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The game plan for trying to upset a heavily-favored obviously superior team on the road in the NFL is usually to “weather the storm” in the early going, keep the game close and then hope to steal the game with a couple of big plays, possibly off of turnovers when the highly-favored team starts to press. The Buffalo Bills’ defense accomplished that in Green Bay by holding the Packers to field goals while their offense struggled. Even when the Pack scored to widen their lead to 13-0, the Bills were still in the game. Meanwhile, the offense gained 14 yards on the last play of the first quarter to bring their yardage total for the quarter to exactly zero. To their credit, the Bills put together an impressive touchdown drive, heavily featuring the running game and all 3 of their backs, to cut the score to 13-7 at halftime. Buffalo now had some momentum and were due to receive the second half kickoff, so they were set up perfectly to make a game of it. That’s when the bottom fell out. Trent Edwards threw 2 second half interceptions that started the Pack on its’ way to what turned out to be a one-sided win. Edwards wasn’t at fault for either pick however. The first one clanked off the hands of Stevie Johnson directly to a Green Bay defender, and the second was more of a strip than an interception, as the Packer defender took the ball directly from the Bills’ receiver. The Bills’ quarterback, although not at fault directly for the 2 picks, did nothing otherwise to give his team any semblance of a passing game. The offensive line didn’t do much to protect him, but Edwards, now in his 4th season, still seems to have little pocket awareness and almost zero mobility. After showing signs of progress in preseason, Edwards, in the first 2 regular season games, looks exactly like the QB who played his way to the bench last year. The Bills had no answer for Clay Matthews, who not only had 3 sacks but intimidated Johnson into short-arming the ball that wound up being the first interception, and was all over the field all day. The Bills’ defense is still a work in progress and it was disappointing that they wilted in the second half and gave up three touchdown drives, but they have played well enough to win in both games this season if they’d gotten even average play from the offense. The Bills aren’t good enough to overcome mistakes against anybody, let alone a Super Bowl contender like the Packers. Now they face another road game, in New England, against a highly-motivated Patriots team coming off a loss to the Jets. It shapes up to be an extremely ugly game.

Before making predictions on the NFL’s games scheduled for week 2, I have to take a minute to blow my own horn on my picks for the opening week. It is said that the hardest week for predicting the outcome of NFL games is the first week, since all the teams play vanilla offenses and defenses in the preseason, trying not to “show” anything to their opponents to game-plan for on opening day. The final tally for my opening week picks was 10 right and 5 wrong (I didn’t make a pick for the Thursday night Saints/Vikings opener). I correctly picked upsets by Houston over the Colts and Kansas City over San Diego, and in the “wrong” column, I picked Detroit to beat Chicago, and the Bears’ win in that game was a subject of great debate when the Lions got robbed of what would have been the winning touchdown, and did say that the Steelers/Falcons game would be a low scoring one, even though I thought the Falcons would win. Of course, having this moderate success picking on opening day probably only means I’ll go 0-16 this week. Here are my week two picks:

Buffalo at Green Bay – I picked with my heart instead of my head last week, so this week I have to go with the Packers in their home opener at storied Lambeau Field. The Packers are double digit favorites and if I were picking this game with the point spread included I’d play Buffalo. With RB Ryan Grant out for the season, the Packs’ offensive line not quite ready for prime time and the Bills’ pass defense being a strength of the team, I think this game may stay close. But Buffalo’s offense is pathetic and will struggle to do anything in an extremely hostile environment.

Miami at Minnesota – After losing in New Orleans on opening night, it figures that the Vikings, in their home opener, will be stoked to right the ship and get the win. However, I just don’t think Brett Favre is ready to play yet, and I’m still not sold on the Vikings as a legitimate contender. Miami wins a close game with their running game surprisingly dominating the Vikes’ strong run defense.

Kansas City at Cleveland –  the Browns jumped out to a 14-0 lead in Tampa last week before losing, and now QB Jake Delhomme may be injured. The Chiefs were impressive at home in upsetting San Diego on Monday night, making a lot of big plays in inclement weather. Regardless of who plays quarterback, I’m picking the Browns to win at home, with the Chiefs withering in the fourth quarter after having to play a late Monday night game and having a short week to recover.

Chicago at Dallas – the Cowboys aren’t all they are being hyped up to be, but they will dominate the Bears at home and win this game easily.

Arizona at Atlanta – Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan has been disappointing, but is still better than anybody Arizona puts on the field at the position. I like the Falcons to win at home, after a tough overtime loss in Pittsburgh last week.

Tampa Bay at Carolina – Tampa Bay is a team on the rise, but I don’t think they’re mature enough yet to win a big division game on the road. The Panthers have a strong running game and their defense will stifle young Bucs’ QB Josh Freeman and come up with a win in their home opener.

Philadelphia at Detroit – the Lions should have won on opening day, and their home crowd should generate some excitement, but without Matt Stafford, out with an injury, the offense will struggle. The Eagles also lost their starting QB on opening day when Green Bay’s Clay Matthews ground Kevin Kolb into the turf, but Mike Vick is a weapon who will do damage to a young Lions’ defense with his arm and his legs, and Philly will win.

Baltimore at Cincinnati – the Bengals were embarrassed in New England last week, and the Ravens outmuscled a brash Jets team on Monday night. I’m not a big fan of the Bengals and don’t think they are a serious contender, but I think they’ll win this game at home against a Baltimore team coming off a short week of preparation, that had to play a hard-fought physical game against the Jets.

Pittsburgh at Tennessee – the proud Steelers are bound and determined to keep their season alive while Ben Roethlisberger serves his suspension, but the Titans are just as determined to make sure they start strong this year after opening 0-6 last season. The Titans will win at home again after an impressive thrashing of Oakland last week.

Seattle at Denver – without a doubt, the most stunning development in week one was Seattle’s upset of the 49ers. Apparently Pete Carroll learned something during his college stint at USC, after coaching some  mediocre NFL teams in his younger years. It will be much tougher on the road, but I think the Seahawks will make it 2 in a row with a close win in the altitude in Denver.

St. Louis at Oakland – the Rams’ new quarterback, Sam Bradford, looks like the real deal, but Oakland is a better team than they showed in their opener at Tennessee, and will win their home opener with a dominant defensive performance.

Houston at Washington – both teams are riding high going into this game, coming off huge wins over supposedly superior division rivals. The Texans are a better team on both sides of the ball and I see them winning this game on the road, maybe behind some big plays in the passing game as the Redskins gear up to stop Arian Foster in the run game.

New England at New York Jets – going off their respective performances in week one, the Pats should be an easy pick for this game. But the Jets are much better than they showed on Monday night, and things tend to even out in divisional games between teams that know each other well. Throw in Tom Brady’s “I hate the Jets” comments as extra motivation and I see the Jets rebounding and pulling out their first win in their new stadium.

Jacksonville at San Diego – the Chargers are notoriously slow starters, and having 2 of their key starters holding out is hurting them, but they have enough talent to knock off Jacksonville. Expect an aroused San Diego defense to come up with some key turnovers against the Jaguars’ QB, David Garrard, to put the offense in position to pull out a win.

New York Giants at Indianapolis – in the battle of the Manning brothers, I expect older brother Peyton to be extremely focused after an opening day thrashing at Houston and engineer a big Colts win. The Colts’ defense looks soft at this point and with safety Bob Sanders, their most physical player on defense, out hurt, the Giants should control the clock somewhat with their run game, but it won’t be enough to win.

New Orleans at San Francisco – one of my comments regarding the 49ers in picking them to win last week was to question how well they would handle their new higher expectations. The answer so far is a resounding “not very well”. Nobody saw their drubbing by Seattle coming, and unfortunately they will find themselves in an 0-2 hole after this week. The Saints won their opener but the offense struggled so I expect Drew Brees to make it a point to get that unit back on track this week and win this game with relative ease.

After showing signs of renewed life in the preseason, the Buffalo Bills went into their opening game of the 2010 season giving their fans some hope for a revival of the team that’s been mired in mediocrity for a decade. Unfortunately, the first look at the 2010 Bills in a game that counted was pretty much a repeat of the 2009 team. The offense struggled all day, and, just like last year, on the few occasions when they had decent field position they wound up going backwards. The defense, overall, played well enough to win, but in the first half couldn’t make a play on third down to save their lives, and even though they didn’t give up a lot of points, they put the offense in tough field position situations by allowing the Dolphins to drive deep enough so their punter could pin the Bills deep in their own territory to start most drives. The most disappointing part about the opening game is that the Dolphins looked like the hungrier team. They controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball – pass protecting well for Chad Henne and stifling the Bills’ offense as if they knew what plays were coming. Trent Edwards, who won back the starting quarterback job in preseason with an impressive showing, regressed to his 2009 form by looking tentative and holding the ball too long and taking unnecessary sacks in the worst situations – moving his team out of field goal position on a couple of occasions. The fact that Miami stuffed the Bills’ running game didn’t help Edwards. None of the 3 Bills’ backs had enough carries to get any momentum going, and for the most part the Bills’ offensive line was overmatched by the Dolphins defense on both running and passing plays. The Bills didn’t do a very good job of “protecting their house”, as Miami played with more confidence and enthusiasm.

Despite the disappointing start, it’s only one game in a long season. Now the team goes on the road for 2 weeks, facing long odds with games in Green Bay (they are double digit underdogs) and New England. The expectation is they will be 0-3 by the time they play their next home game and the enthusiasm for a possible surprise season will be gone, doused by 2 blowout losses in tough road venues. Let’s see if the Bills can somehow persevere and pull off an upset in one of those games.

The New Orleans Saints started their defense of the  Super Bowl title on the right note last night, defeating Minnesota 14-9 in a game in which both teams looked a little rusty. You’d like to say it was a defensive battle but between Brett Favre not being in synch with his receivers and Garrett Hartley missing field goals it wasn’t exactly a great display of execution by either team. But the bottom line is it’s great to have NFL football back. Here are my predictions for this weekend’s opening games:

Cincinnati at New England – the Pats are favored and are usually tough to beat at home, but the Bengals are a better team than I had originally figured and will give them a tough test. Still, I like New England to pull out a win in the 4th quarter, wiping the taste out of their mouths of their last home game, the shocking playoff loss to the Ravens last year.

Cleveland at Tampa Bay – both these teams are looking to turn around their fortunes this season, and both finished last season on a high note. I like Tampa Bay at home because they are entering season 2 under Josh Freeman at QB, while Jake Delhomme starts his first game for the Browns. I expect more consistent offensive play from the Bucs for that reason.

Miami at Buffalo – the Bills defeated Miami at home last season when the team was winding down a bad year under interim coach Perry Fewell. Miami’s running game will rack up yardage on the Bills’ new 3-4 defense but the Bills will match them in the rushing department and make enough plays in the passing game and on special teams to pull out a win before a raucous home crowd.

Indianapolis at Houston –  the Colts have owned the Texans over the years, so it should be an easy pick here. I’m going to go against the grain and pick Houston to pull off an upset. The Colts do have some weaknesses that can be exploited and I just feel the Texans will approach the game as their Super Bowl and grind out a tough win at home.

Denver at Jacksonville – I don’t expect much out of the Jaguars this season but feel that they will knock off Denver at home to open the season, with Maurice Jones-Drew having a big game to lead the way.

Atlanta at Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh’s season will depend on how they survive their first 4 games while Ben Roethlisberger serves his suspension. Atlanta is going to have a big season this year and will start it off on the right foot with a big road win here in a low scoring game.

Oakland at Tennessee – the Raiders are on the rise, but I see Jason Campbell struggling on the road in his first start for them, and the Titans winning handily. Oakland had a horrible run defense last season and has made changes to correct the problem, but Chris Johnson should have a big day.

Carolina at N.Y. Giants – based on last season it’s tempting to pick the Panthers here, but I see the Giants coming out with an inspired effort, especially on defense, in the opening game of their new stadium, and pulling out a tough, well-earned win to start what I think is going to be a big rebound year for them.

Detroit at Chicago – Matthew Stafford has a huge day, the Lions’ defense comes up with a couple turnovers and coach Jim Schwartz’s team pulls off the upset of the day at Soldier Field. Jay Cutler will have a better season this year, but struggles in the opener.

Arizona at St. Louis – the Cardinals use their running game and some well-timed deep throws to Larry Fitzgerald to pull off a close win over the Rams.

Green Bay at Philadelphia – the Packers are the chic pick to win the Super Bowl this year, and open the season with a big road win as Aaron Rodgers has a huge day and the Packer defense, shredded in the playoffs last year, plays an inspired game and shuts down new Eagle QB Kevin Kolb.

San Francisco at Seattle –   the Seahawks are clearly rebuilding under Pete Carroll and the Niners are being touted as the team to beat in the NFC West this year. I’m not sure how coach Mike Singletary’s team will handle the higher expectations this year overall, but they’ll pound out a big win in the opener, with Frank Gore and Michael Crabtree being big factors.

Dallas at Washington – in one of the NFL’s best rivalries, I see the Cowboys spoiling Mike Shanahan’s debut with a big win, as Tony Romo exploits the Skins’ secondary and has a big night passing, and the ‘Boys 3-headed monster at running back wears down the defense.

Baltimore at N.Y. Jets – the pressure starts to mount on the Jets and their brash Super Bowl dreams, as they get battered by a team that is a REAL championship contender, the Ravens. Baltimore has some weaknesses on defense but on offense QB Joe Flacco is coming of age and I see him orchestrating a game plan that mixes the run and pass well and surprisingly racks up large chunks of yardage on the Jets’ top-ranked defense.

San Diego at Kansas City – Matt Cassel plays well, Jamaal Charles has a big night running the ball and the Chiefs pull off the upset at home.

Some final thoughts about the Buffalo Bills and the division they play in – the AFC East. If you listen to all the preseason predictions from the experts about this division, you get a mixed reaction of picks to win the division between New England and the New York Jets, and a few picking Miami to return to the top of the heap after faltering somewhat last season. Buffalo is either considered an afterthought, or not mentioned at all. Regardless of the choices for numbers one through three, Chan Gailey’s team is basically a unanimous pick to finish last. Meanwhile, the Bills quietly go about their business of getting ready for the season.

The Patriots are the choice of some experts to return to glory mainly based on 2 factors – the coach, Bill Belichick, and the quarterback, Tom Brady. The Pats have serious issues on defense – they were exposed in the playoffs by Baltimore last year, and clearly aren’t the powerhouse they were in 2007. But the expectation is that Belichick will plug in some unknown rookies on defense and that unit will play well enough to win, while Brady and company light up the scoreboard. While Belichick has done some amazing coaching jobs over the years, it may actually be reaching the point where the Pats are beginning to age and their annual purge of veteran players is starting to catch up to them. Now there is word out of Foxborough that Randy Moss is unhappy with his contract also.

The Jets’ Super Bowl bandwagon is overflowing with experts who have them winning the big game this year after reaching the AFC title game last year. It was a terrific accomplishment to go that far in the playoffs after barely sneaking into the playoffs, but every season is different and the Jets, especially their coach, Rex Ryan, don’t seem to realize that they have to earn their way back this season. The Jets’ roster is solid, but they also have fallen into the Dan Snyder-like trap of putting together a “fantasy” team of retread players, like LaDainian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor and Santonio Holmes. I have a feeling that recently signed Darrelle Revis isn’t going to just step onto the field, after holding out all through training camp, and dominate like he did last year. They haven’t been terribly impressive in preseason, and there’s a chance that the Jets could follow their usual pattern of not living up to expectations. The expectations on this franchise have never been as high as they are this year, and I just don’t see a lot of tangible team chemistry with this group.

Down in Miami, how are the Dolphins preparing for this week’s opener against the Bills? Well, the other day the players were scouring the practice field, with rakes and on their hands and knees, looking for a teammate’s $50,000 lost diamond earring. Terrific. For some reason, Bill Parcells suddenly stepped down as team president the other day also. Other than adding stud receiver Brandon Marshall, the Fins haven’t improved that much. Marshall’s presence also means that coach Tony Sporano has to find a balance between Miami’s bruising running game, which has been the strength of their offense, and keeping Marshall happy, which was always a chore for his coaches in Denver.

The cuts have all been made and the roster is pretty much set, barring any late waiver claims, so it’s time to assess where the Buffalo Bills are headed, going into the 2010 season. It’s one of those years when it’s tough to judge what the team will do based on last season, so here is my take on the 2010 Bills, with a general overview of the coaching staff, offense, defense and special teams, and a position by position look at what to expect from the roster:

Coaching Staff

  Although Perry Fewell did a good job of injecting some life and enthusiasm into the Bills after he became interim coach last year, it was a good move by new GM Buddy Nix to bring in a seasoned, experienced head coach in Chan Gailey. Gailey was not a popular choice among fans when he was hired – they were looking for a sexier, more high-profile choice like Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan or even Brian Billick. Supposedly Cowher recommended Gailey when he was was informing the team that he wasn’t interested in the job, so the Bills considered him and were impressed. So far Gailey seems to be winning the fans over. When he chastised some young fans on the last day of training camp for heckling Trent Edwards (“If you dog one of us, you dog ALL of us!”), it may have come across as silly or hokey to the national media, but they don’t understand the Buffalo fan base. They are passionate about their team and the atmosphere at Ralph Wilson Stadium is almost like a college game environment. Gailey’s statement to the hecklers was just another way of saying “Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills”. Another thing that has worked in Gailey’s favor is that, after a terrible preseason opener, they have looked like a prepared, organized football team with a plan in the exhibition games since. After the offensive debacle of the last few years under Dick Jauron, with musical chairs coaches and coordinators and Trent Edwards’ head both spinning from confusion and aching from hits taken behind a patchwork offensive line, Gailey, an offensive-minded coach known for his innovation, has seemed to steady the ship and set it sailing on a course where fans can at least expect to see game plans that have a chance to succeed. There has been a perception in the media that the Bills lack any talent on their roster. The truth is that the Bills roster is full of hungry, hard-working young players who have been starving for some leadership and energy from a competent coaching staff. Some of them have battled injuries (the Bills had more players on IR than any other team the last 2 years), and some have just needed some coaching guidance. Gailey may not be a media darling but he is a tough coach who expects results and is honest with his players, and it will be interesting to see how this team responds on the field in the regular season now that they know they have a head coach who honestly knows what he’s doing.

Offense

The game played last season between the Bills and Cleveland Browns, won by the Browns, 6-3, after Roscoe Parrish fumbled a punt and set them up with the winning field goal, may have been the worst NFL game ever played. Both offenses were terrible, and that game was a microcosm of the Bills’ offense especially last season. They started out featuring a no-huddle offense, fired their offensive coordinator right before the season began, and the replacement OC, Alex Van Pelt, was thrown into the fire, and wound up burned to a crisp. Gailey knows how to organize and run an offense, and will call the plays this year, so the Bills have nowhere to go but up on this side of the ball. With a stable of running backs that all bring something different to the table, and a quarterback trying to resurrect his career, look for Gailey to run a mostly conservative attack that favors the run. That being said, in preseason Edwards has connected on more downfield passes in 4 exhibitions than he did the last 2 regular seasons, and Bills receivers have been running and having success on crossing routes, something that seemed to also be missing under Jauron. Parrish scored a TD on a crossing route in preseason that looked a lot like Andre Reed in his prime. It’s mostly the same players, other than rookie C.J. Spiller, so they aren’t going to suddenly become a quick-strike offense, but I have a feeling that under Gailey there won’t be the same predictability, and they will have a better feel for picking their spots for the deep throws.

Defense

The defensive unit, going into the regular season, is the biggest question mark for the Bills. New coordinator George Edwards is implementing a 3-4 defense, and the results in preseason were mixed. It’s a work in progress. It was tough to tell early on who the starters were going to be, and watching players like Chris Kelsay and Chris Ellis run around trying to play linebacker looked scary. The Bills, even in their losing seasons recently, have always had a competent defense that kept them in games. So it would have been easy to just go with the status quo on this side of the ball. This is another reason why I like Gailey – he has a plan and will implement it whether it looks like a bad idea or not.  One frustrating thing about the Bills’ recent defenses was how conservative they played. Despite having a crew of terrific young players in the secondary, they rarely let these guys play. They never made plays on the ball, and instead played a conservative, “bend but don’t break” defense where players were instructed to keep everything in front of them and not give up big plays. The result was that the defense never seemed to get off the field on 3rd down. There was a game a couple years ago where Tom Brady engineered a drive where the Patriots dinked and dunked their way downfield and completed a touchdown drive in which they made 10 first downs. Well, the field is 100 yards long so you can’t do more than that. Somewhere along the line, a team HAS to contest SOMETHING! In that game, the Bills’ defense, playing to avoid giving up big plays, lost 56-10.  It will be a positive change if the new coaching staff is more aggressive on defense and puts their young players in positions to make plays, allows them to play football and use their skills.  The new coaching staff has already rectified another problem, the “softness” of the Bills defense. They are being more physical in training camp practices and that should carry over into the games, actually on both sides of the ball.

Special Teams

Even in the last dismal decade of losing football, one unit that was always a bright spot with the Bills was the special teams. Under Bobby April, the Bills’ special teams were consistently ranked near the top of the NFL in nearly every category. In fact, the Bills have always had a great reputation for having good “bomb squads”, as the ST were called back in the ’60s and ’70s, going back to the days of the player who changed the way ST were played, Steve Tasker. The coach in Tasker’s era, Bruce DeHaven, is back for his second tour of duty as the squadron leader of the Bills’ “bomb squads”, so the expectation is that they will remain a strong contributor to the team’s success again this year. The Bills are strong and consistent in the kicking departments with solid veterans at punter in Brian Moorman, and with the placekicking duties handled by Rian Lindell. Long snapper Garrison Sanborn is also solid, and even though it was unclear through the preseason who would handle kick and punt return duties, the Bills have plenty of exciting options to choose from among Terrence McGee, Leodis McKelvin, Roscoe Parrish, Fred Jackson and rookie C.J. Spiller.

Quarterback

For better or worse, Trent Edwards will again direct the Bills’ offense this season. He had looked shell-shocked since suffering a concussion 2 years ago and was running for his life last year behind a patchwork offensive line. So far in preseason he looks a lot more comfortable, and that could be due to the fact that the O-line has done a good job of protecting him for the most part. Edwards also looks like he has bulked up since last season. Hopefully that will help his durability. Edwards still hasn’t shown that he can handle playing in bad weather, a top qualification of any Bills’ QB. It was interesting that after Fewell took over the Bills last season, he started having them practice outside for the first time. Could that be a reason Edwards hasn’t proven he can handle playing in the elements?  He still has a lot to prove, but he did win the starting job outright in camp. Look for steady progress from Edwards and in the end, a successful if not spectacular season from him, especially if his offensive line stays healthy and jells together. Ryan Fitzpatrick did a good job holding down the fort in some dismal conditions as last season wound down, and his presence on the roster as the backup is a positive. He is settling nicely into the role as the guy who helps out the younger QBs from the sideline, but is always ready when called upon to play. Coach Gailey heaped a lot of praise on rookie Levi Brown, and raved about his potential, so it was surprising that he was cut, since Brian Brohm didn’t do much to separate himself from the competition in camp. But at this point, should the first 2 QBs go down, Brohm is clearly the more prepared option to lead the team.

After 3 seasons of musical coaches, systems and coordinators, Trent Edwards has a chance to revive his career under the tutelage of new coach Chan Gailey.

Running Back

He saw almost no action at all in preseason, but Fred Jackson will be a major contibutor to the Bills’ offense in 2010.

There was a lot of howling from the national media when the Bills chose C.J. Spiller with their first round draft pick this year, but the Bills so far have to be happy with his play. Combining Spiller’s speed and elusiveness with Fred Jackson’s versatility and Marshawn Lynch’s “Beast Mode” toughness gives the Bills a 3-headed monster for opposing defenses to deal with on Sundays. This is clearly a strength on the Bills’ roster, and they are expected to feature the running game as the focal point of their attack this season. Corey McIntyre provides solid blocking from the fullback position, and also an occasional receiving weapon out of the backfield. If the Bills run into any injury problems in the backfield, they have some pretty good depth on their practice squad with 2 players who excelled in preseason – RB Joique Bell from Wayne State, and FB Rodney Ferguson, who ran hard and showed some toughness on special teams also.  

Receivers

Veteran Lee Evans, one of the NFL’s most underrated wide receivers, is the main target in the Bills’ passing game once again this season, especially with the one year Terrell Owens experiment now officially over. It was great to see Evans and Trent Edwards show a little chemistry in the preseason, hooking up on numerous downfield throws. After Evans, the most experienced receiver is Roscoe Parrish, who was buried in Dick Jauron’s doghouse last year but now seems rejuvenated under the new regime. Look for Parrish to not only give the Bills a threat on punt returns, but also provide them with another major weapon in the passing game, probably as the # 3 receiver out of the slot. Stevie Johnson apparently will begin the season lining up opposite Evans as the other starting receiver, and he has a lot of potential. However, undrafted rookie free agent David Nelson, one of Tim Tebow’s main targets in college, looks like he not only has played his way onto the 53 man roster, but is also intent on working his way into significant playing time. You have to love his confidence, enthusiasm and overall football temperament. Another undrafted rookie, Donald Jones, also stuck with the team but his contributions should come mostly on special teams. The Bills are thin at the tight end position to start the season with Shawn Nelson serving a 4-game suspension. Jonathan Stupar will be the starter, and he seems to be one of those players who gets written off in training camp each year, but just won’t go away. Stupar has a pretty good pair of hands and is an able blocker, and could develop into a decent TE. Veteran David Martin, once a Brett Favre target in Green Bay, was signed just this week to provide some depth. 

Roscoe Parrish escapes the doghouse of fired Coach Dick Jauron, and makes the leap back into the Bills’ offense as a major weapon in the passing game.

Offensive Line

Eric Wood is on the comeback trail after suffering a devastating broken leg last season.

Most prognosticators write off the Bills as an also-ran based on the fact that their offensive line was terrible last season, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The Bills, in fact, have a lot of good, young, aggressive  talent along the O-line. The problem has been keeping them healthy and on the field together. The one constant last season on the line was center Geoff Hangartner, the only player to see action in every game. The team drafted a couple of potentially great young linemen last year in Andy Levitre and Eric Wood. Levitre was solid most of the season, but because of the rash of injuries was forced to move around the line each week to replace somebody else. He played both guard and tackle during the season and that provided him with valuable experience at both positions, but this season, if he is able to stay at his natural spot at guard, he should blossom. Wood is tough as nails and it took an ugly, devastating fractured leg injury to force him out of the lineup. Most followers probably didn’t expect to see Wood back playing football until some time in the 2011 season, if at all. But he will be in the starting lineup on opening day, a credit to the kid’s tenacity. The middle of the offensive line is in pretty good hands – it’s the tackle spots that have fans worried. Left tackle Demetrius Bell is supposed to be a solid prospect and last year the coaching staff had compared his development with that of Jason Peters, the former college tight end who became a Pro Bowl tackle but was traded after a contract dispute. The problem is that Bell hasn’t stayed healthy enough to be on the field to show any development. Veteran Cornell Green was signed as a free agent to man the right tackle position, and Jamon Meredith provides depth at both tackle spots, while Ed Wang, the first Chinese-born NFL player, rehabs an injury. Levitre and Wood are backed up by Cordaro Howard, a Chan Gailey soldier from Georgia Tech, and Kraig Urbik, who was signed after being waived by the Steelers. There isn’t much doubt that the health and stability of the starting offensive line will be a major key in whether the Bills’ offense succeeds this season.

Defensive Line 

With a brand new scheme being implemented on defense this season, it was hard to figure out who the starters were and what position they were playing as the preseason began. Former defensive linemen Chris Kelsay, Aaron Maybin and Chris Ellis were now listed on the roster as linebackers, but seemed to spend a lot of their time on the field playing with their hand on the ground along the D-line. As the exhibition games played out, however, the smoke started to clear and the line took shape. In the new 3-man line, the starters are Kyle Williams at nose tackle, with Marcus Stroud and free agent acquisition Dwan Edwards at the ends. Like most NFL teams, the Bills will likely rotate the linemen to keep them fresh, so veterans Spencer Johnson and John McCargo will see plenty of action. Rookies Torell Troup and Alex Carrington are both green but have potential and will gain experience as the season plays out. Williams is a tough player who looks like he’ll thrive at the nose. Stroud is adapting well to his new position, and Edwards brings a toughness from the Ray Lewis-led Baltimore Ravens that the Bills need to add to their overall defensive personality. Johnson is a steady veteran presence who plays hard, and McCargo, like Roscoe Parrish, gets a fresh start under the new coaching staff after being a scapegoat last year.

Kyle Williams, a solid tackle last season in the Bills’ 4-3 defense, moves to the nose tackle spot in Coordinator George Edwards’ new 3-4 scheme.

Linebackers

Paul Posluszny will man one of the inside linebacker spots in the Bills’ new 3-4 defense.

The switch to the 3-4 defense means the Bills will carry a record number of linebackers on the roster this year – 10. The depth chart heading into opening day shows holdover Paul Posluszny and newcomer Andra Davis as the starting inside backers, with Kawika Mitchell, Keith Ellison and Arthur Moats as the backups. After Jauron was fired and Perry Fewell took over last season, Posluszny started to look like the playmaking LB the Bills thought they were getting when they drafted him out of Penn State. Hopefully that will continue under the new staff. Davis was more of a force in preseason than Mitchell, and it’s not surprising that he is starting. Mitchell may be still looking for his sea legs after missing a lot of last season with an injury.  Ellison provides versatility in that he can play both outside and inside, and Moats, although he looked lost at times while trying to switch from college lineman to pro LB, showed great speed and range and looks like a good prospect. Chris Kelsay and Reggie Torbor are listed as the starters on the outside. Kelsay is still learning his new position, and in preseason struggled in pass coverage. His best play came on passing downs when he lined up with his hand on the ground and rushed the passer. Look for opposing offenses to try to isolate him in pass coverage with a back or extra receiver and take advantage of the mismatch. Torbor didn’t play at all in preseason but played in Miami last year so the new coordinator knows him well. Chris Ellis and Aaron Maybin, both former defensive ends, are the backups along with Antonio Coleman, who is a development project. Ellis and Maybin are similar players who actually always seemed better suited to play linebacker anyway, being slightly undersized as linemen. They should both be able to take advantage of their quickness more effectively now, and if they work hard and develop more of a mean streak, one or both could be in the starting lineup eventually.

Defensive Backs

The defensive secondary is one of the strongest and deepest positions on the Bills’ team. It is loaded with skillful young players, and hopefully the new coaches will play a more aggressive scheme and allow the players to use those skills. The starters at safety are Donte Whitner, who underachieved in the old passive conservative scheme, and Jairus Byrd, who burst onto the scene with 9 interceptions last year. Veterans Terrence McGee and Drayton Florence open as the starters at cornerback, but with the passing game dominating the league now, there will be lots of 5 and 6 defensive back schemes used, and Leodis McKelvin, another underachiever, will see plenty of game action. The Bills have a stable of good DBs to throw out against an opponent, and all have experience. Ashton Youboty and Reggie Corner join McKelvin as backups at CB, while veterans George Wilson and Bryan Scott back up the safeties. All of these guys could be starters with other teams. Cary Harris is also available, but he likely will make his contributions on special teams. With Kelsay able to play LB and end, and Scott getting experience last year at LB, due to injuries, as well as his regular safety spot, the Bills have a lot of versatility to go along with the talent on defense. This should allow George Edwards, the new DC, to do some interesting things against their opponents.   

Jairus Byrd showed great ballhawking skills in his rookie season at safety for the Bills.

So Bills’ fans, with opening day and a huge division game against Miami fast approaching, click on the link below to get ready for what hopefully is a surprising and exciting season!

Buffalo Bills – Shout Song

Top: Tim Tebow (left), Rolando McClain.

Bottom: Eric Berry (left), Ryan Mathews.

Whenever a quarterback is chosen by a team with their first round draft pick, it’s a given that the team is counting on that player to have an impact, although not necessarily an immediate one. In Denver this season, look for a lot of Tim Tebow mania as the much ballyhooed rookie QB starts his career. He may not be the starter when the season begins or even by it’s conclusion, but coach Josh McDaniels will surely find ways to include him in the offense. Rookie receiver Eric Decker could find some playing time also, taking advantage of the departure of Brandon Marshall. The Oakland Raiders could be the surprise team in the AFC West this season, as they have brought in some rookie reinforcements for their porous run defense, the most significant being LB Rolando McClain. Another rookie Raider defender who looks like he will help immediately is defensive lineman Lamarr Houston, while Bruce Campbell should eventually work his way onto the field on the offensive line. Kansas City continues to build toward contending in the division also, with stud safety Eric Berry being added to the secondary, and Dexter McCluster supplying depth in the offensive backfield behind young Jamaal Charles. Ryan Mathews, San Diego’s rookie running back, is in the best position of any rookie in the NFL as far as making an immediate impact on his team is concerned. Mathews will step into the huge shoes of departed Charger legend LaDainian Tomlinson and the team is counting on him to carry the majority of the load in the running game. Fifth round pick Cam Thomas could be the Chargers’ starting nose tackle on opening day also, and undrafted free agent Seyi Ajirotutu could find a spot on the team’s wide receiver corps with Vincent Jackson still holding out.

Top: Sam Bradford (left), Dan Williams.

Bottom: Earl Thomas (left), Taylor Mays.

The NFC West is generally regarded as the weakest division in the NFL, and the retirement of Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner weakens it even further. The Cardinals have been the class team of the division but are now clearly just one of the pack. The addition of a couple of impact rookies to the roster could catapault any of the other teams to the top of the division. The St. Louis Rams, buried at the bottom of the division in recent years, drafted the player likely to have the most impact for his team, if not this season then in the next few years. That would be QB Sam Bradford, the top choice in the entire draft. Bradford looks like a keeper in his early outings, and may be starting sooner than expected. The Rams also drafted a major weapon who should develop along with Bradford in receiver Mardy Gilyard, who should be on the field making plays this year. Any team that has had as little success as the Rams is always looking to upgrade its’ roster, and another building block for the franchise is offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, who should be a starter on opening day. The Cardinals not only lost Warner but also some other major pieces in free agency, WR Anquan Boldin and LB Karlos Dansby being the biggest losses. The Cards already had enough depth at the receiver position to offset Boldin’s loss, and rookie Daryl Washington will get a great opportunity to play with Dansby gone. Top draft pick Dan Williams is expected to step in and help bolster the defensive line also. Pete Carroll’s new regime in Seattle starts this season and there will be major contributions expected from 3 big name rookies – Russell Okung on the offensive line, Earl Thomas at safety and Golden Tate as a downfield weapon for QB Matt Hasselback. Any time a new coach takes over there are always massive opportunities for new players to establish themselves and oust veterans on the roster. The best team in this division, on paper at least, has to be the San Francisco 49ers. They have improved steadily since Mike Singletary took over as coach and the only question with them now is whether they can handle the pressure now that there are expectations on them to succeed. The Niners could possibly have 2 rookies starting on their offensive line in Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati, and backup RB Glenn Coffee’s sudden retirement opens up an opportunity for rookie RB Anthony Dixon. The most intriguing Niner rookie is safety Taylor Mays, whose ball skills are supposedly lacking but who has the physical presence of Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. His style of play is right up coach Singletary’s alley and may get him significant playing time as the season progresses.