It’s no secret Brandon Marshall is Ryan Fitzpatrick’s biggest fan, so it’s not surprising the New York Jets receiver thinks his quarterback is “elite.”
Brandon Marshall, sticking up for current QB, says Ryan Fitzpatrick deserves to be called "elite." #nyj
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 2, 2016
Marshall had one of his finest NFL seasons in 2015 catching 109 passes for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns. His running mate on the other side of the field, Eric Decker, also had a huge season catching 80 passes for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Both of them mesh well with Fitzpatrick, who flourished under offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, his coordinator for a few years in Buffalo.
If you’re only looking at last season, when he passed for 3,905 yards with 31 touchdowns, it wouldn’t be a huge stretch to put Fitzpatrick among the elite quarterbacks of the NFL.
But many would argue Fitzpatrick’s 2015 campaign was an aberration. For most of his career, he’s been far from elite, as demonstrated by these career numbers: 60.1 percent completion rate, 154 touchdowns, 116 interceptions, 80.6 passer rating.
Based on those stats, Fitzpatrick falls firmly into the “average” range.
Still, nobody can blame Marshall for sticking up for his quarterback, who just recently showed up to camp after signing a one-year deal worth $12 million. He knows who butters his bread, at least for the time being, and has been staunchly supportive of Fitzpatrick the entire offseason while he was without a contract.