Entering the season, Buffalo Bills fans were concerned they might finish the season with the NFL's worst record, earn the top pick in the 2012 draft, and build their future around Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
But after two weeks, there is a new saying in Buffalo (which I first heard from fellow NFL Films producer and ardent Bills backer, Michelle Girardi Zumwalt) ...
Buffalo continues to surprise
The Bills are 2-0 and tied for first place in the competitive AFC East. How are they doing it? Pat Kirwan points to their potent offense and some coaching adjustments. **More ...**
"You don't need Luck when you have Fitzmagic."
Hokey? Sure. Catchy? Absolutely. True? We'll see.
Whether you believe in the long-term prospects of Ryan Fitzpatrick or not, calling the Bills' 2011 season "Fitzmagic" kind of fits (no pun intended). The Bills improved to 2-0 on Sunday with a 35-point, second-half explosion against Oakland, capped by a 6-yard touchdown pass from Fitzpatrick to David Nelson on 4th-and-1 with 18 seconds left in the game.
To say the play was magical is a bit of a stretch, but luck did play a role.
The Raiders busted the coverage, leaving Nelson wide open in the middle of the field. As Fitzpatrick said in his postgame press conference, "I think they screwed it up."
If you are a fan of defense, or support the Raiders, you should be disgusted. But if you are a fan of magical comebacks, and feel-good underdog stories, you should be happily engaged by what is happening in Buffalo.
I'm starting to Bill-ieve myself. All corny punning aside, Fitzpatrick looks like a solid NFL starting quarterback. He is smart, poised, tough and, most importantly, accurate under pressure.
Just the kind of quarterback a young team can build around.
