Quarterback Fitzpatrick playing it cool
TAMPA — Ryan Fitzpatrick admits he has never encountered a situation like this one in 14 NFL seasons: filling in for a starting quarterback who is suspended the first three games.
But he’s not overwhelmed by it, either.
The 35-year-old Fitzpatrick doesn’t see himself as the designated savior of the season, someone who must keep the Bucs afloat, beginning with Sunday’s game at New Orleans, until suspended quarterback Jameis Winston returns.
“Every time I go out there, I try to win, so I don’t know that it changes anything at all,” Fitzpatrick said Thursday. “It’s a cool thing as a quarterback to be the opening-day starter. It’s a neat thing being out there with everybody with the excitement and the butterflies and the crowd into it. So that’s a cool thing for me that I’m looking forward to.”
Bucs offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who watched Fitzpatrick beat the Jets and Dolphins a year ago when Winston was out with a shoulder injury, says the challenge isn’t that daunting. The Bucs play at New Orleans, then host the Super Bowl champion Eagles and the Steelers.
“I don’t think it’s very big at all,” Monken said. “I really don’t. We went 2-1 last year with Fitz as our quarterback. It’s a team game. We’ve got to play well around him. I thought we played well around him last year. I thought we played well around him in the preseason. So I don’t see that at all as an issue.”
Fitzpatrick played in relief of Winston after he became injured at New Orleans last year. He went 8-of-15 for 68 yards and a touchdown in a 30-10 loss.
“So I hadn’t been to New Orleans for a while until last year and obviously, they jumped out on us,” Fitzpatrick said. “They got a big lead, and it was rocking. I’m sure on opening day, it’s going to intensify. It’s a tough venue, it’s a tough place to play. The crowd. The excitement. All that kind of stuff so it will be a nice challenge for us.”
Monken said you can’t predict how things will go based on last year’s results.
“Every year is different,” Monken said. “Just look at who we started out playing last year and how things change and how many different teams make the playoffs. We’re a different football team that we were last year and the teams we play will be different.”