FanHouse Ryanfitzpatrick

After beginning the game uncharacteristically hot -- hitting on his first five passes for 43 yards -- Bills starting quarterback Trent Edwards has left the game with an apparent knee head injury (see update). Edwards was hobbled after being sacked by Calvin Pace and David Harris of the Jets. After milling around the sidelines for a bit and discussing things with Bills' trainers, Edwards went to the locker room.

In his stead, Ryan Fitzpatrick is taking snaps. Considering the weather (mid-40s, almost 20 MPH winds) and the opponent (the Jets are eighth against the pass), things aren't going to be easy for Fitzpatrick. He's only 4-10-1 in his 15 career starts and sports a sorry 66.9 rating.

With the launch of the FanHouse Mock Draft 3.0 Wednesday, Mark Sanchez was left off the mock for the third straight time (out of three chances total). Almost every other Web site that compiles a mock draft has him going in the first round, and some have him in the top half of the first round.

You'll find comments peppered throughout our three mocks ranging from us being stupid to negligent. I can assure you we definitely didn't just forget about him. You'll find a compilation of thoughts as to why he wasn't taken in any of our three first run-throughs after the jump.

Cedric Benson is coming back to Cincinnati. The deal -- two years, $7 million -- is a far cry from the $17 million guaranteed over three years Cedric received from the Bears to begin his NFL career back in 2005, but it beats sitting at home and waiting for the phone to ring, too.

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On Tuesday, the Bengals re-signed the former Texas running back after having plucked him from obscurity last September. The Bears had released Benson for on-field ineffectiveness and off-field silliness, but he had a resurgence of sorts in Cincy. In 12 games, Benson rushed for 747 yards (3.5 average yards per carry) and two touchdowns.

It took the Bills less than 24 hours to find a replacement for J.P. Losman. After never playing consistently enough to convince the front office that he was a legitimate NFL starter -- and five years after Buffalo traded into the first round to select him -- Losman is now a free agent.

Former Harvard star and Rams' seventh-round pick Ryan Fitzpatrick was signed Friday to serve as Trent Edwards' backup. Fitzpatrick started 12 games for the Bengals last season in place of an injured Carson Palmer. He fared well considering the circumstances: 59.4 completion percentage, 1,905 passing yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

It could be argued that the Cincinnati Bengals did well to win four games in 2008. They were missing their star quarterback, Carson Palmer, for the majority of the season. That left the job to an overmatched Ryan Fitzpatrick, who did his best, but was saddled with a bad running game, worse offensive line and not much defense. The Bengals found a way to win three straight at the end of the season, finishing 4-11-1.

There are many areas for improvement as the Bengals make their way toward 2009 trying like crazy to avoid doing 2008 over again. Luckily, kicker is not one of those areas of need.

Compared to what Lions fans are dealing with, folks in Kansas City and Cincinnati are rooting for a team that is on the right track. Of course, we all know that isn't true, as the Chiefs just capped off a 2-14 season, their worst in franchise history.

They did manage to win two games, but this truly was one of the worst teams in NFL history. Counting last year, they have lost 23 of 25 games. The Chiefs recorded just 10 sacks this season, breaking the record for least sacks in a season (the Colts had 11 in 1982).

What is amazing is that they were sharing the field with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have been one of the worst franchises in the NFL over the past 17 years and were 1-11-1 just three weeks ago. An upset win over the Redskins and wins over the listless Browns and Chiefs gave Cincy a nice three-game winning streak to end the season. It also gives an excuse for owner Mike Brown to stay the course and keep head coach Marvin Lewis.

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around with his finger in the air while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

Here's Week 15 at a glance, where we point out the horses destined for the Kentucky Derby and jeer those headed to the glue factory. (Disclaimer: This will only be for the Sunday games, since you probably can't even remember the Thursday games at this point.)

Studs

Andre Johnson, WR Houston (11 catches, 207 yards, 1 TD) -- Is it really a question? When Andre Johnson has his quarterback, Matt Schaub, behind center, he is the best receiver in the league. He's better than Anquan Boldin, Brandon Marshall, Randy Moss and, sigh, that dude that loves/hates Jason Witten. Today, facing the Texans' toughest opponent of the season, Johnson snagged a 65-yard catch to help his total stockpile. The Texans won, and while they still won't make the playoffs, they're showing that in the coming years they are a force to be reckoned with.

When Paulie returns home from a stressful hideaway from nosy police on "The Sopranos", his subconscious asks the question, "When my time comes, tell me -- will I stand up?" The Saints are returning home tonight from a stressful and unusually lengthy road trip (including one of the infamous non-home "home games" the league is so fond of handing them), and if they're not asking themselves that question -- will we stand up? -- their fans surely are.

When the team left the Superdome for the last time, 43 whole days ago, they had put the finishing touches on a dominant win over the Raiders to even their record at 3-3. If they could leverage that win into success on the road, they could make a serious run in the NFC.

But a lot can happen in 43 days, and a lot did. The team went 2-2, continuing to be consistently inconsistent, making tonight's game essentially a must-win for playoff hopes. StarCaps entered the general sporting lexicon. Mike McKenzie and Charles Grant, among others, were put on the IR. They've used two kickers and three punters. And Drew Brees threw for 1,258 yards, which is more than Ryan Fizpatrick has thrown all year and not too far behind Kerry Collins' season total.

Some other things that have happened in the eternity since the Saints last played in the Superdome:

Chad Javon Ocho Cinco is back with the Bengals after being deactivated for Thursday night's Steelers contest because of a severe case of drowsiness. And while I'm sure Ryan Fitzpatrick will happily welcome his return, when you're staring at 1-9-1, it doesn't much matter who you trot out there for the next five weeks.

The real issue, however, is what will the organization do with Mr. Cinco after the season? Common sense might dictate running his ass out of town and getting whatever you can for him. Of course, the Bengals could've had a first-round pick (or two, depending on who you believe) from the Redskins last summer, but they weren't willing to deal. In retrospect, yeah, they probably should have.

But according to CBS' Charley Casserly, the plan -- as of right now, anyway -- is to keep Johnson in Cincy for 2009, too. It seems like an insane notion given all the trouble he's caused in recent seasons, but nobody's ever accused the Bengals of being smart.

Nearly four weeks ago, it looked like the Bengals were going to shut down Carson Palmer for the season. Well, we're still waiting, and despite head coach Marvin Lewis' proclamations that the team hasn't ruled out Palmer's return, it won't happen this Thursday, either, when Cincinnati travels to Pittsburgh.

Via NFL.com's Adam Schefter:

And now that it already has been determined Palmer will be on the bench for week 12 matchup at Pittsburgh, it is fair to wonder if and when Cincinnati's veteran quarterback will play again. After Thursday night's game in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati will have five games remaining - Baltimore, at Indianapolis, Washington, at Cleveland, Kansas City.

Which means that Ryan Fitzpatrick will make his seventh start of the season. And while he's only averaging five yards per completion and has one more interception (6) than touchdowns, he's steadily improved over the last month and a half.

Whether it'll be enough to slow up the Steelers' top-rated defense is another issue. But the Bengals eked out a tie against the Eagles, the same outfit who sacked Ben Roethlisberger eight times in Week 3, so it's not entirely implausible.

As for Palmer, he'll serve as the team's emergency quarterback, although if he's not well enough to start, he's probably not well enough to come off the bench. But this isn't a medical blog, so maybe I'm wrong about that.