The Bills have released 27-year old safety Jon Corto.  Corto didn’t play a down last year for the Bills as he spent 2011 on the Injured Reserve List.  He played in 43 games in his four years with the Bills and he had 37 tackles and he forced 2 fumbles.  This isn’t much of a loss for the Bills as Corto did most of his work on special teams.

The Bills have re-signed 35-year old kicker Rian Lindell.  Lindell played in 8 games (0 starts) last year for the Bills and he connected on 13 of 15 field goals (86.7%) and he made all 25 of his extra points, good for 64 points.  Lindell has now played in 136 games in his first 9 years with the Bills and he has nailed 204 of 246 field goals (82.9%) and 266 of 267 extra points, good for 878 points.  This was a good move for the Bills because they can’t afford to leave any points on the field.

The Buffalo Bills took seven defensive players and only two offensive players in last April’s NFL Draft.  The early returns are good on this bunch overall.  Here is a look at how they did as rookies in 2011:

The Bills took 22-year old DE Marcell Dareus in the 1st round of the NFL Draft last April.  He played in 16 games for the Bills last year and he had 43 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed.  Dareus really started to excel after the Bills switched him back to DT after he started the season at DE.

21-year old CB Aaron Williams came to the Bills in the 2nd round.  He played in 9 games for the Bills last year and he had 32 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception and 5 passes defensed.  Williams will likely earn his way into the starting lineup in the near future.

24-year old LB Kevin Sheppard was the Bills’ 3rd round pick last April.  He played in 16 games for the Bills last year and he had 70 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defensed.  Sheppard will likely have his P.T. increase in 2012 as he looked pretty solid for the Bills last year.

23-year old safety Da’Norris Searcy was solid as a rookie for the Bills last year.  He was picked in the 4th round.  Searcy played in all 16 games for the Bills last year and he had 34 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  He was a very solid #3 safety for the Bills last year, and he could develop into a starter in the very near future.

22-year old OT Chris Hairston was also pitched in the 4th round by the Bills last year.  Hairston played in 13 games (7 starts) for the Bills last year and he could be a full time starter in the very near future.

23-year old RB Johnny White was selected in the 5th round by the Bills last April.  He played in 12 games for the Bills last year and he carried the ball 12 times for 38 yards (3.2 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for -3 yards.  White also had five tackles last year for the Bills.  White is pretty far down the Bills’ depth chart at RB.

22-year old LB Chris White came to the Bills in the 6th round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  He played in 7 games and he had 8 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.  He will likely be back on special teams for the Bills in 2012.

23-year old CB Justin Rogers was a pretty good pickup for the Bills in the 7th round last April.  Rogers played in 13 games for the Bills last year and he had 16 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 interception.  He also returned 13 kickoffs for 373 yards (28.7 avg) last year for the Bills.  He has a nice upside.

25-year old DT Michael Jasper came to the Bills in the 7th round.  The 6’4″, 394 pound Jasper didn’t get into any games as a rookie last year for the Bills.

GRADE FOR 2011:  B+

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A

29-year old QB Ryan Fitzpatrick came out like a ball of fire in 2011, but after the Bills gave him a contract extension…he stunk it up.  The Bills finished with a 6-10 (37.5%) record last year and Fitzpatrick was a big reason for that.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Bills last year and he completed 353 of 569 passes (62%) for 3,832 yards with 24 TD passes and 23 INTs (79.1 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 56 times for 215 yards (3.8 ypc) last year.  Fitzpatrick has now played in 58 games (52 starts) so far in his NFL career and he has completed 1,032 of 1,744 passes (59.2%) for 10,936 yards with 68 TD passes and 65 INTs (75.0 QB Rating).  Fitzpatrick also has carried the ball 204 times for 993 yards (4.9 ypc) with 5 TD carries so far in his career.  Fitzpatrick is now 18-33-1 (35.3%) as a starting QB in the NFL.

27-year old QB Tyler Thigpen is not much of a player.  He played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Bills last year and he completed 3 of 8 passes (37.5%) for 25 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (6.8 QB Rating).  Thigpen also carried the ball 1 time for 8 yards for the Bills last year.  He has now played in 25 games (12 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 272 of 504 passes (54.0%) for 3,192 yards with 21 TD passes and 18 INTs (72.5 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 78 times for 470 yards (6.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs so far in his NFL career.  Thigpen is a woeful 1-11 (8.3%) as a starting QB in the NFL.

The Bills have signed 26-year old WR David Clowney to a reserve/future contract.  Clowney last played in the NFL in 2010 with the Jets & Panthers.  He has played in 28 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has caught 22 passes for 341 yards (15.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has also returned 3 kickoffs for 81 yards (27.0 avg) and he has carried the ball 3 times for 1 yard (0.3 ypc).  Clowney will have a good shot to make the Bills in 2012.

The Bills jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and that seemed to piss the Patriots off, as they scored the last 49 points in this game!  Ryan Fitzpatrick had one good quarter and three bad ones yesterday as he completed 29 of 46 passes for 307 yards with 2 TD passes and 4 INTs (0ne was returned 21 yards for a TD by Pats’ CB Sterling Moore).  Fitzpatrick also carried the ball 5 times for 36 yards (7.2 ypc) in this game.  C.J. Spiller led the way on the ground for the Bills with 60 yards rushing on 13 carries (4.6 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 40 yards (10.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Tashard Choice only carried the ball one time, but it went for a 4-yard TD.  WRs Derek Hagan (7 rec, 89 yards), Ruvell Martin (4 rec, 42 yards) and Steve Johnson (4 rec, 40 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Bills.  The Bills finished up with 106 yards rushing on 20 carries (5.3 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 46 passes (63%) for 296 yards as they had possession of the ball for 30:22.

The defense was pretty awful yesterday for the Bills.  LB Nick Barnett (11 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception), safety George Wilson (10 tackles) and safety Bryan Scott (7 tackles) led the way for the Bills on D in this game.  DT Kellen Heard really stepped up with 5 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit in this game.  The Patriots finished up with 138 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 36 passes (66.7%) for 342 yards.  The Bills finish the 2011 season with a 6-10 record.

The Buffalo Bills snapped a 7-game losing steak last weekend when they demolished the Broncos 40-14 in Buffalo.  The Patriots need a win in this game to secure homefield advantage throughout the playoffs in the AFC.  The Patriots have won seven games in a row.  The Bills beat the Patriots earlier this year 34-31 in Buffalo, so they might have some confidence coming into this game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills are likely to throw more than they pass this weekend.  That doesn’t mean that C.J. Spiller won’t get his fair share of carries…because he will.  The Patriots are giving up 117.5 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry, so Spiller should have a good game.  The Patriots are going to have to get after Ryan Fitzpatrick, because he’s going to be looking to make big plays in the passing game down the field.  WRs Steve Johnson and David Nelson are big targets for Fitzpatrick to throw to down the field.  On the shorter stuff, he will be looking for TE Scott Chandler and RB C.J. Spiller.  The Patriots are giving up 294.7 yards passing per game so far this year, so the Bills should be able to move the ball in the air this Sunday.

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Bills are going to have to find a way to get after Tom Brady in this game or they are likely in for trouble.  Brady will likely be coming after the Bills’ corners this weekend with a lot of passes to WRs Wes Welker and Deion Branch.  Don’t think for a minute though that his TEs aren’t going to get a lot of work too as Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez have both been outstanding so far this year for the Patriots.  The Bills are giving up 139.1 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry, so the Patriots will likely spread around some carries to BenJarvus-Green Ellis, Stevan Ridley and Danny Woodhead in this game.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 34, BILLS 27

The Bills have placed 29-year old kicker Dave Rayner on the Injured Reserve List, ending this season due to a groin injury.  Rayner played in 7 games for the Bills this year and he made 10 of 15 field goals (66.7%) and all 13 of his extra points as he finished the season with 43 points for the Bills.  The Bills have signed 27-year old kicker Brandon Coutu to kick for the Bills this weekend against the Patriots.  He was a 7th round pick by the Seahawks in the 2008 NFL Draft, but he has yet to play in a regular season game in his career so far.

The Bills have lost rookie TE Mike Caussin for the rest of the season due to a torn right ACL.  This is a bad break for Caussin as he worked really hard to make the team out of tiny James Madison.  Caussin played in 6 games for the Bills this year and he caught 5 passes for 41 yards (8.2 avg).  He also returned 1 kickoff for 12 yards this year.  The Bills will probably bring Caussin to training camp next season if he recovers well.

The Bills won this game in every phase as they kicked the crap out of the Broncos last Saturday in Buffalo.  Ryan Fitzpatrick was a game manager for the Bills in this game as he completed 15 of 27 passes (55.6%) for 196 yards with 0 TD passes or INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 22 yards (7.3 ypc) in this game.  C.J. Spiller was awesome in this game for the Bills with 16 carries for 111 yards (6.9 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 27 yards (13.5 avg).  Tashard Choice pitched in with 27 yards rushing on 9 carries (3.0 ypc) in this game.  WRs Steve Johnson (4 rec, 92 yards) and David Nelson (3 rec, 41 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Bills in this game.  The Bills finished up with 160 yards rushing on 28 carries (5.7 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 27 passes (55.6%) for 191 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:29.

The defense and special teams were awesome for the Bills in this game.  CB Leodis McKelvin returned 3 punts for 145 yards (48.3 avg) with a 80-yard TD return in this game.  OLB Chris Kelsay (9 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass defensed and 2 QB hits) led the way for the Bills on D in this game.  Safety Jairus Byrd (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he returned 37 yards for a TD), LB Kelvin Sheppard (7 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and DE Spencer Johnson (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he returned 17 yards for a TD) also had a huge impact in this game for the Bills.  CBs Justin Rogers and Aaron Williams also pitched in with intercetpions in this game.  The Broncos finished up with 133 yards rushing on 35 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 30 passes (43.3%) for 160 yards.  The Bills are now 6-9 on the season.