Some (Preseason) Fitzmagic Is Coming To Foxboro This Week
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Washington head coach Ron Rivera announced this week that his starters will play on Thursday night against the Patriots for both teams' preseason opener. That of course means one thing: It's Fitzmagic time in Foxboro.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, now 38, has had a Forrest Gump-esque journey through the NFL. As every broadcaster in the history of television has reminded you 11 million times by now, Fitzpatrick went to Harvard. He was then drafted in the seventh round by the St. Louis Rams, beginning a career that now spans 17 years and nine different teams.
He started just three games in his first three seasons for St. Louis and Cincinnati, but he's since started 143 games since 2008, spending time with all three Patriots rivals in the AFC East. But he's never played in a single postseason game.
He's backed up -- and also occasionally taken over for -- the likes of Carson Palmer, Marc Bulger, Trent Edwards, Jake Locker, Jameis Winston, and Tua Tagovailoa. He's played for head coaches Mike Martz, Scott Linehan, Marvin Lewis, Dick Jauron, Perry Fewell, Chan Gailey, Mike Munchak, Bill O'Brien, Todd Bowles, Dirk Koetter, Brian Flores, and now Rivera.
With a 59-86-1 record as a starter and a 1.32 TD-to-INT ratio, Fitzpatrick's career would reasonably have ended years ago if not for the special sauce known only as Fitzmagic.
"I have a lot of respect for him -- for Ryan and the career that he's had," Bill Belichick said Tuesday.
While Belichick and the Patriots won't be game-planning against Fitzpatrick and the Washington offense like they would in a regular-season game, Belichick nevertheless laid out all the ways that Fitzpatrick remains dangerous as an opposing QB.
"Ryan's had a tremendous career," Belichick said. "Certainly he's always been a tough guy for us to play against. He's smart, he's very aggressive, resourceful and very tough. You see him block guys downfield and, you know, put his head down and fight for extra yards and do some things that a lot of quarterbacks wouldn't do. He's competitive, he's resilient, and he does a good job of using the weapons that he has and getting them involved, getting them the ball. And when things break down, he's athletic and experienced enough to still make good plays in those situations. So he's a tough guy to play against."
Fitzpatrick has beaten the Patriots three times in his career, but he's also lost 11 games to Belichick's team. Two of those victories did shape Patriots history, though. He led the Dolphins to a win in Week 17 of the 2019 season over the Patriots, which cost New England a first-round bye. He also beat the Patriots in overtime late in the 2015 season, which contributed to the Patriots losing home-field advantage vs. the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
Those are the only two seasons in a six-year window where the Patriots failed to reach the Super Bowl.
Belichick -- who's observed quite a few quarterbacks in his 47 years as an NFL coach -- said he admires the way that Fitzpatrick plays the position in his own way.
"He's got a little bit of a unique style. Maybe it's not, you know, classic, but he throws the ball well, he throws the ball down the field well. And as I said, he's tough and competitive and hard to tackle and will stand there in the pocket and make tough throws," Belichick said. "And if you try to do something a little bit different, he's got enough experience and is intelligent enough and has enough savvy to usually figure out what it is and figure out how to beat it."
The stakes will, of course, be as low as they can be on Thursday night, as both teams will be eager to simply hit players wearing different helmets, while working on a few things and above all avoiding injury. Nevertheless, with Fitzpatrick making what is likely his final visit to New England, and with the recognition that the NFL won't ever see another QB like him, the preseason game at least offers the opportunity to soak in one final Foxboro appearance by the man known as Fitzmagic.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.