Yesterday afternoon, Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly spoke with Tim Ryan and Solomon Wilcots on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Of course, he was asked about current Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and what will help him the most as the 2012 season gets set to kickoff. Here's what Kelly had to say:
“As offensive players we always say your defense is your best friend and you go out and get a Mark Anderson from the Patriots, a Mario Williams from the Texans, you get hopefully Shawne Merriman healthy now, a couple of great draft picks the last couple of years, if this team stays healthy and this defense stays healthy then Ryan Fitzpatrick’s best asset will be a dominating defense that will shorten the field for him so he doesn’t feel like he’s carrying the whole burden of the Buffalo Bills, not just the team, but the whole city on his shoulders."
Kelly's assessment that the defense can be an offensive player's best friend is spot on. Last year, the Bills needed Fitzpatrick to win games for them, and he did at the beginning of the season. However, injuries and an often porous defense buried the Bills in the second half of the year. With a new monstrous defensive front, the Bills may not only be able to shorten the field for Fitzpatrick, as Kelly notes, but they may also create more opportunities for the Bills to put points on the board.
Kelly also referred to the fact that this is Fitzpatrick's first FULL off-season as the starting quarterback for the Bills. Trent Edwards started the season in 2010, and last year the lockout eliminated any OTA's that would've taken place. With a full off-season at the facility, as a starter, Fitzpatrick can work with the coaching staff to improve on anything that may have hindered his performance last season.
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