-)

"The Bills have no playoff aspirations" – Dan Dierdorf

by Joe P. on Dec 14, 2009 11:46 PM EST up reply actions  

thanks for the invite

but I’m still holding out the very unreasonable hope that Tebow is still available in the second round.

By the way, Dan Dierdorf really said that on air?

"you just have to know there's always going to be adversity. None of these games are going to be easy. Nothing will be given to us" - Paul Posluszny

by poz on Dec 15, 2009 12:38 AM EST up reply actions  

Haha I remember that comment

was it Dierdorf though? I’ve tuned him out since I heard him say San Antonio Holmes last year.

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Dec 15, 2009 12:47 PM EST up reply actions  

HAHAHHAHAHAH!!!!

San Antonio Holmes is classic.

"you just have to know there's always going to be adversity. None of these games are going to be easy. Nothing will be given to us" - Paul Posluszny

by poz on Dec 15, 2009 2:35 PM EST up reply actions  

That’s a perfect FF team name.

Twitter: helping to make anti-social people anti-socially social.

by TheAfghanTwilight on Dec 15, 2009 8:07 PM EST up reply actions  

By the way, Dan Dierdorf really said that on air?

Yes, he said it last year, but I thought it was good enough to recycle :-)

"The Bills have no playoff aspirations" – Dan Dierdorf

by Joe P. on Dec 15, 2009 9:02 PM EST up reply actions  

Fitzpartrick is starting

Because the team responds better to him. Fewell knows this and we can see it. Why is it so hard for others to understand this. Replacing Fitzpatrick is sending a message to the other players that the coaches don’t care anymore. The players will respond by not performing to their capabilities making this team the joke that everyone likes to rumble about. Fitzpatrick just needs to perform better——— much better.

Excuses are a sign of weakness!!!!!!

by VanScottM on Dec 15, 2009 12:07 AM EST reply actions  

I think I am going crazy but

I would like to see Fitz, Jackson and Lynch all in the backfield together and just run the wildcat for most of the game. I think Fitz is not a starting QB but he looks like he can run with it. Once the safeties start moving in then he can hurl it reckless deep down the field which he has proven willing to do.

by LA Rabbit on Dec 15, 2009 12:36 AM EST reply actions  

interesting idea if only we could run block

Jonathan Stupar won the Heisman…while playing in the NFL!

by JPH on Dec 15, 2009 12:51 AM EST up reply actions  

Good point but

they don’t seem to pass block very well either. This team really gets me down. I hate to admit it but I often end up switching to another game (or the red zone) this season. Thank god for DirecTV

by LA Rabbit on Dec 15, 2009 1:07 AM EST up reply actions  

This team should change their theme song to Lithium.

Because that has to be what it feels like you’re on when watching them.

Twitter: helping to make anti-social people anti-socially social.

by TheAfghanTwilight on Dec 15, 2009 7:15 AM EST reply actions  

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