Buffalo Bills: 5 Reasons Ryan Fitzpatrick Will Fail to Lead in 2012

It has been 16 long years for Buffalo fans since their beloved Bills finished a season atop the AFC East. Come January, that streak of futility will extend to 17. The last winning season Ralph Wilson Stadium patrons witnessed was a 9-7 campaign in 2004 with Drew Bledsoe at the helm.

Though it seems through no fault of their own, the Bills have the arguably the best defense in the division and most days the second-best quarterback. However, The juggernaut of the New England Patriots isn't quite ready to relinquish its choke-hold on Buffalo, Miami and the Jets. 

That quarterback of note is one Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Harvard grad will be entering just his second season as the definitive starter for the Bills. Last year's 5-2 start showed a lot of promise from the young Bills, however as the season progressed onward, Fitzpatrick and his teammates found themselves mired in a seven-game losing streak, and dropped 11 of their final 13 contests. 

As it does with the division's star attraction in New England, everything starts at the quarterback position. Though he has only started one season opener before, Fitzpatrick is a seven-year veteran of the league and just signed a hefty six-year, $59 million contract extension. Does the Harvard product have what it takes to live up to that commitment or will he wilt away like the 2011 Bills season? 

The Competition

Unfortunately for Fitzpatrick and the Bills, they play in one of, if not the toughest division in football. Though at the time of posting, NFL schedules had yet to be published, Buffalo knows where at least six of their games will be. 

Two games against the Patriots is difficult for obvious reasons. New England is the defending AFC Champions and have also won nine of the last 11 AFC Division crowns. 

The Bills will also have two games against whatever is going on at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The Jets are too talented to have a repeat of last season's debacle. No matter who is at quarterback (Buffalo may face one in the first game and another in the second), the Jets can't be taken lightly after earning the right to play in back-to-back AFC Championship games just two years ago. 

Finally, Buffalo will contest with the Miami Dolphins twice. Though the 'Phins are, like the Jets, a little bit in no-man's land when it comes to an identity, they proved to be quite feisty in the second half of 2011. They won six of their final nine games after dropping to 0-7 to start the year. 

Were Fitzpatrick quarterbacking a team in a less competitive conference, I would like his chances a lot more than I do in the AFC East.

The Inconsistency

Consistency is the magic word for Ryan Fitzpatrick this season. When the Bills opened up last season on that tear, their quarterback was averaging 280 YPG. In the team's six victories in 2011, Fitzpatrick totaled 11 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. In contrast, on the season he registered 24 scores to 23 interceptions.

It isn't so much Fitzpatrick's yardage totals that are worrisome, it is his ball protection. In fact in 2011, he averaged nearly 20 more yards per game in the 10 losses than the six wins.

It is all about taking care of the pigskin consistently for the Bills. In his career, Fitzpatrick's TD:INT differential is only plus-3. If he wants to lead the Bills to success in 2012, he needs to create some separation in that stat and keep the ball in the hands of Buffalo receivers.  

The Pressure

We are seven years into Ryan Fitzpatrick's career, and we still don't really know how he performs under pressure. No team he has played for in his NFL career has breached a .500 record and he has never seen a playoff game.

Buffalo fans aren't leaving, that is for sure. The pressure won't subside with a losing season or two up north. The pressure is there and very much real for Fitzpatrick to have a good full season. They expect the team to build off that solid start in 2011 and carry it through. They were also looked at skeptically after his big mid-season extension, and you can bet the pressure will be on to live up to that money right away. 

Fans of the team want to see more than a near-perfect Wonderlic test from Fitzpatrick. Buffalo should be predicted to finish second behind New England with the status of NY and Miami up in the air. Does Fitzpatrick have what it takes to get the Bills there?

The Status Quo

Despite the huge splash Buffalo made this offseason by signing Mario Williams, things remained status quo with Fitzpatrick's unit. 

Buffalo re-signed WR Stevie Johnson, RB Tashard Choice and TE Scott Chandler in the offseason. However, that does little to improve the Bills offense. Buffalo ranked in the middle of the pack in all offensive team categories last season. 

With no help coming through free agency, Fitzpatrick will have essentially the same offense with him this year. Fred Jackson is another year older, CJ Spiller is still unproven and, outside of Johnson, the receiving corps is pretty lackluster. Fitzpatrick has to show marked improvement in his second full season at the helm for Buffalo to go anywhere.

The Track Record

This is a dual-pronged reason as to why Fitzpatrick will more than likely continue to struggle in Buffalo. 

The first part of the track record belongs to the Buffalo Bills franchise which has a culture of losing right now. The stigma is to automatically rule them out of contention. This idea dates back to the infamous Super Bowl losses in the early 1990s and the Bills have spent 20 years trying to shake the label of afterthought. 

The second part has to obviously do with Fitzpatrick's track record which is less than stellar. As we already touched on, he has only thrown for three more touchdowns than interceptions in his career. On top of that, the last time Fitzpatrick had a winning season was in 2004 when he was playing in Cambridge, MA for the undefeated Harvard Crimson.

Fitzpatrick just has not shown a consistent ability at the quarterback position. He seems to be teetering in that dreaded middle area. If he can't prove himself this year with an improved defense, he could be making long-term reservations in QB purgatory.