rayonsports.com

In reviewing the Buffalo Bills’ 2011 season, I’ve decided to break down the posting into 4 parts – critiquing the front office and coaching staff in Part 1, the offensive players by position in Part 2, the same for the defensive players in Part 3, and suggestions for possible trades, free agent signings and draft choices in Part 4. Here is the first installment, and with my wild card playoff predictions to be posted on Friday, parts 2-4 will be posted next week.

Front Office

General Manager Buddy Nix now has 2 draft classes in the books for this franchise, and the results of his drafts are mixed. The play of C.J. Spiller late in the season was promising, and along with the consistent progress Marcell Dareus showed all year, I’m willing to officially proclaim Nix’s first round choices as hits, rather than misses. Six of the nine players picked by Nix in his intial draft are still with the team, but only Spiller, Alex Carrington and Arthur Moats have made much of a contribution. The other three – Marcus Easley, Torell Troup and Danny Batten – have all had any progress hindered by injuries. The 2011 draft, on the other hand, appears to be a pretty good one, based on production during the season. Dareus, Aaron Williams, Kelvin Sheppard, Da’Norris Searcy, Chris Hairston and Justin Rogers all made significant contributions, while Johnny and Chris White played some on special teams. Michael Jasper was drafted as a nose tackle but after being added to the practice squad was switched to the offensive line. He is obviously a long-term project but the organization must see some value in him. On a side note, Dick Jauron’s last draft in 2009 is widely considered to be terrible since Aaron Maybin was a bust, but the 3 picks following him were Eric Wood, Jairus Byrd and Andy Levitre so that draft produced 3 solid players.

The experiment of signing Shawne Merriman looks like a lost gamble at this point, but Nix deserves credit for taking the chance. Merriman is signed through next season and coach Chan Gailey has said he fully expects him back next year, so there is an outside chance, although very slim, that he could still contribute something. Signing Nick Barnett after Paul Posluszny left was a major upgrade, and Brad Smith looked like a good addition to the offense and kick return game until injuries forced him into the lineup as a receiver, where he had mixed results. Still, Smith’s versatility should be an asset in 2012. Tyler Thigpen was signed as a backup QB but was never really needed. Three of Nix’s scrap heap finds from 2010 – tight end Scott Chandler and OLs Kraig Urbik and Erik Pears – raised their games to new levels this season and look like solid future additions.

Coaching

I still believe Chan Gailey is the right head coach to lead the Bills out of the wilderness, but the seven game losing streak, inconsistent play of the offense, and regression and overall disorganized play by the defense all have to fall under his accountability. He made a quick move after the season by replacing George Edwards with Dave Wannstedt as defensive coordinator, but my question would be – if  Wannstedt has any answers to fix the unit, why didn’t he suggest them to Gailey THIS year. After all, he is supposedly the assistant head coach. That being said, any change to what was being done with this defense this year is a positive. I thought it was very telling that, after the Bills clobbered Denver behind a rousing defensive effort, the unit’s players were universally praising the fact that the scheme was simplified for that game, allowing the players to use their instincts and play rather than overthink. It seemed to me that all season the players looked confused in the scheme. After simplifying things, you saw Chris Kelsay play the best game of his career, Jairus Byrd show the ball-hawking skills he displayed in his rookie year, and rookies like Dareus, Williams, Sheppard and Rogers all looking active. One other feather in Gailey’s cap, in my opinion, was his decision to bench Stevie Johnson after he was flagged for another celebration. I like Gailey’s style – he’s old school, is honest when addressing the media and has the respect of the players, mostly because he is a coach who knows what he’s doing. His disciplining of Johnson will further that respect.