Ritz will get criticized by Letsrunners no matter what he says.
If he says that he's in the best shape of his life and confident that he can hang with the leaders, he gets criticized for not respecting the marathon, as evident by this thread.
If he says that he wants to play it safe and run 2:15 because its his first marathon, then Letsrunners will call him a pussy for not going for it.
I'd much rather root for a guy like Ritz who is not afraid to take a chance and see what he can really do. That's the only way an American (or any runner for that matter) will ever win a big race like NYC.