Testaverde & Fitz Similarities

I had the same thought while watching the game last week. I'm not quite there yet to anoint Fitz the same level of respect that I like to save for VT, whom I hold in high regard among our very thin pantheon of quarterbacking legends, but I can see that this story might turn out that way. There are some differences though.

IMHO, VT had amazing physical talents and was playing on some equally amazing teams early in his career. The unfortunate part is they were amazingly bad! So VT reLly was trying to learn the position of being an NFL QB while elevating the moribund Buccs. He tried to make a lot of plays that he shouldn't have and it made him look like a very bad QB. I don't know if it was bad decision making, poor play calling, shitty coaching, or a series of things that sabotaged him, but VT always had the skills to turn things around if he had a decent cast round him. I think he proved that with the Browns/Ravens, who were hardly a team bursting with talent in his time there, and then backed it up in his time with the Jets. Hell, he went from having a low 50% completion avg as a Bucc to approaching, or even exceeding 60% most seasons the moment he left that franchise. That says more about the team than the player IMO. And this was back when that sort of completion percentage was much more acceptable than today. Frankly, I have always wondered what sort of player he might have been if a decent franchise hadn't derailed him. I'm not naive enough to think he was a clear cut HoF player, but I do think he might have had a shot at that sort of career with a good cast and franchise.

Fitz is a different story. His decision making may well be better than VT's was at the same point in their careers, but the physical dimension is not comparable. I'm not putting Fitz down, I love his passion, but VT was a prototypical QB. Despite the dissimilarities, I sincerely hope that Fitz enjoys just the sort of rebirth to his career that VT had. Given that it is coming with us I could hardly be happier. Every once in awhile a player, usually a QB, really does get better in their 30's so I hope this is the start of Fitz giving us a few really great years and then preparing our next QB. VT did this for us, bringing us one of the best runs in Jets history in '98 and then grooming CP later on. I'm rooting for ya Fitz!