Todd Bowles: Ryan Fitzpatrick is not on a short leash
Ryan Fitzpatrick has already been benched for his poor play once this season, but the New York Jets do not have many options at quarterback with Geno Smith out for the season. Coming off a loss to the Miami Dolphins, some people are calling for the Jets to give second-year quarterback Bryce Petty a chance to show what he can do.
Todd Bowles isn’t really considering that option.
Earlier this week, Bowles said Fitzpatrick will not be on a short leash Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.
“This is a team game. We lose games with more than just Fitzpatrick,” Bowles said, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “We lose it with the offensive line, defensive line, [defensive backs], linebackers, receivers, running backs, and he’s ultimately responsible for his position but not everybody else and everybody else is responsible for their job. So, when you look at the film and you see mistakes made, it’s across the board. It’s not just Fitz. And if I felt there was enough mistakes where I could put somebody else in there right now, I would put them in there.”
Fitzpatrick has thrown an interception in all but two games he has appeared in this season. It won’t help that he is also battling a sprained MCL, but Petty obviously hasn’t shown enough in practice to warrant consideration.
The Jets are 3-6 and have virtually no shot of making the playoffs. With Fitzpatrick playing under a one-year deal, they would be wise to start looking toward the future. But if they don’t believe in Petty, getting an early draft pick may not be the worst thing.
