EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The transition of power came awkwardly, one more fumbled moment as a coda to a long night of them.
Ryan Fitzpatrick stepped to the podium near midnight in a makeshift news conference room at MetLife Stadium, just having learned he was no longer the Jets’ starting quarterback. After two seasons, one that nearly ended in a playoff berth and another that turned him into a laughingstock, Fitzpatrick was now a backup, having been told a few minutes before by an offensive coach in the locker room. Bryce Petty, the new starter, found out just before he followed Fitzpatrick on stage.