Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Smartest QB In The NFL?

Nick Antonicello — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:25:44 -0500

He's Harvard-educated.

He scored a 48 on the Wonderlic Test in just nine minutes. The only person to score higher was also a Harvard graduate, former Cincinnati Bengal Pat McInally.

Meet Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Is he the smartest quarterback in the NFL?

If he beats the Jets again tonight, he might just be considered a guy with a real future in the NFL.

A seventh-round draft pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, Fitzpatrick was the 250th player chosen overall.

Last year Ryan Fitzpatrick played for the injured Carson Palmer and finished third in rushing among all quarterbacks. He is one of just five players in NFL history to throw for 300 yards in their first start. The other four are Otto Graham, Ed Rubbert, Mark Rypien, and Peyton Manning.

Fitzpatrick signed with the Buffalo Bills on Feb. 27 and made his first contribution ironically against the New York Jets when starter Trent Edwards was knocked out of the game. He led the Bills to a 16-13 OT victory in the Meadowlands.

Now playing in Canada for a new coach with nothing on the line but pride, can Ryan Fitzpatrick duplicate his first effort against the Jets and move the Bills into a third-place tie at 5-7?

For the Jets, this is simply a must-win game to remain playoff relevant. At 6-6 the Jets would be just two games behind the Patriots with five to play.

If the Dolphins can give the Jets some help, the New England Patriots could find themselves at 7-5 and probably out of playoff contention if they don't win the very competitive AFC East.

With a 54 percent completion percentage, four touchdowns, and seven interceptions, Ryan Fitzpatrick could be a legitimate starter in the NFL.

But it was Jets turnovers that led to the first Bills win. Given the fact the Jets have the No. 2 defense in the NFL, I look for the Jets to hold off the Bills and get themselves back to .500 at 6-6.

Read more Trent Edwards news on BleacherReport.com

New York Jets Vs Buffalo Bills NFL Picks

Vernon Croy — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:41:14 -0500

This Thursday night on the NFL Network the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills will square off to start Week 13 of the NFL season. Both of these teams have underachieved a little bit to this point in the season, but it should be a good contest between them. As far as Free NFL Picks go the New York Jets come in as the favorites in this one, but the Bills have been playing a bit better lately. What should we expect on Thursday night football?

The big story for Buffalo is the emergence of T.O. again. He has really turned it on the last two weeks, highlighted by a 98 yard touchdown catch two weeks ago. His play has been one of the big reasons that Buffalo is playing better. Ryan Fitzpatrick hasn’t done too badly either lately. Their run defense, on the other hand, has been downright bad. They will have their hands full against a strong running back in Thomas Jones.

The Jets, on the other hand, were the darlings of the NFL early in the season. They were undefeated for a few weeks and went up against the also undefeated New Orleans Saints. The Saints put them in their place in that one, and both of their seasons have went in opposite directions since then.

The Saints are now blowing out the Patriots, and the Jets are struggling to get by mediocre teams. The defense is still pretty good, but the offense has been a little up-and-down lately. Their star cornerback Darrelle Revis had a great game last week with two interceptions.

Expect this one to be a good AFC East division matchup. It will most likely go down to the wire, and expect the running game for the Jets to be the difference. If they can keep Thomas Jones going they should win the game.

Check out Vernon Croy's New York Jets Vs Buffalo Bills Week 13 NFL Picks.

Read more Trent Edwards news on BleacherReport.com

Bleacher Report - Trent Edwards

Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Smartest QB In The NFL?

New York Jets Vs Buffalo Bills NFL Picks