By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
The Bills and NFL got a bit of a shock from the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday.
Second-year quarterback Josh Rosen had the plug pulled on him after three starts. He was yanked from their 17-16 loss to the Washington Redskins last week, but after that game, Miami head coach Brian Flores said Rosen would be back in Week 7 against the Bills.
On Wednesday, “Flo” changed his mind, naming backup and former Bills starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starter. Fitzpatrick has always held a place in the hearts of Bills fans, as have Bills fans in Fitzpatrick’s heart.
Fitzmagic discussed playing in another game against the Bills and in Buffalo as a foe.
“It’s an awesome place to play, whether you’re there as a player with the support of the fans or going there as an opponent, a hostile environment,” Fitzpatrick said Wednesday. “You walk in there and there’s not a whole lot of jerseys for your team. It’s all Buffalo jerseys.”
Of course, Fitzpatrick had his cheeky way of adding that Fitz touch to his thoughts, as well.
“There’ll be some No. 14 [jerseys in the crowd], but they’re probably Sammy Watkins, not Fitzpatrick,” he said. “I have a lot of good friends from there, a lot of good memories.
“It is fun to go and play in a game like this that is going to be in a great environment,” Fitzpatrick added. “This one is unique in that you have all these new stadiums that are enormous, it’s almost like the game is secondary to some of the other stuff going on. In Buffalo, it is all about the game. The fans are so into it — after the tailgating, of course — as an opponent you enjoy going in there and getting that feeling as well.”
Good vibes aside, Fitzpatrick also acknowledged the task at-hand.
“They’re a great defense,” Fitzpatrick said. “Again, tough environment like we said. Very aggressive. Everybody seems to know their role. It’ll be a tough challenge for us.”
During his career, Fitzpatrick has had a knack for lighting a spark under teams. Clearly with this move made by Flores, the team feels Fitzpatrick, not Rosen, gives them their best chance to beat the Bills and brush aside the “tanking” cloud surrounding the franchise after an offseason that saw the Dolphins deconstruct their roster.
Fitzpatrick actually beat out Rosen for the starting job, but then things were turned over to Rosen after losses to the Ravens and Patriots. Rosen faced the Cowboys, Chargers and Redskins.
Fitzpatrick has faced the Bills as a starting quarterback five times in his career, with all five coming after his tenure as Buffalo’s starter. He’s 3-2 overall against the Bills.
*EDITOR’S NOTE — The Bills added WR Ray-Ray McCloud to the practice squad on Thursday.