National Football League

2009 team preview: Buffalo Bills

Published Sep. 5, 2009 10:16 a.m. ET

foxsports

An offensive line that has five position changes never got up to speed. The coaches were even tinkering with the idea of having second-year pro Demitrius Bell start at left tackle over Langston Walker, a development that could pay dividends in time but could damage Edwards' psyche even more.

The team's 14th-ranked defense wanted to find upgrades at strongside linebacker and free safety, but instead will start the usual suspects in Keith Ellison and Donte Whitner.

The Bills were expected to show signs of being a legitimate threat to snap a playoff drought now at nine seasons. They remain anything but.

"We got a lot of issues that we've got to solve," said coach Dick Jauron, who after posting three consecutive 7-9 seasons may not survive a slow start this time. "We've got to make a lot of improvements and we don't have a lot of time to do it."

Buffalo had an extra preseason game but didn't do much with the additional prep time. Its 17-0 loss at Pittsburgh was actually much more than just another preseason game setback. The Steelers are the defending Super Bowl champs and a litmus test that Buffalo failed badly.

When the starters were in the game, Pittsburgh out-gained Buffalo 209-50 and led 12-3 in first downs. Edwards went 6 of 13 for 31 yards with one TD (an interception Pittsburgh returned for a score). All he could surmise afterwards was that the Steelers have "a great defense."

In four preseason games heading into a final tuneup against Detroit in which the starters were not scheduled to play much if at all, Buffalo's offensive starters had managed to produce zero touchdowns, a field goal, 15 first downs and five turnovers.

Edwards said he has not lost his confidence and was just looking for the regular season to begin. That's Sept. 14 at rival New England, which has a healthy Tom Brady back.

"You know you're going to go through some highs and lows throughout the season and throughout the sport of football," Edwards said.

"Obviously we're not going in the direction we want to go right now, but there's no reason why we can't. I feel that we have the pieces here and that's the bottom line. That's why I'm still confident."

Buffalo's experimentation with a no-huddle offense hasn't been pretty. Ultimately, many inside the organization are betting heavily that 35-year-old free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens will be the team's offensive savior.

"We'll hopefully just stretch the field, be explosive, and obviously with my presence and obviously with Lee's (Evans) presence and the things that we can do coming out of the backfield, (we will be very good)," Owens said.

He then summed it up in a nutshell: It's all about the offensive line. The Bills will start two rookies at guard.

"I think this offense and this team is going to rely on those guys up front," Owens said. "If those guys up front develop some chemistry and we keep those guys, having Trent comfortable back there in the pocket, then we're capable to do anything."

There will be no major changes on defense. The Bills are hoping the return of No. 2 career sack leader Aaron Schobel from a foot injury and addition of No. 1 pick Aaron Maybin will improve their 26th-ranked pass rush. Maybin missed a month of camp in a contract holdout.

"With everything that's been said, with what happened last year, I think this has to be a big year for us," linebacker Paul Posluszny said. "For our coaches, for our players, this has to be a big year. We have to make the playoffs or things are going to have to change."

COACHING: Dick Jauron, 9th year, 4th with Bills (57-76, 0-1 playoffs).

REMEMBERING: 2008 record: 7-9 (4th in AFC East), missed playoffs for ninth consecutive season.

PREDICTING: 2009 regular season record: 6-10 (4th in AFC East). Will miss playoffs for 10th consecutive season facing a tougher schedule and return of Tom Brady for rival New England.

--RB Fred Jackson, whom the Bills will count on while Marshawn Lynch serves a three-game suspension to open the season, indicated his sprained left thumb and wrist could give him pain the entire season. He said he would have to be more conscientious when it comes to holding the ball to avoid fumbling. "It's still going to be a little sore," Jackson said. "It'll probably be sore for a good while now, so it's something that I'm just going to have to get accustomed to."

--QB Trent Edwards commenting on the general philosophy of Buffalo's new no-huddle offense: "It needs to be an in-rhythmic offense but it also needs to be a fast-paced style offense to where we're trying to catch the defense where they don't want to be. And that's something that we need to continue to work towards. We need to continue to do it in practice and I think that's kind of the philosophy of our offense is to try to get in an attack mode style and try to catch them off guard a little bit."

--WR James Hardy, the team's second-round pick in 2008 who is coming off ACL surgery, continues to make encouraging progress and there's a good chance he'll return to action during the first half of the season, coach Dick Jauron said. Hardy had set a goal of playing in the team's final preseason game on Sept. 3 against Detroit and being ready for the start of the regular season. It wasn't meant to happen. "He is coming along," Jauron said. "And if you talk to anybody in our organization about him, everybody, I believe, would agree that he's really done a terrific job of rehabbing. He's bigger, he's stronger, he's moving well and I do believe there is a chance of him helping us in the first half of the season."

--The Bills trimmed their roster to 75 with the release of OL Chris Denman, WR Shaine Smith and LB Solomon Elimimian. Placed on reserve/injured were TE Travis McCall, DB Lydell Sargeant and DT Marcus Smith.

BY THE NUMBERS: 2 -- Wins Bills need to reach 350 as a franchise. Among original AFL clubs, the Oakland Raiders lead with 405.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I guess last week everybody was praising him, when he went 10 for 10, so I don't think they were calling him 'Capt. Checkdown' then. So that's just the nature of the beast when you're the starting quarterback. You've got to have strong shoulders and be mentally into what we're doing as an offensive unit and obviously with the goals that we have, once we get into the swing of things, like I said, we'll be fine." -- WR Terrell Owens commenting on if criticism of struggling QB Trent Edwards is warranted.

Before adding DeVree, the Bills had three healthy tight ends in starter Derek Schouman, rookie Shawn Nelson and Jonathan Stupar but with Schouman not expected to play much against the Lions, they needed another body.

PLAYER NOTES

--LB Pat Thomas, a four-year veteran the Bills were counting on to beef up their depth, was released. The former Kansas City Chief was limited throughout training camp with a lower-leg injury. He was just cleared to return to practice. The move clears the way for one of the team's younger prospects to make the final 53-man roster.

--DE Chris Kelsay was excused from practice Wednesday to be with his family in Chicago. His youngest daughter was scheduled for minor surgery, coach Dick Jauron said. He will miss Thursday's final preseason game at home against Detroit.

--WR Terrell Owens, who missed three preseason games nursing a sprained toe, returned to practice on a full-time basis and announced himself ready for the Sept. 14 opener at New England.

--WR Lee Evans was given time off to heal some general soreness after the rigors of a long training camp. He and his fellow starters were not expected to play beyond a series if at all in Thursday's final tuneup game against Detroit.

--LT Demetrius Bell, who had begun to earn some first-team repetitions over Langston Walker, is getting treatment for strained muscles around a disc in his back. When healthy, he's expected to keep pushing for the starting job.

--LB Paul Posluszny received several stitches in his chin to close a cut suffered in last weekend's loss to Pittsburgh.

--DE Aaron Schobel, who sat out the Steelers' game with an elbow injury, returned to practice this week.

PLAYER TO WATCH: LS Garrison Sanborn - Bills fans are hoping this is the last time they read or hear Sanborn's name. A long-snapper's plight is to work in anonymity until botching a snap. The Bills liked the Florida State rookie so much they released Ryan Neill, who handled the snapping chores nearly flawlessly for two seasons. Sanborn's snaps had a higher velocity in camp, but it's still a gamble on Buffalo's part to break up a proven team with star PK Rian Lindell and P Brian Moorman.

Rd. 1/11, DE/OLB Aaron Maybin, Penn State - Leading the Big Ten in sacks to making an impact in the NFL as a 249-pound pass rusher is a big leap. Most experts agree, however, if anybody is capable, it's Maybin. Missing a month of camp in a contract holdout was a setback but he's making up for lost time.

Rd. 1/28, OG Eric Wood, Louisville - Old school blocker who had 46 TD blocks in college brings some much-needed toughness to interior of Bills line. He'll start at right guard and learn on the job.

Rd. 2/42, FS Jairus Byrd, Oregon - The son of former NFL Pro Bowler Gill Byrd was never able to challenge Donte Whitner for the starting free safety job after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia just before camp opened. But he's a good-looking prospect with great hands that should work himself onto the field in special situations.

Rd. 2/51, OG Andy Levitre, Oregon State - He'll start at left guard opposite Wood but he's not a "masher" like Wood and he has a lot more to prove. But the Bills are committed to rebuilding with youth. Intelligence is Levitre's strong suit.

Rd. 4/121, TE Shawn Nelson, Southern Miss - Was plagued by minor nicks early in camp but showed enough flashes to earn some playing time as a rookie and clearly has the potential to start in time. A great target that the Bills can split out wide in five-wide sets.

Rd. 5/147, OLB Nic Harris, Oklahoma - Used training camp to make some encouraging strides converting from strong safety to linebacker. It wasn't enough to unseat veteran Keith Ellison but college Rudy Award finalist should make an impact on special teams.

Rd. 7/220, CB Ellis Lankster, West Virginia - Late-round steal had an outstanding camp, showing great ball awareness, and should make the 53-man.

UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACKS: Starter - Trent Edwards. Backups - Ryan Fitzpatrick, Gibran Hamdan.

Third-year pro Edwards is the entrenched starter but he still has much to prove. Injuries have hurt his development and his overall play plummeted the second half of last season. This summer, his struggles against the 3-4 scheme continued. When on, he has performed brilliantly but his 12-11 record reflects growing pains. His 65.5 percent completion percentage in 2008 ranks second in team history.

Fitzpatrick, who is with his third NFL team and has starting experience, moved the team well during the preseason. Fans won't hesitate to call for him at the first sign Edwards is struggling.

RUNNING BACKS: Starter - Marshawn Lynch. Backups - Fred Jackson, Dominic Rhodes, FB Corey McIntyre.

Lynch and Jackson formed a very productive 1-2 punch and coordinator Turk Schonert will continue to look for ways to build the offense around them and take the pressure off Edwards. The problem is that Lynch will miss three games serving a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's conduct code, leaving Jackson and free agent Rhodes to carry the load. Jackson was dealing with a painful thumb/wrist injury late in camp that could hamper his ball protection.

TIGHT ENDS: Starter - Derek Schouman. Backups - Derek Fine, Shawn Nelson, Jonathan Stupar.

The Bills bid farewell to veteran Robert Royal and added fresh legs by drafting Nelson, a pure pass receiver who caught 157 passes and scored 16 TDs at Southern Miss. He's a good-looking prospect but Schouman had a strong camp and will start. Fine, a good blocker, ended camp with a hamstring injury.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters - Lee Evans, Terrell Owens. Backups - Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, Justin Jenkins, Steve Johnson, James Hardy.

The big addition, of course, is Terrell Owens, the NFL's sixth all-time receiver with 951 catches. The plan is for him to stretch the field and take pressure off Evans, who caught 63 balls for 1,017 yards last season but with just three TDs. Evans caught just 28 balls the second half of the year when teams found it easy to double team him. With Owens' arrival, Reed can return to the slot. He caught 56 passes for 597 yards. The Bills still haven't demonstrated a consistent way to use the shifty Parrish. Hardy could return at some point from ACL surgery and provide another big red zone target.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Starters - LT Langston Walker, LG Andy Levitre, C Geoff Hangartner, RG Eric Wood, RT Brad Butler. Backups - OT Demetrius Bell, OT Kirk Chambers, OT Jonathan Scott, OG Seth McKinney, OG Brandon Rood.

The Bills blew up this dysfunctional unit and while the new lineup is promising, it is young, untested and pocked with question marks. Walker replaces Pro Bowler Jason Peters (traded to Philly) protecting Edwards' blindside and looked underwhelming in preseason play. Second-year pro Bell has the potential to replace him sooner than later. Top draft picks Wood and Levitre were inserted into the starting lineup early in camp and have been learning on the job. Free agent Hangartner appears to be an upgrade over the departed Duke Preston and Melvin Fowler at center. Buffalo's sacks soared from 28 to 36 last year and the offense struggled badly against 3-4 schemes, going 0-6 in the AFC East Division.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Starters - LDE Chris Kelsay, RDE Aaron Schobel, LDT Marcus Stroud, RDT Kyle Williams. Backups - DE Aaron Maybin, DE Ryan Denney, DE Copeland Bryan, DE Chris Ellis, DT John McCargo, DT Spencer Johnson.

Moves to shore up its leaky run defense with the additions of Stroud and Johnson paid off a year ago but there is room for improvement. Buffalo combined for just 46 sacks and takeaways, tying for the 28th lowest total in the NFL. Buffalo is hoping the return to form of Schobel from a foot injury and addition of Maybin will make a difference. Maybin, who led the Big Ten with 12 sacks, missed a month of camp in a contract holdout but showed enough to know he'll take reps away from Kelsay and Denney, who combined for just six sacks last year. Stroud and Williams form a solid tandem inside and Johnson had a very good training camp rushing the passer. Former first-round pick McCargo started to show signs of life.

LINEBACKERS: Starters - SLB Keith Ellison, MLB Paul Posluszny, WLB Kawika Mitchell. Backups - Alvin Bowen, Ashley Palmer, Marcus Buggs, Nic Harris.

To his credit, Ellison held off challenges from Bowen and Harris to keep his starting job and will return to form a decent trio with Mitchell and Posluszny. "Poz" led the defense with 129 tackles in 2008 and Mitchell added 91 stops with two interceptions, two picks and two sacks. Bowen, a good prospect coming off ACL surgery, and Harris will challenge for playing time and form the backbone of the team's special teams.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters - LCB Terrence McGee, RCB Leodis McKelvin, FS Donte Whitner, SS Bryan Scott. Backups - S Ko Simpson, S Jairus Byrd, S George Wilson, S John Wendling, CB Drayton Florence, CB Ashton Youboty, CB Reggie Corner, CB Cary Harris, CB Ellis Lankster.

Thanks in part to a lack of a pass rush, this unit registered just seven interceptions, none by the safeties. That's only happened three times in team history. McGee (21 passes defended) and new starter McKelvin form a respectable starting tandem at corner. The veteran Florence was slowed by injuries but when healthy should be the top nickel back. The team doesn't lose anything playing Corner and Youboty. Whitner makes the shift from strong to free safety, with rookie Byrd in the wings. He was slowed by a sports hernia injury but should contribute. Scott gives Buffalo a bigger body to put on opposing tight ends.

SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Rian Lindell, P Brian Moorman, LS Garrison Sanborn, KR Leodis McKelvin, PR Roscoe Parrish.

The Bills are poised to rank among the best special teams units in the NFL for a sixth consecutive year under coach Bobby April. Lindell is Buffalo's career accuracy leader at 83.05 and Moorman has the best punting average (43.17). Both have to adjust to a new long-snapper; rookie Sanborn beat out Ryan Neill who held those duties the past two seasons. McKelvin added a fresh jolt to the return game, posting a team-record 1,468 return yards and finishing third in the league with a 28.2 average. The electrifying Parrish led the NFL in punt return average for a second consecutive season at 15.3. On some days, he's the only Bills player worth the price of admission.