The Buffalo Bills' home finale against Indianapolis on Sunday is sold out, marking the end of

a remarkable decade at the turnstiles for the franchise.

The Bills have sold out 24 straight home games and 53 of their last 56 home games.

For the entire decade, the Bills sold out 69 of 80 home games, or 86.25 percent.

The Colts game was sold out Wednesday with the help of Time Warner Cable, which purchased

the remaining unsold tickets, believed to be roughly 2,000.

Even though the Bills have had only one winning season in their last 10 and have not made

the playoffs this decade, they have sold tickets at an even better rate than in the previous

decade. In the 1990s, when the Bills made the playoffs eight times and the Super Bowl four

times, Buffalo saw 42 percent of its games blacked out of local television.

The capacity of Ralph Wilson Stadium was slightly larger in the 1990s than in the past

10 years. It decreased from about 80,000 to about 72,000 when the stadium was renovated in

1998.

"We know how loyal the fans are to the team, so we are very pleased to be able to ensure

the game is televised for all of Western New York," said Terence Rafferty, a Time Warner vice

president.

Time Warner will distribute several hundred tickets to seven local charities. Tickets still

are available for purchase at the Bills box office.

. . .

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who missed last week's game with a sore ankle, has a good

chance to start Sunday's game. Fitzpatrick took most of the snaps with the starting offense in

practice Wednesday.

"It felt good out there and hopefully I will come back tomorrow and it will still feel

good," Fitzpatrick said.

Sitting out Wednesday's practice were the following starters: Marcus Stroud (back), Nic

Harris (knee), Bryan Scott (concussion) and Jonathan Scott (ankle). Also out were Josh Reed

(ankle), Jonathan Stupar (knee) and Trent Edwards (ankle). Ashlee Palmer (ankle) was limited.

The Colts are expected to play backups extensively in order to get ready for the playoffs.

Bills coach Perry Fewell said the way the Colts use their personnel will have no bearing on

the Bills' substitutions.

"We're going to play our best people that we have, and we're going to play to win," Fewell

said.

. . . If the season ended today, the Bills (5-10) would have the

eighth pick in the NFL draft.

Even if the Bills defeat Indianapolis, they still are guaranteed to pick no later than 10th.

Chicago, the only team at 6-9, currently would pick 10th. The Bills are one of three teams,

with Oakland and Seattle, at 5-10.

. . . Safety Donte Whitner and running back Fred Jackson were

chagrined by recent fines they received from the NFL.

Jackson was docked $5,000 for wearing black paint under his eyes with the writing "D-III" on

it. That's a reference to Jackson's Division III roots at Coe College. Eye shadow is OK.

Apparently eye shadow with a message on it is not OK.

"This is my third year doing it, and it's Week 15 and I got fined for it," Jackson said. "I

never got a warning or anything saying I couldn't do it. It was unexpected."

Whitner was fined $7,500 for what the NFL informed him was taunting of Falcons receiver

Roddy White after a reception during the Bills' game in Atlanta on Sunday.

"I didn't even get a flag for it," Whitner said.

Whitner didn't think there was anything noteworthy about his banter with White. There was a

lot of jawing between the Bills and Falcons throughout the game.

"That was with everybody, that was the whole game," Whitner said.