Ryan Fitzpatrick: Extension-Worthy or Another Buffalo Mirage?

If there’s one thing you can say about the Bills over the past "decade of dread," it’s that they have left no stone unturned searching for the next Jim Kelly.

Ten years ago, it was a trade for inter-division QB Drew Bledsoe. Two years later, the Bills traded back into the first round to select Tulane product J.P. Losman. That year, the Bills reverted to "Holcomb-mania," then flip-flopped between those two until the Bills made Losman the man for all of ‘06.

They then drafted Trent Edwards but reaffirmed Losman as the starter for 2007.

That is, until he tore his knee against New England and Edwards took over, which has inevitably led us to the Amish Rifle, Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Despite all the false promise Bills fans have seen from the QB position—Bledsoe’s ‘02, Losman’s ‘05, Edwards winning two of his first three games—it never pans out. That’s why as a Bills fan, it’s hard not to be skeptical of the ‘new guy’ being the answers to all our hopes and prayers.

However, there are a lot of reasons to fall in love with Ryan Fitzpatrick.

One thing that sticks out is his ability to simply make the pieces around him work. So far this year, Fitzpatrick has thrown for seven touchdowns. Three of those have been to 26-year-old journeyman Scott Chandler. Chandler has quickly become the most relevant Bills tight end since Jay Riemersma after spending his first years in the league with multiple teams.

Last year’s development with Stevie Johnson and David Nelson has proved vital. Last year in three games without Fitzpatrick, Stevie had no touchdowns and 143 yards receiving.

In the fifteen games since last year’s opener that Fitzpatrick has started, Johnson’s numbers are 1,122 yards and 12 touchdowns. Although personally I don’t think he’s all the way there yet, Fitzpatrick is making Stevie look like a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL.

Not only does the 28-year-old Fitzpatrick make the skill pieces fit, but he does it all with a very 'below-average' offensive line. Because Demetrius Bell is still developing at the tackle position, Fitzpatrick is often forced to make quick decisions, which molds perfectly with his gunslinger mentality. His confidence in his decision-making was definitely lacking with previous Bills quarterbacks.

The last couple days, talks about Fitzpatrick’s extension have cooled off.

However, if he can break Buffalo’s 15-game losing streak to New England Sunday, it wouldn’t shock me to see him have a three-year extension signed by this time next week.