Tampa Bay Buccaneers: An ode to the departing Fitzmagic

After two miraculous seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, journeyman quarterback is off to Miami after signing a two-year deal with the Dolphins.

It was announced on Sunday that now former Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had signed a two-year deal with the Miami Dolphins to bridge the gap during their rebuild. The 36-year-old quarterback says goodbye to Tampa Bay after two seasons as the backup quarterback for the Bucs.

What a magical ride it was for both Fitzpatrick and Bucs fans alike as we saw the journeyman quarterback earn the nickname “Fitzmagic” after an absolutely stunning and awe striking start to the 2018 season. As Jameis Winston sat out with his suspension, Fitzmagic won on the field and in press conferences, stealing DeSean Jackson’s gold chains and zip-up jacket without an undershirt, where the quarterback made everyone wonder where his beard stopped and his chest hair began.

The magic started week-one against the division rival New Orleans Saints, where the man behind the beard threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for another score. Out-dueling MVP candidate Drew Brees, Fitzpatrick was on to week-two against defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles.

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All Fitzpatrick managed to do in week two was throw for another 402 yards and four touchdowns, starting the season with nine total touchdowns, over 800 yards passing and only one turnover. Fitzmagic had officially taken the league by storm.

While the magic in Tampa Bay would officially run out and Fitzpatrick would eventually be replaced by Winston, the Harvard grad gave Tampa Bay some of the most fun moments in 2018 and made some of the most magnificent plays of his entire career in the pewter and red.

Fitzpatrick finished his two-year span in Tampa Bay with a 4-6 record in 10 starts for the Buccaneers. During those 10 starts, he averaged nearly 350 yards and over two touchdowns per game, throwing 24 of them in that span compared to just 15 interceptions.

The Pewter Plank wishes Fitzpatrick nothing but the best of luck in Miami, and we hope that he still has Jackson’s apparel to fit in with the nightlife crowd in South Beach. We will tell our future children the tales of Fitzmagic and may the legend never die.