rayonsports.com

The Buffalo Bills’ mid-season report card this year is certainly not going to be as positive as it was at the halfway point of 2011, when the team was 5-3 and in a 3-way tie for the lead in the AFC East, and the future appeared to be bright. Unfortunately, the Bills won only one more game the entire year, and finished 6-10. Going into the 2012 season, the question was – would the Bills return to the promise of the first half of the 2011 season, or continue down the losing path of the second half. Here’s an in depth look at the club as it has now reached the halfway point of the 2012 season:

Front Office / Coaching

Buddy Nix has been in charge of the Bills’ football department for a long enough period of time to get a good assessment of how he’s done. Does the team have the right coaching staff in place? The jury is still out on Chan Gailey. He has shown that he is a pretty good offensive play caller, but does he have a good enough grasp on the rest of the team? He fired George Edwards as defensive coordinator and put Dave Wannstedt in charge, a move that hasn’t worked out well to this point. Wannstedt’s defense is so bad that it has matched NFL records for futility that date back to the 1950s, and a unit that spent big bucks on defensive players currently ranks as one of the worst in franchise history. Of course, that makes Nix’s signings of Mario Williams and Mark Anderson to beef up the pass rush look bad. Also, if Shawne Merriman doesn’t do something in the second half of the season to help the defense, Nix’s fixation with him is going to look really silly.

Here’s a position-by-position look at the team’s roster at the half-way point:

Quarterback

Here’s the thing that needed to happen if the Bills were going to be a playoff contender in 2012 – quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had to cut down on turnovers, which plagued him in the second half of the 2011 season and were a big reason the team collapsed. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out that way. He still has a knack for throwing interceptions and fumbling at crucial times in close games, although Gailey’s play calling has something to do with that. The positive thing about Fitzpatrick is that he also has shown a knack for getting the Bills’ offense in the end zone. The current Bills certainly don’t match the group Jim Kelly led in the Super Bowl era, but when you compare what Fitzpatrick has done with guys like Rob Johnson, J.P. Losman and Trent Edwards, he still, to me, can be a player who can lead an effective offense. He has to stop the maddening turnover trend, and his coach has to help him by putting more emphasis in the game plans on the strength of the team – its’ running game. Neither of the backups, Tyler Thigpen or Tarvaris Jackson, qualifies as an adequate replacement for Fitzpatrick, and it’s a positive for Buddy Nix that he has already publicly stated that the Bills will draft a QB in 2013.

Running Back

As far as I’m concerned, C.J. Spiller has surpassed Fred Jackson as the most dangerous offensive weapon on the Bills’ roster, and it’s imperative that the coaching staff starts to feature him in the second half of the season. In fact, I believe it would have been a good move for Nix to trade Jackson at the trade deadline, which recently passed, especially if Gailey keeps insisting on giving his running backs so few carries in future games. It makes no sense to have 2 quality starting running backs on your roster if you’re not going to use either of them effectively. Tashard Choice has shown he is a solid backup in the opportunities he got early in the year when both Spiller and Jackson were battling injuries. Both fullbacks on the roster, Corey McIntyre and Dorin Dickerson, have gotten few opportunities but have made the most of them when called upon.

Receivers

One of the positive things about Fitzpatrick’s game since he became the Bills’ starting QB has been his knack for spreading the ball around among his receiving corps. Yet, through the first half of the season you can’t help but get the sense that none of the current receiving corps is reaching their potential. Stevie Johnson is still Fitzpatrick’s go-to guy, but hasn’t had a breakout game yet this year. Donald Jones is starting to look like a dependable player now that he’s healthy, and Fitzpatrick appears to trust him. The loss of David Nelson to a season-ending injury hurt the passing game, especially Fitzpatrick’s ability to convert on third down. Rookie T.J. Graham has shown flashes of brilliance but again, the team really hasn’t used him to his full potential. Tight end Scott Chandler has had his moments but you still get the impression he could contribute more. Marcus Easley, who’s become a forgotten man since the Bills drafted him, finally gets his chance to show something in the last 8 games, now that he’s been elevated from the practice squad. Brad Smith gets used mainly in wildcat running formations, after making significant contributions as a receiver last year. Why is it that on a team that stubbornly abandons its’ running game, and passes too much, that the receiving corps seems under-utilized also?

Offensive Line

This unit is still the strength of the team. They do a good job of both run and pass blocking and even though injuries have forced some changes to the makeup of the line as the season has gone on, it’s the one unit where there’s been consistency. Center Eric Wood and guard Andy Levitre have been mainstays, while Chris Hairston has been a lifesaver, first at left tackle filling in for rookie Cordy Glenn, and now on the right side replacing Erik Pears, who is out for the year. Kraig Urbik, the other starting guard, missed some time with injuries but is back now, just in time as his replacement, Chad Rinehart, is also hurt and out for the season. Glenn, when he’s been healthy, has looked solid at the all-important left tackle spot. The season-ending injuries will test the depth along the line in the second half of the year. That depth includes Sam Young, a little-used backup, and 2 brand new additions to the roster – David Snow and Thomas Welch. It’s an understatement to say that this unit can’t afford more injury trouble.

Defensive Line

The defensive line was expected to be one of the strengths of the team in 2012, but they just haven’t played up to their potential. Big ticket free agents Mario Williams and Mark Anderson have been disappointing and also battled injuries. Kyle Williams’ play, overall, hasn’t been bad but when a defense is setting historical negative records, no player is really playing well. Marcell Dareus, who was distracted by personal issues early in the year, had a decent game last week in Houston, but that was his first positive showing all year. He has not played to the level of a player drafted as high as he was.  Among the backups, Kyle Moore and Alex Carrington have had some good moments in limited opportunities, as has Chris Kelsay, although Kelsay, who’s gotten more playing time with Anderson out, has been average at best. You just expect more than mediocrity from veteran leaders on the team. Spencer Johnson, a reliable playmaking backup in past years, hasn’t done much this year. The most disappointing aspect of the play of the front four in Wannstedt’s new 4-3 defense is the absence of any kind of pass rush. Then again, it’s pretty disappointing that the team ranks 32nd, dead last in the entire league, against the run. You know things are bad when Nix brings back Shawne Merriman, a move that reeks of desperation to stop the bleeding.

Linebacker

The linebacking play, like every phase of the defense, has been subpar all year also. Veteran Nick Barnett has been somewhat of a bright spot, but that’s about it. Kelvin Sheppard, the second year starter at middle backer, hasn’t progressed much. Arthur Moats won a starting spot at outside linebacker entering the season, but has already been relegated to the bench in favor of rookie Nigel Bradham. Bradham hasn’t been terrible, but mostly looks like a rookie that has a lot to learn. Veteran Kirk Morrison has been invisible, and Chris White has seen action mostly on special teams, where he hasn’t distinguished himself much. Hybrid linebacker/safety Bryan Scott draws a lot of tough assignments, like trying to cover Rob Gronkowski twice a year, and to his credit has made some plays.

Defensive Backs

My opinion has always been that the young players in the Bills’ secondary would look a lot better when supported by a good pass rush, but even though Wannstedt has failed to manufacture much of that from his front four, I can’t say that I stand by my statement now. Jairus Byrd is a solid player and rookie corner Stephon Gilmore has done more good than bad, but the rest of the secondary has been a disaster. Veteran safety George Wilson, supposedly a team leader, has done absolutely nothing in the first eight games. At the corner spot opposite Gilmore, Aaron Williams has had a target on his back all year from Bills’ opponents, and has looked totally lost. Now he’s hurt and will miss significant playing time, which likely will set him back further. Williams, Leodis McKelvin and Justin Rogers have all looked lost and shown no awareness at all in pass coverage this season. Backup safeties Da’Norris Searcy and Delano Howell haven’t seen enough action to lump them in with all the other failed players on the defensive unit. You have to believe the coaching staff is not pleased with the play of the secondary so far, and I think the additions to the roster for the second half of the season of rookie Ron Brooks (activated from injured reserve) and Crezdon Butler, both cornerbacks, speak volumes. It’ll be interesting to watch how much both of those players get a chance to contribute, and if they’ll be capable of upgrading the defense.

Special Teams

The usually reliable special teams have had their ups and downs this season also, although overall they’ve done their jobs. You never hear long snapper Garrison Sanborn’s name mentioned at all, which means he’s doing a good job. Whether the decision to cut ties with veteran punter Brian Moorman in favor of young Shawn Powell was a good move or not will be decided in the second half of this season, although the early results aren’t good. Now Powell has to learn to handle bad weather punting. Rian Lindell has been his usual reliable self, although the Bills have attempted less field goals than any other NFL team this year. The “kickoff specialist” experiment with rookie John Potter ended this week when he was released. The kick coverage teams have been outstanding, and on returns, McKelvin has been among the league’s best returning both punts and kickoffs. Brad Smith has also contributed on returns.