How Ryan Fitzpatrick won his Jets teammates over off the field

Eric Decker jumps on the back of

Ryan Fitzpatrick after catching the
game-winning touchdown pass in the
Jets' 26-20 overtime win over the
Patriots. Photo: Getty Images
Long gone are the days when the
Rex Ryan Jets would Ground and
Pound their way into the playoffs.
Come Sunday in the Jets’ biggest
game in five years, the game that will
send them back to the playoffs if
they win, it will be, weather
permitting, Pass-Fail: Ryan
Fitzpatrick passing to Brandon
Marshall and Eric Decker.
With Ryan’s best cornerback,
Stephon Gilmore, on injured reserve,
and talented rookie corner Ronald
Darby questionable, and Jets running
backs Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell
banged up, Fitzpatrick has added
incentive to be licking his chops
beyond redeeming himself for a
subpar performance last month
against one of his five former teams
with another FitzMagic masterpiece
that would send him to the
postseason for the first time in his
nomadic 11-year career.
And forever change the perception of
him as a quarterback.
“I care about getting to the playoffs, I
care about winning this game … I
really don’t care much about the
perception,” Fitzpatrick told The Post.
“I care about how I’m perceived in
this locker room by the guys in this
locker room, but that’s about the
extent of it.”
This is how he is perceived by the
guys in the Jets’ locker room:
In Fitz They Trust.
I asked Marshall why Fitzpatrick is so
popular among his teammates.
“He’s just salt of the earth,” Marshall
said. “He’s a really genuine great
guy. Whether it’s Darrelle Revis,
highest-paid guy on the team, he’s
talking to him, and it’s a scout team
player having lunch with him. And
that’s what you want. I always tell
younger players, especially at the
quarterback position, you have to be
a CEO, you have to be able to lead
up, you have to be able to lead down,
and you have to be a guy, too. You
can’t always wear the leadership hat,
you have to be one of the guys just
to be cool. Play video games, play
ping pong … and that’s what he does
well. He knows the moments.”
Joe Namath won a Super Bowl, in
case you hadn’t heard, or forgot.
Richard Todd got to an AFC
Championship game. So did Vinny
Testaverde and Mark Sanchez. Ken
O’Brien and Chad Pennington got to
the playoffs.
This is Fitzpatrick’s time, his
moment, after 10 seasons of
watching the playoffs.
It isn’t validation he is seeking. It is
leading teammates he loves playing
with and a team and a head coach
and an offensive coordinator he loves
playing for back to the Super Bowl
chase, and celebrating warm
embraces with them come 4 o’clock
Sunday at cold Ralph Wilson
Stadium.
“It’s an important game for this team
… it’s important because of how hard
we worked and kind of where we
think we should be, so in that sense
it’s important,” Fitzpatrick said, “but
in the grand scheme of things and in
my career and all that stuff, it’s
important for me to get to the
playoffs, but I don’t need any
validation from anybody.”
Fitzpatrick and Marshall began to
click and get on the same page
during the second meeting with the
Dolphins.
Ryan Fitzpatrick Photo: Bill Kostroun

“He threw a back shoulder against

Miami, and nine out of 10

quarterbacks or receivers wouldn’t —

it’s not the ideal play, ideal coverage

— but I’m 6-5 and he throws a pretty

nice back shoulder, so we thought

we could get it in there, we’d been

missing it the weeks before, and

when we hit that, I was like, ‘Wow,’ ”

Marshall said.

Fitzpatrick: “I can kind of get into his

head and he can get into mine.”

Fitzpatrick (29 touchdowns, one

interception in the last five games)

needs one TD pass to set the

franchise single-season record. It

helps that he spent four years

weathering the western New York

elements.

“Right now offensively we’re clicking,

we’re on the same page, and the best

thing about it is confidence one, and

two, the calmness that’s in the

huddle,” Marshall said.

Fitzpatrick’s voice does not rise to

soprano in the pressure-packed

moments.

“Especially as an offensive player,

you’ve got to be composed at all

times,” Fitzpatrick said. “There’s so

much to the mental side of the game

that you’ve got to be able to think

through and you can’t be going a

million miles an hour.”

This game won’t be too big for him.

“I don’t feel any more pressure in

this one than I have the last few,”

Fitzpatrick said.

He was listed as limited in practice

Wednesday with a sore left thumb.

“Nothing really to be concerned

about,” Fitzpatrick said.

In Fitz They Trust.