28-year old Ryan Fitzpatrick is a pesky little football player.  He played pretty well for the Bills last season.  He played in 13 games for the Bills last year and he completed 255 of 441 passes (57.8%) for 3,000 yards with 23 TD passes and 15 INTs (81.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 40 times for 269 yards (6.7 ypc) for the Bills last year.  Fitzpatrick has now played in 42 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has completed 679 of 1,175 passes (57.8%) for 7,104 yards with 44 TD passes and 42 INTs (73.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 148 times for 778 yards (5.3 ypc) with 5 TD runs in his NFL career.  Fitzpatrick would be a #2 QB on a good team but he might get to start again for the Bills in 2011.

25-year old Brian Brohm really stinks.  He played in 1 game for the Bills last year and he completed 10 of 23 passes (43.5%) for 106 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 INTs (17.9 QB Rating).  Brohm has now played in 3 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has completed 27 of 52 passes (51.9%) for 252 yards with 0 TD passes and 5 INTs (26.0 QB Rating).  Brohm has also carried the ball 3 times for -3 yards (-1.0 ypc) so far in his career.  If Brohm doesn’t improve soon he’ll be the anti-Kurt Warner and stocking shelves at a Wal Mart.

23-year old rookie QB Levi Brown played in 1 game for the Bills last season and he completed 2 of 3 passes (66.7%) for 24 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (51.4 QB Rating).  Brown looks like he has the potential to hang on as the Bills’ #3 QB in 2011.

VERDICT:  In a perfect world the Bills would trade for a veteran QB like Kyle Orton or Donovan McNabb to start in 2011 with Fitzpatrick being #2 and Brown being #3.  It will be interesting to see what the Bills decide to do at QB for 2011.

The Bills have re-signed 26-year old OLB Shawne Merriman to a 2-year extension.  Merriman didn’t get into any games for the Bills as he finished the year on I.R. after they claimed him.  Merriman played in 3 games (1 start) for the Chargers last year and he had 6 tackles.  Merriman has now played in 60 games (54 starts) in his first six years in the NFL and he has 231 tackles, 43.5 sacks, 15 passes defensed, 1 interception and 8 forced fumbles.  The Bills need all of the help they can get on D so it was smart to bring back Merriman if they think he can stay healthy.

Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t play yesterday due to a knee problem but that was no excuse for the beating the Bills took in New Jersey yesterday.  Brian Brohm got the start at QB yesterday and he completed 10 of 23 passes for 106 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 INTs.  One of Brohm’s interceptions was returned 35 yards for a TD by CB Marquice Cole and Brohm also lost a fumble.  Rookie Levi Brown finished up this game at QB by completing 2 of 3 passes for 24 yards with 1 INT.  Fred Jackson led the way on the ground for the Bills in this game with 35 yards rushing on 13 carries (2.7 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 13 yards.  C.J. Spiller only got 3 carries and he could only muster 5 yards (1.7 ypc) rushing against the Jets.  WRs Steve Johnson (5 rec, 72 yards) and Naaman Roosevelt (3 rec, 30 yards) also had solid games for the Bills yesterday.  The Bills finished up with 37 yards rushing on 18 carries (2.1 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 26 passes for 125 yards as they only had possession of the football for 24:25.

The defense was awful for the Bills yesterday playing against mostly Jets’ backups.  LBs Akin Ayodele (13 tackles), Paul Poslusny (12 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and Chris Kelsay (9 tackles, 1 pass defense) led the way for the Bills’ “D” in this game.  Safety Jairus Byrd (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he returned 37 yards for a TD off Mark Brunell).  The Jets finished up with 276 yards rushing on 50 carries (5.5 ypc) and they also completed 8 of 15 passes for 112 yards.  The Bills finished in last place in the AFC East with a 4-12 record.

The Bills got crushed 34-3 by the Patriots last weekend but they have won 4 of their last 7 games after starting the year 0-8.  They got drilled 38-14 by the Jets in Buffalo earlier this year.  The good news is that the Jets will likely be resting some of their key players tomorrow.  The bad news is that Ryan Fitzpatrick’s knee is really bothering him which could cause him to miss tomorrow’s game.  The Jets have lost three of their last four games as they are limping into the playoffs.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bills have the ball:  No matter who plays QB tomorrow, the Bills want to try to get RB Fred Jackson to 1,000 yards rushing.  To do that he’s going to need at least 108 yards rushing tomorrow.  That would usually be tough against the Jets who are allowing 94.5 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry but with them resting their starters he might just get there.  If the Bills can protect Ryan Fitzpatrick or Brian Brohm, they should be able to make some plays down the field.  I have a feeling that the Bills are going to use C.J. Spiller as a wideout some tomorrow due to all of the injuries the Bills have suffered there.  The Jets will be playing close attention to Steve Johnson in this game as he is without a doubt the best WR on the Bills.

When the Jets have the ball:  Mark Sanchez might make a token start tomorrow but I don’t look for him to play much with his shoulder barking as it just doesn’t make any sense to play him.  Crusty old vet, Mark Brunell will likely get the bulk of the P.T. under center and he’s running on fumes.  I have a feeling that Brad Smith and rookie RB Joe McKnight are going to be the top WR and RB for the Jets tomorrow.

PREDICTION:  BILLS 20, JETS 17

The Bills have placed undrafted rookie guard Cordaro Howard on the Injured Reserve List due to a shoulder injury.  Howard played in 10 games (4 starts) for the Bills last season.  He played his college ball at Georgia Tech.  Howard will be missed tomorrow as the Bills’ offensive line has been decimated by injuries this year.