Joe Namath talks Ryan Fitzpatrick as Jets QB, and the perfect tailgate party

Ryan Fitzpatrick sparkled in his New York Jets debut last week, the veteran quarterback leading the way to an impressive 31—10 win over the Cleveland Browns. And in the eyes of the best quarterback in franchise history, the presence ofFitzpatrickwas evident as he watched the game.

Joe Namath, the only man to quarterback the Jets to a Super Bowl, watched last Sunday’s win from his home in Florida. but even from a distance he sensed the veteran’s poise. Fitzpatrick completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 179 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Not gaudy numbers by any stretch but it was good, solid quarterbacking.

“I felt his demeanor, I felt him be calm, cool and collected,” Namath told Metro. “I felt, watching him, I felt the years of experience he has and the way he was conducting himself out there. Any control of himself, running the game, running the show, not getting carried away with things. Keeping his poise, really keeping his poise.

“I did see him getting excited – of course – we all do. I really liked the way hemaintained his poise. There’s a confidence about his ability to put the team in the right position. If it’s a different play, a differentlook from the defense, you know he can handle it with his experience.”

A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a member of the Jets’ Ring of Honor, the Jets legend now has the Namath Grill Line. He’s especially proud of the Namath Rapid Cooker, which he says is perfect for tailgating season.

“Get the cooker up high – high heat seals the juices in. That’s the quality of the Namath Cooker, it gets the heat high and keeps all the juices in so you can have a nice, moist, tasty piece of meat. And it’s easy to clean,” Namath said.

“And it’s not just meat, you can cookvegetables, fish. There are nine different heat zones.”

Away from the tailgate and on the field last Sunday, Namath liked Fitzpatrick’s ability to make smart decisions, not surprising he says given that the Jets quarterback is a Harvard graduate.

“The Alabama of the northeast,” Namath joked about his alma mater.

Fitzpatrick also showed good arm strength, something that was a bit of a surprise to most observers of the Week 1 game. One of the knocks on Fitzpatrick was that his ability with the deep ballwasaverage at best.Yet lastSunday he threw down the field well, a part of his game that is evolving now in his eleventh season. Namath didn’t just see arm strength on display, he saw accuracy in the deep ball.

“He’s great at the controls as far as running the offense and seeing the defense. And he was throwing some strikes. The velocity on the ball looked pretty good,” Namath said. “There’s a difference between throwing a bomb and [then] putting it on the clothesline on a post-pattern to the outside – he was doing that. He was throwing it with some heat down the middle even, sticking it in there. I never doubted his arm strength. Watching him in Buffalo, some people questioned it.”

Namath on a good tailgate

Joe Namathdoesn’t make just Super Bowl guarantees but tailgating ones as well. Here are his guarantees for a good tailgate:

– Plan on arriving at your venue three-to-four hours prior to game time

– Pack frozen water bottles in place of ice, keep your food cool and use for drinking later

– Do all of your food prep the night before

– Use a toolbox or storage container for all of your tailgating utensils, it makes it easier to carry and store

As for the yummy stuff, he’s gotten on board with tailgating via the Namath Rapid Cooker(available at NamathGrill.com).HelikestheNamath Rapid Cooker not just for tailgates but around the house. It has nine different heat zones.

Perfect for some of ‘Broadway Joe’s’ favorites including his ‘Namath Steaks’ (available at NamathProducts.com) :

“The old Hungarians,kielbasa was always big and still is, along with the Italian sausages,” Namath said..”And of course the Namath steaks…anyone who loves their meat loves a New York strip, filet mignon, nice pieces of steak – but I do like to mix in the sausage and some sauerkraut.”