NFL: Ryan Fitzpatrick Was Criminally Underrated

When it comes to the NFL, there’s not much to be said for the unsung heroes. The only names to be brought up as an all-time great are the elite quarterbacks. If you’re not out winning championships you’re nothing to today’s fans. But championships shouldn’t be the only mark of greatness. Stats don’t always tell the tale. There can be more to a player than the rings on his finger, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is one of those guys.

When it comes to his career, anyone who loves the game should have some sort of respect for Ryan Fitzpatrick. If he suited up for your favorite team, there’s a good chance you got to see a little bit of the Fitz-magic. However, his career wasn’t filled with the glitz and glamour of a top 10 quarterback. Quite frankly, he at times had as many bad plays as he had good. He’s not waiting in line for GOAT status, nor will he be mentioned with some of the all-time greats. However, Fitzpatrick in his own way was one of the greats.

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As a teammate and as a professional, he did exactly what was asked of him to do. Whether it was the starting quarterback, mentoring the young QBs, or coming in as relief when the starter was struggling, he put the team on his bad and came in and gave it his all. Despite his struggle with consistency, there was always a sense that Fitz-magic was in the air. Although it showed up later in his career, his time with the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed the kind of guts and spark he had in the NFL. The big plays would come out of nowhere and could often be the game-changing moment, whether it was good or bad.

It’s kind of disappointing as a fan of the sport that he didn’t have a much better career. Once you saw the kind of humble yet driven man he was you realized he had the heart you hoped the other 53 men had. He’s 32nd all-time in passing yards which puts him ahead of some good quarterbacks of their day. He’s ahead of guys like Tony Romo, Troy Aikman, Kurt Warner, and Steve Young. While no one praises someone who ranks 32nd all-time, it should be noted that 8 of his 17 seasons he’d start less than 10 games and still he passed some great QBs.

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You can defend your stance on his inconsistency, but have to wonder how much better would his career have been if he had gone to a good team with solid talent around him? He started out with a bad Rams team, went to the Bengals, and had stops in Buffalo, Tennessee, Houston, Tampa Bay, and Miami before an injury took him out in Washington. During each one of those stops of his NFL career, Ryan Fitzpatrick went to a struggling team that usually had a new coach and a rebuilt roster and he was asked to work a miracle. It’s not often a recipe for success.

Even though he never really blew anyone away, it was his professionalism that was respectable. He was the ultimate journeyman quarterback. If ever a team needed to bridge the gap to get their young quarterback up to NFL speed then he was your guy. He might not be in talks for “the Goat” but in his own way, Ryan Fitzpatrick was one of the greats.