As a veteran quarterback accustomed to ever-changing roles Authentic Brandon Parker Jersey , there's little Ryan Fitzpatrick hasn't experienced during a 14-year NFL career.

He's been a starter and a backup 鈥?several times.

Now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are counting on him to help them weather Jameis Winston's three-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

And then head back to the bench.

"I thought I had seen and been through it all," said Fitzpatrick, who's entering his second season with his seventh pro team. "But another year, another different situation."

Not that the 35-year-old is complaining.

Fitzpatrick signed with Tampa Bay before last season, knowing coach Dirk Koetter sought him purely as a backup.

"I've learned that you view it as a one-game-at-a-time opportunity. That's just the way it is in this league," Fitzpatrick said.

"In 2015, when I played with the (New York) Jets, I was a backup and ended up (playing) the whole year with the situation there," he added. "In 2016, I was a starter and I ended up getting benched three times. Every year is different. You have to take it game by game and just go from there."

Fitzpatrick, who turns 36 in November, entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2005.

In addition to the Bucs and Jets, he's also played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans, completing nearly 60 percent of his passes for 26,991 yards Authentic Thomas Rawls Jersey , 173 touchdowns and 136 interceptions.

He's one of just four players in NFL history 鈥?along with Vinny Testaverde, Gus Frerotte and Chris Chandler 鈥?to throw TD passes with seven different teams.

Winston, suspended following the league's investigation of an allegation that he groped a female Uber driver during a ride in March 2016, will miss games against New Orleans, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to begin the season.

Fitzpatrick rejected the notion that his role is to "save the season."

"The season hasn't even started yet. ... It's a cliche, but it's one game at a time. You have to look at it that way," Fitzpatrick said. "Not even based off last year, talent-wise, looking at the team we have out here, I'm in the huddle on offense, and it's a pretty exciting huddle to be in as a quarterback looking at some of those guys."

With Winston missing three games and portions of two others because of injury, Fitzpatrick went 2-1 as a starter a year ago. Three seasons ago, he threw for a career-best 3,905 yards and 31 TDs with the Jets.

Koetter noted that Fitzpatrick has 119 career starts and said he has total confidence in the veteran's ability to handle the offense.

"We're fortunate enough to have him," Koetter said. "We saw what he could do when he was our starter last year for three games. There's no reason for us to be afraid of Ryan playing quarterback for us. He's going to play fine."

And Winston, who's allowed to practice during training camp and play preseason games, intends to do whatever he can help Fitzpatrick and No. 3 quarterback Ryan Griffin, a fifth-year pro who's never taken a snap in a regular-season game.

"As a teammate first Tracy Walker Color Rush Jersey , I understand it's about this team and I am going to be there for Fitz as much as I can," Winston, entering his fourth season, said.

"But it's also about getting Ryan (Griffin) ready as well," the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner added. "My influence on this team is going to be positive, and I'm going to be their best support system they have."

HOUSTON — Nearly lost amid the cliched responses Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul uses to deflect the usual array of mundane questions was one nugget that perfectly encapsulates the Western Conference Finals.

It is a ballyhooed matchup featuring the two most efficient offenses in the NBA but defense will play an important role in deciding the series.

The Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors present a cavalcade of All-Star performers.

On hand are Splash Brothers and point guards with Hall of Fame credentials sharing a backcourt; an MVP and Sixth Man of the Year; a versatilely skilled forward and a burgeoning big primed for a pay raise.

The Rockets are helmed by an innovative offensive mind, the Warriors stewarded by a former player and executive who has enjoyed rousing success on the bench.

For months, NBA fans have anticipated this spectacle of the rim runs and fast breaks, the hail of 3-pointers and sublime passing. But, for all their otherworldly talent, the Rockets and Warriors have no secrets. And, as Paul noted, how the teams defend on Monday in Game 1 at Toyota Center will set the tone for a series many assume will be decided on the offensive end.

Even with Paul and James Harden, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, Rockets-Warriors will be dictated by defensive might. Both teams closed the season ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency, and both have ratcheted up their efforts in the playoffs. Golden State is first in defensive rating (99.3), the Rockets second (102.1). Points won’t be at a premium Vita Vea Jersey Buccaneers , but how Draymond Green, P.J. Tucker, and Clint Capela defend will clearly dictate in-game strategy.

“He does a good job on guards,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Green, who averaged a triple-double of 14.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 10 assists against the New Orleans Pelicans in the West semifinals. “Obviously, they’re an isolation team once everything shakes out so he’ll play a big role this series staying in front of Harden and Paul and also protecting the rim.

“He’ll play quite a bit against Capela. But he can also guard Tucker and (Rockets reserve forward Luc) Mbah a Moute. The whole key defensively these days is can you guard multiple positions and multiple actions, and he can do that. He’s a valuable player for us.”

The Rockets have outscored their opponents by 13.8 points per game on 3s in the playoffs while also averaging 52 drives per game, also tops in the NBA this postseason. Their offensive foundation is isolation out of the pick-and-roll, with Harden and Paul exploiting matchups off the dribble or feeding teammates camped behind the arc.

Houston paced the NBA averaging 1.12 points per possession on isolations during the regular season, and 14.1 percent of their possessions in the playoffs have been isolations, the highest among the four remaining teams.

How the Warriors corral Harden and Paul on drives and midrange jumpers will resonate. If they can siphon off lobs to Capela and close out on 3-pointer shooters, success will be theirs.

“Our goal is to not have many breakdowns, communicate and not foul, and play solid defense for 48 minutes,” Curry said. “And we’ve done a pretty good job of that so far throughout the playoffs. They’re a new, different type of challenge with how they go about isolation and shoot as many 3s as they do Maury Wills Jersey , but we’ve seen a lot of film. We’ve experienced it throughout the season the three games we played them and we’ve got to be ready.”

For Houston, the challenge is as daunting. Ever since Kerr turned to his “Hamptons Five” lineup of Curry, Durant, Green, Thompson and Andre Iguodala, the Warriors have outscored their opponents by 41 points per 100 possessions over 54 minutes. That lineup has assisted on 75 percent of its field goals and is playing at a torrid pace of 114 possessions per 48 minutes.

Defending the Warriors presents a multitude of challenges, starting with Durant. He shot 41.9 percent on 3s during the season and is shooting 60.9 percent from midrange in the playoffs.

“He’s maybe the best scorer in the league,” Tucker said of Durant. “I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to that (defending Durant). You do what you can. You try to pick him up early, you try to get physical. You try to do stuff and he’s going to try to counter it. It’s a chess match.

“Those guys can score the ball. They’re going to score the ball. They’re going to score a bunch of points. It’s a product of sticking together and trying to minimize that as much as possible.”

That philosophy applies to both teams on both ends. Golden State produced a robust 61.8 effective field goal percentage against the Rockets during three regular-season meetings, leaving the onus on Houston to defend at a more rigorous clip. The Rockets countered with an effective field goal percentage (56.0) above their season average (55.1) against a team rife with stellar individual defenders, meaning Houston will continue to do what comes so efficiently.

“There will be iso,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Now whether it’s a little bit more or a little bit less, I think that depends on the game. But we’re not going to change up a whole lot of what we do.”

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