Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's second-half swoon in 2011 was mystifying to fans and media who concluded the front office badly miscalculated in handing the career journeyman a 10-year, $60 million contract extension.

But now it appears Fitzpatrick played the final nine games last season with cracked ribs.

If there's a legitimate reason for Fitzpatrick's poor play during Buffalo's 1-8 finish, then perhaps the offense that set the NFL on fire during the first two months of the season is legitimate and can pick up where it left off with a healthy quarterback.

"A lot of people don't know, but Fitz, during the Washington game, actually cracked a couple of ribs," wide receiver David Nelson told NBC Sports during a national TV interview, confirming a suspicion among...
Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:33:28 PST

Bills, Titans jump into running for Routt (The National Football Post) - Teams wasted no time lining up the chance to visit with cornerback Stanford Routt, who was released by the...
Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:01:00 PST

Raiders release cornerback Routt (Yahoo! Sports) - Cornerback Stanford Routt, who was labeled the cornerstone of the Oakland Raiders defense when he signed a five-year contract one year ago, became the first victim of the Raiders' new regime, which released Routt on Thursday.
Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:35:17 PST

Packers have to adjust after departure of Philbin (Yahoo! Sports) - The Packers absorbed only one loss on their enticing coaching staff after their near-perfect season ended prematurely in the playoffs. Yet, the departure of offensive coordinator Joe Philbin to become head coach with the Miami Dolphins has created some significant movement in the...
Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:50:23 PST

Bills cut safety Corto (The National Football Post) - The Buffalo Bills have released safety Jon Corto, says Aaron Wilson of Scout.com . Corto, a backup at strong...
Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:42:00 PST

Cardinals shift McNulty, hire Reich (The Canadian Press) - TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona Cardinals moved Mike McNulty to quarterbacks coach Wednesday and hired longtime NFL quarterback Frank Reich to coach receivers.
Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:21:09 PST

NFL Roundup: Ballard tore ACL in Super Bowl, Rams interview Gamble (Yahoo! Sports) - Ballard suffered torn ACL in Super Bowl, Giants announce He was on crutches and in obvious pain, but that was all secondary in nature for New York Giants tight end Jake Ballard Tuesday during the huge parade and rally that honored the team's win in Sunday's Super Bowl.
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:30:19 PST

Buffalo Bills re-sign kicker Rian Lindell (The Canadian Press) - ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Kicker Rian Lindell avoided free agency by re-signing with the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday. And there's another familiar face returning to the fold, after the Bills hired Pete Metzelaars, the most productive tight end in team history, as an assistant coach.
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:52:41 PST