Ryan Fitzpatrick

Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Harvard.

Early years
Fitzpatrick was a three-sport (football, basketball and track) athlete at Highland High School in Gilbert, Arizona. Fitzpatrick was a Second-team Class 5A All-state selection, adding Arizona High School All-Star team, Fiesta Region first team and Fiesta Region MVP honors as a senior. He set 12 school records as a Highland Hawk and one state mark (throwing a 99-yard touchdown pass) while leading the team to the state playoffs from 1998–2000 and to the 1999 Fiesta Region title.

Collegiate career
At Harvard, Fitzpatrick had five starts during the 2001 and 2002 seasons. In 2001, he completed 25 of 37 passes (67.6 percent) for 323 yards and a pair of touchdowns and followed that in 2002 by completing 94 of 150 attempts (62.7 percent) for 1,155 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for five scores and 523 yards on 115 carries (4.5 avg.) that year.

Fitzpatrick took over the starting job in 2003. Fitzpatrick finished his junior campaign completing 107 of 178 passes (60.1 percent) for 1,770 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions in seven games. He also carried 109 times for 430 yards (3.9 avg.) and six scores.

In 2004 Fitzpatrick would earn Ivy League MVP honors (Asa S. Bushnell Cup) as he amassed 1,986 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions on 158 of 276 passing (57.2 percent) and led Harvard to a 10-0 record as a senior. He ranked second on the team with 118 carries for 448 yards (3.8 avg.) and five scores in 2004.

For his career, Fitzpatrick connected on 384 of 641 passes (59.9 percent) for 5,234 yards, 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He collected 1,487 yards with 16 scores on 365 carries (4.1 avg.) and totaled 6,721 yards, an average of 224.0 yards per game, while seeing action in 30 contests. He ranks second on Harvard's career list for pass completions, touchdowns, yards passing and pass completion percentage, topped only by Neil Rose (5,949 yards, 41 touchdowns, 455 completions, 62.4 percent, 1998–2002). His 641 pass attempts rank fourth in school history. His 1,006 total plays for 6,721 yards in total offense broke the old school career records of 1,005 plays by Mike Giardi (1991–93) and 6,519 yards by Rose. He is the first quarterback in Harvard history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a career.

Pre-draft
As is the case for most incoming NFL rookies, Fitzpatrick took the Wonderlic Test. A draft commentary on the NFL's official website reported that he made a perfect score, while setting a speed record by completing the exam in nine minutes. According to a The Wall Street Journal report that appeared in the September 30, 2005, edition, Fitzpatrick scored a 48 on the exam, not a 50—still considered an exceptionally high score, but the claim that he completed the test in nine minutes is accurate. While his actual score is unknown, he has been quoted acknowledging he left at least one question blank. As the Wonderlic score is the number of correct answers to 50 questions, the best he could have scored would be a 49.

The only player to earn a verified perfect score on the Wonderlic test was also a Harvard graduate: wide receiver/punter Pat McInally, who played his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Additionally, Fitzpatrick ran a 4.86 in the 40-yard dash had a 295-pound bench press and 415-pound squat  and 325-pound power clean.

St. Louis Rams
Fitzpatrick played his first NFL game on November 27, 2005. Coming into the eleventh game of the regular season in the second quarter against the Houston Texans to replace injured veteran journeyman Jamie Martin, Fitzpatrick led the Rams from a 24-3 halftime deficit to a 33-27 overtime win, throwing for 310 yards and three touchdowns, completing 63.3% of his passes and 117.4 QB rating for the game. This made Fitzpatrick one of only six players who passed for more 300 yards in their NFL debut. The others were Otto Graham, 346 yards (1950); Ed Rubbert, 334 (a replacement player for the Washington Redskins during the 1987 strike); Mark Rypien, 303 (1988), Peyton Manning, 302 (1998), and Cam Newton, 422 (2011). The win earned him the next three starts, although he was unable to come close to his debut performance. The nadir came two weeks later in a 13-27 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in which he threw for 235 yards, no touchdowns, and five interceptions for a QB rating of 32.4 for the game. He was replaced by Martin after halftime the following week, after struggling in a home game against the Philadelphia Eagles in which he completed just 41.7% of his passes for a total of 69 yards.

Cincinnati Bengals
On September 1, 2007, Fitzpatrick was traded to the Bengals for a seventh-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

A restricted free agent in the 2008 offseason, Fitzpatrick signed his one-year tender offer from the Bengals on April 17. Due to an injury to starting quarterback Carson Palmer, Fitzpatrick made his first Bengals start on September 28, 2008 against the Cleveland Browns. Fitzpatrick was not only the leading passer, but also the leading rusher in the Bengals' 20-12 loss. With Carson Palmer sitting out the game on October 12, 2008, Fitzpatrick got the start against the New York Jets, and every other game that season.

During the 2008 NFL season, Fitzpatrick finished third in rushing yards among quarterbacks.

Buffalo Bills
Fitzpatrick signed with the Buffalo Bills on February 27, 2009. He made his first appearance on October 18, 2009 against the New York Jets when starter Trent Edwards went down with an injury, leading the Bills to a 16-13 overtime win, while throwing for 116 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Fitzpatrick started the following two games, resulting in a win over the Panthers and loss to the Texans.

On November 18, 2009 he was named the starting quarterback of the Buffalo Bills by interim head coach Perry Fewell who took over the coaching duties after former coach Dick Jauron was fired. He went 3-3 as a starter under Fewell, throwing seven touchdowns, six interceptions and 1060 yards. Overall, Fitzpatrick went 5-4 in games he had a majority of the playing time for a team that finished with a 6-10 record.

Despite the strong showing, new head coach Chan Gailey decided to go with Trent Edwards as the starter for the 2010 season, relegating Fitzpatrick to the backup role. On September 20, 2010, Fitzpatrick was named the new starting quarterback following the Bills 0-2 start.

In a 49-31 comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Fitzpatrick threw for 316 yards and 4 touchdowns, including 3 to Steve Johnson. This performance marked the first time in NFL history that a team had come back from 17 points down to win by 18 or more.

During the second week of the 2011 season, Fitzpatrick led the Bills to touchdown drives on five straight possessions in the second half to rally past the Raiders. It was the first time in league history a team had scored offensive touchdowns on five straight possessions in the second half. In the 2011 season, Fitzpatrick was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. On October 28, 2011, Fitzpatrick signed a six year, $59 million contract extension including a $10 million signing bonus with the Bills. He had three 300-yard performances in the 2011 season, with a season high 369 yards vs. the Patriots. After the 2011 season, it was revealed that Fitzpatrick had broken his ribs in a game against the Washington Redskins.

Personal life
Fitzpatrick is married to Liza Barber. In 2010, Fitzpatrick was tabbed as the fifth-smartest athlete by Sporting News.