HEAD COACH: Chan Gailey
Key Additions: DE Mario Williams; DE Mark Anderson; QB Vince Young
Key Losses: WR Roscoe Parrish; OL Demetress Bell
Offense: The Bills had an up and down 2011 season, and starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was no exception after a great start that turned rather ugly as the season went on.
Fitzpatrick completed 62 percent of his passes for 3,832 yards and 24 touchdowns, but he also threw 23 interceptions. Backing up the veteran QB will be Vince Young and Tyler Thigpen.
The running game features a decent one-two punch with Fred Jackson (934 yards, 5.5 ypc average, six TD) and C.J. Spiller, who ran for 561 yards with a 5.2 ypc average and scored four touchdowns. Tashard Choice will spell them on occasion and the fullback is Corey McIntyre.
The wide receivers are Steve Johnson (76 catches for 1,004 yards and seven touchdowns), David Nelson (61, 658 yards, five TD) and Donald Jones, who made 23 receptions for 231 yards and a touchdown. Rookie T.J. Graham is on hand along with Brad Smith, who also plays running back and can even run the 'wildcat' offense as the quarterback.
Tight End Scott Chandler (38 catches for 389 yards) is a good one, especially in the red zone. In 2011, Chandler had six touchdown receptions and at 6-7 is a big target for Fitzpatrick.
The offensive line will see Eric Wood, who is coming off ACL knee surgery in the off-season, at center. The backup looks to be Colin Brown. The guards are Kraig Urbik and Andy Levitre with Chris Hairston and Erik Pears at the tackle positions.
Buffalo ranked 14th in the NFL on offense, averaging 352 yards per game last season. The passing game averaged 232 yards while the rushing attack gained 120 yards per game.
Defense: There were only two other teams that allowed more points than the Bills did last season and that has to improve, along with the run defense that allowed 139 yards per game, which was 28th in the league. Overall, the Bills ranked 26th in the NFL, allowing 371 yards per game.
Buffalo brought in prize free agent Mario Williams to play defensive end along with veteran Mark Anderson in the 4-3 setup. The tackles are Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus, who had 5 1/2 QB sacks to lead the team last season.
Mario Williams (five quarterback sacks a year ago) is the former top pick in the NFL draft (2006 by Houston) and will be looked upon to help the defensive front. Anderson had 10 QB sacks with New England last year and along with pass rusher Chris Kelsay (five sacks in 2011) gives the Bills a fine tandem of defensive ends.
The linebacking unit has veteran Nick Barnett (three sacks) and Kirk Morrison on the outside with Kevin Sheppard manning the middle. Veterans Dwan Edwards (2 1/2 sacks), Shawne Merriman, Bryan Scott and Arthur Moats will fill in.
The secondary also had it's share of ups and downs a year ago, picking off 20 passes while also being torched by the long ball too often.
Safety Jairus Byrd (three interceptions) had a score off an interception last season as did Barnett to go with strong safety George Wilson's team leading four picks. The corners are Aaron Williams and Stephon Gilmore, the team's top draft pick in 2012.
Leodis McKelvin, an adept kick returner, is available along with Joshua Nesbitt, rookie Ron Brooks and veterans Terrence McGee, Bryan Scott and Da' Norris Searcy.
OUTLOOK: Head Coach Chan Gailey would like to see more consistency from the team this season.
The Bills had a seven-game losing streak that crushed their season's playoff hopes following their hot 5-2 start last year.
Fitzpatrick has to minimize the mistakes this season. Along with a solid running game, the Bills have a good set of young wide receivers than have big play ability.
The offensive line is solid, giving Jackson and Spiller the room they need to run the football along with protecting the quarterback, evidenced by allowing just 23 sacks last season.
On defense, stopping the run is the key along with pressure on the opposing quarterbacks. Buffalo had just 29 QB sacks in 2011 and that must improve.
That is precisely where Mario Williams and Mark Anderson come into the picture as they add the dimension the defense was lacking a year ago.
With improvement in those areas and less mistakes from the quarterback position, Buffalo has promise in the AFC East, where the New England Patriots are always looming large.
The Bills should be improved and with a few breaks here and there, could mount a serious move toward the playoffs for the first time in 13 years.
However, a lot has to go right for that to happen. The future is looking brighter in Buffalo, but the Bills should likely finish 7-9 this year, which would be an improvement from the last place division results of a year ago.
TEAM SCHEDULE
Week 1- at NY Jets
Week 2- vs. Kansas City
Week 3- at Cleveland
Week 4- vs. New England
Week 5- at San Francisco
Week 6- at Arizona
Week 7- vs. Tennessee
Week 8- BYE
Week 9- at Houston
Week 10- at New England
Week 11- vs. Miami
Week 12- at Indianapolis
Week 13- vs. Jacksonville
Week 14- St. Louis
Week 15- vs. Seattle
Week 16- at Miami
Week 17- vs. NY Jets
No comments:
Post a Comment