Last season, Bills safety Micah Hyde said something a lot folks might think about Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. He’s the type of guy you’d polish off a cold one with.
“I know that some guys here, that were here in the last couple of years actually had an opportunity to play with him,” Hyde said in November 2019. “He seems like one of those guys you can just go to the Big Tree Inn, have a beer with him him, shoot the [expletive] with him and have fun, that’s what he seems like, honestly.”
Heading into game day last year, it was all business though, because not only is that the proper way to prep for every Sunday in the NFL, it’s something you certainly have to do with Fitzpatrick. They don’t call him Fitz Magic for nothing, right?
This week, that more of Hyde’s tune. Killing that magic before it ever gets going as the safety and the Bills head to Miami for a Week 2 divisional battle with the Dolphins.
“Fitz Magic, the guy is capable of lighting people up. Very dangerous guy, you know I don’t think he gets enough credit,” Hyde said via video conference this week. “I think a lot of people see obviously he’s a gunslinger, he just throws it. Sometimes it’s a touchdown, sometimes it’s an interception but if it is an interception he’s able to shake it off and move on to the next play and he can light you up after that.”
Echoing his partner, Buffalo safety Jordan Poyer also took a business approach to facing Fitzpatrick, calling him a “savvy vet.”
“A guy that’s been playing a long time so you got to give him his respect. He’s won a lot of football games, he can throw the ball, he can put the ball in really good spots for his receivers to go up and get the football,” Poyer said.
While never teammates of Hyde and Poyer, Fitzpatrick still does look back on his time with the Bills fondly. He often does. But again, all business from him as his team is going to try and avoid falling to 0-2 against the Bills, who won their season opener… because despite a 21-11 loss to the Patriots, Fitzpatrick is confident in adjustment that are going to be made. Those of course coming courtesy of former Bills coach and current Dolphins offensive coordinator, Chan Gailey.
“The great thing with Chan and the way that this system works is it, you try to figure out each week the best way to attack a defense,” Fitzpatrick said via video conference in Miami this week. “Some times it’ll evolve, some time it will look the same.”
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