Despite being a season away from being a season away from NSFL games, Kevin Fitzpatrick gave fans (which have yet to be identified) and interested scouts (of which there are two) a glimpse of his abilities in the high-pressure realm of the playoffs. The Tijuana Luchadores had led the conference in Season 7 and would go on to appear in the Ultimini. They had home field advantage. In addition, they had not only seen tape of him, but their own defenders had seen him in action in the Marshals’ week 14 win against Tijuana. The stakes could only be slightly higher. How did he do?
Meh.
Fitzpatrick threw 12 passes (excluding one spike to stop the clock) for 55 yards, with 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 0 fumbles and 0 sacks allowed. He also rushed once for no gain. It was a perfect game. It was also fairly useless. He only completed 6 of his 12 passes, and averaged under 10 yards per reception on those, resulting in a great deal of three and outs that left the Marshals defense gassed and unable to do more than slow down the consistent Luchadores.
There are, of course, positives from the game. For one, he posted 50% accuracy for the first time in his three appearances (28.5% wk 13, 45.5% wk 14). To show improvement, any improvement, on a road game against a playoff team, is a very positive sign.
After 3 games as a back-up in a run first offense, Fitzpatrick has built up the following stat line.
13 completions on 30 attempts for 127 yards. 0 TD, 0 INT. In addition, he rushed 2 times for 4 yards and allowed one sack for 6 yards. That totaled 125 yards on 33 plays for an average of 3.8 yards per play. For context (okay, more like pride) two of those three games were on the road.
Michael Vick had a much better performance in the playoffs, easily the best of the three games, finishing with 104 yards on 20 dropbacks. Over the sample size, he was asked to do quite a bit more. He finished with:
34 completions on 54 attempts for 341 yards plus 1 TD and 1 INT. In addition, he rushed 15 times for 39 yards and allowed 8 sacks for 64 yards, plus fumbled the ball once. That averages to 4.1 yards per play. However, after accounting for the adjusted yards of the TD, INT, and fumble, his average drops to 3.5 per play.
As before, it’s less accurate to say Fitzy won so much as Vick lost. He has a lot of work to do prior to the beginning of Season 8. It is uncertain where he will be playing. The San Antonio Marshals and Portland Pythons have expressed interest, though there is a lot of time between now and then for others to weigh in as well.
Clearly, the biggest area needing improvement is his accuracy. 43% will not get it done in any league, especially for a checkdown style passer relying on successive short gains (as his under 10 ypc shows him to be). In addition, his efficiency, low as it already is, may take another hit as he transitions to becoming a full-time starter. It’s easier to come in fresh and avoid mistakes, but having to frequently scramble around in back to back plays is another story. However, there is a lot to like from the pre-rookie passer. His ability to avoid both interceptions AND fumbles is a rare combo, and it seems pretty safe to say that Fitzpatrick won’t be the reason his team loses any games next year. Will that be enough?
Meh.
Fitzpatrick threw 12 passes (excluding one spike to stop the clock) for 55 yards, with 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 0 fumbles and 0 sacks allowed. He also rushed once for no gain. It was a perfect game. It was also fairly useless. He only completed 6 of his 12 passes, and averaged under 10 yards per reception on those, resulting in a great deal of three and outs that left the Marshals defense gassed and unable to do more than slow down the consistent Luchadores.
There are, of course, positives from the game. For one, he posted 50% accuracy for the first time in his three appearances (28.5% wk 13, 45.5% wk 14). To show improvement, any improvement, on a road game against a playoff team, is a very positive sign.
After 3 games as a back-up in a run first offense, Fitzpatrick has built up the following stat line.
13 completions on 30 attempts for 127 yards. 0 TD, 0 INT. In addition, he rushed 2 times for 4 yards and allowed one sack for 6 yards. That totaled 125 yards on 33 plays for an average of 3.8 yards per play. For context (okay, more like pride) two of those three games were on the road.
Michael Vick had a much better performance in the playoffs, easily the best of the three games, finishing with 104 yards on 20 dropbacks. Over the sample size, he was asked to do quite a bit more. He finished with:
34 completions on 54 attempts for 341 yards plus 1 TD and 1 INT. In addition, he rushed 15 times for 39 yards and allowed 8 sacks for 64 yards, plus fumbled the ball once. That averages to 4.1 yards per play. However, after accounting for the adjusted yards of the TD, INT, and fumble, his average drops to 3.5 per play.
As before, it’s less accurate to say Fitzy won so much as Vick lost. He has a lot of work to do prior to the beginning of Season 8. It is uncertain where he will be playing. The San Antonio Marshals and Portland Pythons have expressed interest, though there is a lot of time between now and then for others to weigh in as well.
Clearly, the biggest area needing improvement is his accuracy. 43% will not get it done in any league, especially for a checkdown style passer relying on successive short gains (as his under 10 ypc shows him to be). In addition, his efficiency, low as it already is, may take another hit as he transitions to becoming a full-time starter. It’s easier to come in fresh and avoid mistakes, but having to frequently scramble around in back to back plays is another story. However, there is a lot to like from the pre-rookie passer. His ability to avoid both interceptions AND fumbles is a rare combo, and it seems pretty safe to say that Fitzpatrick won’t be the reason his team loses any games next year. Will that be enough?