Ryan Fitzpatrick – December 1, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 1, 2019
Postgame – Philadelphia
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(Did you see this coming, ending this way after the first two series of the game?) – “(Head) Coach (Brian Flores) said start fast all week and we did the exact opposite. (laughter) You know what though, this – we’ve been such a resilient bunch. I think in winning the two games in a row and then having some bad games, the one thing, especially down 28 in Cleveland or whatever it was, the thing we took out of that game, the positive was there’s no quit in our team and that was definitely evident today. I think hats off to DeVante Parker for the display he put on out there today. That was special. He made some really big plays and that really got us going. When you’re throwing to a guy like that that’s making plays like that, it’s easy to play quarterback. So, he did a great job and made my job a little bit easier today.”
(You were getting pretty beat up early in the game. It seemed like you were getting hit every time you threw the ball. How were you able to get through that and find some ways to start getting the ball down field and making those plays?) – “I think in the second half we got some drives going. I think we tired them out a little bit just being able to sustain some drives and not have some three-and-outs or some quicker series. The guys up front, they stepped up. We got the ball out a little bit quicker sometimes. But that’s going to happen. That’s a football game right there where there’s going to be ebbs and flows and there’s times as a quarterback you’re going to be getting hit. And guys are always looking at me in the huddle, so I’ve got to make sure that whether it’s affecting me or not, I got to make sure that it doesn’t look like it’s affecting me, because sometimes those hits hurt a little bit. (laughter) But it was all good today. It was a much nicer second half.”
(WR DeVante Parker and TE Mike Gesicki made some big plays, but you’ve got a rookie in RB Patrick Laird who really came in and gave you guys a big boost.) – “He did. He did a great job and made a few guys miss on some shorter throws. He had a couple nice runs, got a touchdown. The catch that he made on the two-point conversion, he ran a great route (and made a) great catch. I think he was a guy that is slowly showing us that we can really rely on him in doing the different things that he does well. He caught a couple screens today and had some nice run after catches. I was proud of the way that Patrick played today.”
(Which WR DeVante Parker reception impressed you the most?) – “I didn’t see a couple of them; but the one, the tightrope one down the sideline where he scored, I didn’t think there was any way he kept his feet in. That was amazing. I’m assuming the Hail Mary down the left sideline that I threw was pretty amazing, too. We talk about him, or I talk about him, every week as just being a consistent, reliable guy that he really got it going today and really fueled us as an offense. He wanted that ball on every play.”
(Do these catches surprise you ever at this point?) – “Out of (Parker)? Not at all. Even through OTAs and everything else, he made a lot of those catches. The physical talents that he has along with his mentality today after he made that first one was he was going to go up and get every ball. It was really impressive and fun to be on his team today.”
(Down 28-14 to a team that is right in the thick of the playoff chase. Everyone is “Okay, the Eagles just pull away and win.” Talk to me about the heart and soul of this football team we found out today to come back on a good team like this down 14 points.) – “On offense we got into a good rhythm. Our defense really stepped up and it was the complementary football. The touchdown by the special teams was amazing. Just a cool play. But I think we all stumbled a little bit in our different phases, but then we really all stepped up and came together and played well in the second half when we had to. I think it speaks volumes for this team. All year, the way that we’ve stayed at it and haven’t flinched and all those clichés you could throw out, that’s what this team is. That’s a pretty rewarding win to be down like we were and to not have anybody on the sideline thinking that we weren’t going to be able to come back. The way we did it in the second half, it was fun to be a part of.”
(When you saw that formation in practice, P Matt Haack to K Jason Sanders, and you watch it and you watch them go through it, you think what? What goes through your head?) – “(Special Teams Coordinator) Danny Crossman is crazy. (laughter) Like what is he dreaming up? This is the NFL. (laughter) Like, that’s not – that doesn’t happen. And I saw – they worked on it multiple times, so we had seen it, but for it actually to be called in a game, I didn’t think it would ever be called in a game. But (it was) pretty cool – pretty cool that it worked.”
(How would you grade P Matt Haack’s quarterbacking?) – “It was like a flick, right? (laughter) It was like – it worked. That pass was a lot better than mine, the play before. (laughter)”
(After the last two games stumbling along there, it seemed things were going south. How does Head Coach Brian Flores keep you guys to the point where you come back and play a game like this after the last two games you played?) – “I think he’s just stayed on message, stayed steady. Like I said, the Cleveland game where we came back and obviously didn’t come back all the way, but I think that shows the fight in this team, the fight in these guys. For as much turmoil and things that have gone on, our locker room has really stuck together and these are the really satisfying wins right here where you have to do it on the field, you have to stick together, you have to overcome a bunch of obstacles and injuries and whatever else happens and go out there and play together. I think it was a good lesson for everybody.”
(A lot of the 3-9 teams are counting the days until the offseason. It seems like maybe that isn’t the case with this team.) – “Yeah. I mean I’ve got plenty of time to sip on Mai Tais. (laughter) I would rather be out here playing football.”
(Are you interested to see what these team can do in the last month?) – “I’m just excited to go out there and play. I think that’s been kind of our mantra all year and we’ve got a bunch of fighters on our team, so it’s fun to be out there in the huddle with them.”
(What impact do you think Head Coach Brian Flores had on how you guys play?) – “Well again, I think just his steadiness. He really has been consistent. He’s consistent in how hard he works every single day and that trickles down to the staff, the hours that they put in and the work that they put in to get us ready and prepared for these games and then the work that we put in in practice. It starts with him and trickles down to everybody else. I think his work ethic and steadiness and consistency, those are all things that he’s done a great job with this year.”
(Your passes, your connection with WR DeVante Parker, you mentioned that earlier, but some of those throws are you just throwing, I don’t want to say it’s like playground, but you’re throwing them up, you know he has a one-on-one saying, “You go win?”) – “Yeah. Sometimes when it’s one-on-one, one thing that I’ve always done in my career is I’m going to give my playmakers a chance to make plays. And that’s – we have got some really talented guys. DeVante is a really talented player and I want to give him the opportunity to show off his talent. It wasn’t because of one corner or the other or anything, it was because I believe in DeVante Parker, and he really came through today.”
