| Advertisement |
TAMPA -- If Ryan Fitzpatrick realizes he may be on the downside of his career, but he wanted to join a team on the rise. Fitzpatrick, 34, signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which will be the seventh NFL team he's played for since entering the league as a seventh-round pick from Harvard by the St. Louis Rams in 2005.
Advertisement
That kind of experience is what the Bucs are hoping to tap into for Winston. The other quarterbacks on the Bucs roster are Ryan Griffin, who has never thrown an NFL pass in two seasons with Tampa Bay, and Colorado rookie Sefo Liufao.
"We think Ryan is a good fit for what we do No. 1, for our style," Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter said. "And the second part of that was if we were going to bring in another guy, we also wanted a guy with a lot of game experience that could possibly be of assistance to Jameis in the day-to-day grind during the season. (Quarterbacks coach) Mike Bajakian can't be down there as many hours a day as Jameis is in that room. Mike can't be down there all that time. A guy that's got 116 starts and played for seven different teams has got that experience."
Fitzpatrick started 27 games for the Jets the past two seasons, but realized that his best option of continuing his career would be as a veteran backup.
"Last year, I was the starter. If you play well as the starter, you continue to play," Fitzpatrick said. "I didn't play well and so I lost. The game of musical chairs? They pulled my chair out from under me."
Fitzpatrick spent some time Tuesday talking not only about his mastery of the Rubiks Cube, but also about what makes him a good fit with the Bucs, meeting another Harvard man and the plans for his beard.
Why did he choose the Bucs?
"Just being in the NFL for a while, I'm a fan, I keep my eye on things and they did a lot of good things last year," Fitzpatrick said. "I think it's a team on the rise. Personnel-wise, even now being here, there's kind of a feeling of everybody in the locker room, out there on the field, in meetings, in the weight room - I don't know if it's a young team or if I'm really old. One of the two. But so far so good in terms of the energy in this building and the confidence of these guys."
What can you help Winston with?
"I'm not going to tell him how to throw a football," Fitzpatrick said. "He was the No. 1 pick for a reason. He knows how to throw a football. I'm not going to tell him how to interact with anybody. He has his own personality, which I think is great for this team. There's a lot of stuff in the film room, also just looking at defenses, preparing for a game - a lot of things like on the sideline during the game, talking about adjustments and things."
What do you think about all the weapons on this Bucs team?
"I think it's exciting, but then again, it's on paper and on paper everything looks great," Fitzpatrick said. "There's a lot of work that needs to be put in. That chemistry needs to be established. You can't just try to slap together an all-star team and be good. You've got to put in the work because every other team in this league has an all-star team, too. You've got to go out and do it."
What's it like having another Harvard man on your team in Cameron Brate?
"It felt good. It was funny, because when I saw Cam, it was the first time I met him and Cam and Jameis were walking down the hallway and I had Jameis look away because we had to do our secret handshake that nobody else is allowed to see," Fitzpatrick said.
How will the beard hold up in Tampa Bay?
"It was pretty hot in Houston as well. I don't know how they compare," Fitzpatrick said. "It tends to frizz out a little more here so I've got scissors. I actually didn't bring them on this trip, but next week, I'll be a little more maintained around the upper lip. But in terms of the actual beard oil, I'll be using the same for now."
