It often takes time for quarterbacks and wide receivers to get on the same page. In that, they're similar to the hit TV show The Bachelor.
At least in Ryan Fitzpatrick's mind.
Fitzpatrick recently caught up with Schopp & Bulldog of 550 WGR in Buffalo, and the hosts led the Bills quarterback down an interesting path. Fitzpatrick was asked about teammate Derek Hagan's insistence that he needs to spend time with the Buffalo signal caller in order to get on the same page. The hosts asked Fitzpatrick if it was like an episode of The Bachelor, where receivers try to get the QB to like them by giving him extra attention in the hopes of building a connection.
"I think it is very true," Fitzpatrick said. "Right when I got to Buffalo, I would have given my first impression rose to Stevie Johnson. That's one of those things that you don't really see on The Bachelor. Somebody winning it from Day One on. It's like you're dating all these different guys and you are trying to form these relationships on the field with these guys, trying to get their moves down, trying to get my points across of where I want them to be. It's hard when you have that many guys that run the routes that many different ways. A lot of times I have to give them an expectation of where they need to be at particular times in their route."
Fitzpatrick is still progressing under head coach Chan Gailey. He started all 16 games for the first time in his career last season, throwing for a career-high 3,832 yards, 24 touchdowns and 62 percent completion percentage. The 29-year-old also threw a career-high 23 interceptions, though, which is a number the Harvard graduate would surely like to see go down this season.
Perhaps getting on the same page as his wide receivers sooner will ensure those picks go down while the other numbers increase. Some of that "getting on the same page" comes from one-on-one meetings with wideouts — similar to what you see on The Bachelor as women try to capitalize on their alone time.
"Well, one of our media guys does a great job with that, but as a quarterback I think this is a great analogy, because as quarterback, when you are The Bachelor, all of a sudden you have those 25 girls and those 25 girls are almost forced to like you," Fitzpatrick said when asked about the one-on-ones. "They have to try to be friendly with you. That's how my receivers are, too. I don't know if they really like me or not, but they have to act like it. They are trying to win me over. We have a lot of fun with that group, though."
Fitzpatrick is continuing to win over Bills fans, but his success in doing so will all come down to winning football games, not some chummy one-on-one interaction.
