By 
Ryan Fitzpatrick took over as Buffalo’s starting quarterback in week three after the Bills got off to a rocky 0-2 start. Since he was inserted into the starting lineup, not much has changed for the Bills in terms of wins and losses, but Fitzpatrick has played well. After three straight close calls to get the first win against Baltimore, Kansas City, and Chicago, Buffalo finally got that first victory this past weekend against the Lions. Could they make it number two this weekend? A season ago the Bengals were a playoff team, but this year they have gone in the opposite direction. While the Bills are still one of the worst teams in the NFL and they will more than likely look at a quarterback in the draft, Ryan Fitzpatrick has put some nice things on tape and has shown that he can be a successful starting quarterback in the NFL if given the chance. Ryan Fitzpatrick joined 1530 Homer in Cincinnati with Mo Egger to talk about what he learned from his time being a starting quarterback with Cincinnati, how much he draws on past experiences with losing teams, what it was like playing with Terrell Owens last season, and what he learned from watching a guy like Carson Palmer when he was in Cincinnati.
On what he learned from his limited time being a starter with the Bengals:
“I think I learned how to prepare. It’s one thing to do it while not playing and it’s another thing to be relied on and counted on by everybody throughout the season. Especially when times aren’t going the way you want them to go and they’re hard, you gotta make sure you grind it out, you prepare every week, and this year I have had a lot of stuff that I have seen in the film room that has happened on the field and made us successful. I think that’s kind of a testament to the years that I’ve been able to start the last few years.”
On how much the experience of being on a bad team in Cincinnati has helped him handle losing in Buffalo:
“I draw on that experience a lot when talking to the guys. It’s scary how similar it was. We started 0-8 there and we started 0-8 here. We’ve lost some tough, close football games, but the thing that I always point out as well is that in finishing the season in the way we did, that helped out the following year with the Bengals able to go to the playoffs. It’s not all for naught even if the playoff hopes are dim or done for this season, you’re working towards that goal. If it’s not this year than its next year.”
On playing with Terrell Owens:
“I think we understood each other. I understood him as a player and I was able to have some success with him late in the year, but he’s a guy that wants to win so bad. I think sometimes in his career it’s been misunderstood, but I have nothing but great things to say about him and I’m kinda kicking myself now that I gave the Bengals a great recommendation on him now that we have to play him. Hopefully he doesn’t have too big of a game against us.”
On how helpful Carson Palmer was during his time in Cincy:
“He absolutely was. That’s kind of the brotherhood of the quarterbacks I guess. You want to see the guy that’s in there be successful. He’s such a selfless guy that was his goal when he went down was to make the Bengals successful and in doing that help me out.”
Comments