Despite a brutal turnover-filled performance on Sunday against the Washington Redskins, Ryan Fitzpatrick will once again be under center in Week 11.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter told reporters on Monday that Fitzpatrick will start against the New York Giants next Sunday.
Ryan Fitzpatrick will start next Sunday against the Giants, Dirk Koetter reveals.
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) November 12, 2018
This is the right move. If Fitzpatrick isn’t under center, then the Bucs would have to either turn back to Jameis Winston or see what 28-year-old Ryan Griffin — a guy who’s never started a single game in the NFL — can do.
Going back to Winston isn’t smart. He’s done in Tampa Bay, and the team needs to simply pretend like that’s not an option unless dire emergency requires him to play. Griffin isn’t really an option, either.
At least with Fitzpatrick, you know that the offense can move the ball and — more often than not — put points on the board.
This is a team that’s already preparing for next year, anyway. At 3-6 on the season — last place in the NFC South — the Bucs aren’t remotely viable as a potential playoff team and have big holes to fill on both sides of the ball. The smart move is to ride Fitzpatrick the rest of the way, and hope a bit of FitzMagic is left in the tank.