Astrobot Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Source "February 15, 2005 A Position-By-Position Look at the Buffalo Bills Strengths and Weaknesses 8:34 PM CST an original article by Joe Marino With free-agency and the NFL draft right around the corner it’s about time to take a look at the current Bills’ strengths and weaknesses. When you look up and down the Buffalo Bills roster, you don’t see a whole lot of weakness. What you see is a roster, which in all actuality, is loaded with talent. Talent-wise the Buffalo Bills can match up with any team on any Sunday and that is not an overstatement by any stretch of the measure. At almost every position on the team, there is either a proven veteran or a young player with a lot of upside sitting there with the starting job. With the assumption that the Bills re-sign Pat Williams and Jonas Jennings, and that Drew Bledsoe is indeed released, the Bills will return 21 of 22 starters. The lone non-returning starter would be JP Losman who would be the starter, not because Bledsoe isn’t under contract for next season, but because the organization feels that JP can do a better job than Drew Bledsoe. So all in all, if the Bills wanted to return 22 of 22 starters next season, they could. It is also important to mention that we are talking about a team that started 1-5, finished 9-7, and outscored their opponents by more than a touchdown per game. Over the last ten games of the season the Bills were 8-2. The Bills defense has been number 2 in the NFL the past two seasons and led the league in forced turnovers this past season. The Bills were ranked number one in just about every special teams category last year. The offense took great strides last year under Mike Mularkey and Tom Clements. It is obvious that the Bills have a lot of good things about them going into the off-season. So here you have it, a position-by-position look at the Bills strengths and weaknesses. Quarterback: The Bills have made it clear; JP Losman is going to the starting quarterback next season. Drew Bledsoe will not be a part of the roster next season and will be released within the next few weeks. With that said, you can say that this is an area of weakness. In last year’s draft Losman was said to have had the best arm in a draft that includes the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and Philip Rivers. He was undoubtedly the fastest, most athletic quarterback taken in the first round (he ran a 4.6 40). With that said, he has all the physical tools to be a good quarterback in the league. Now we will just have to see how the learning curve is going affect. He was certainly confident in himself heading into the draft. He is a young guy, with a ton of upside and physical tools, getting a chance to start in the NFL. He was drafted in the first round, and first round quarterbacks are supposed to start eventually, JP is now getting his chance. The backup quarterback situation is a little flaky and it is essential for the Bills to have a solid backup when starting a second year player. Drew Bledsoe will not be on the roster. Shane Matthews is contemplating retirement. Hopefully the Bills can put those thoughts to rest and bring back Matthews to be a good veteran backup for JP. Fullback: Daimon Shelton was what seemed to be the consensus choice of all the football experts to be the AFC Pro Bowl fullback. However he wasn’t. But the bottom line here is that this is not an area of need. Running Back: Willis McGahee has been prophesying that last year was just a little taste of what’s to come in following years. With Travis Henry trade rumors floating around the league, the Bills may want to find a solid backup who can spell McGahee from time to time. Shaud Williams is intriguing but he is not that guy. A mid-round pick or free agent signing can easily fill this hole. Wide Receiver: Lee Evans and Eric Moulds are fine. It’s when you get past those 2 guys that you realize the Bills need some help. Josh Reed has been a bust. Small and slow doesn’t cut it in the NFL. The Bills coaching staff has been waiting for Sam Aiken to bust out but I have a strong feeling he never will. Freddie Smith is no more than a slow return guy. The Bills need a third receiver. Maybe a big, strong possession guy would do the trick as opposed to a speedy traditional third receiver. We already get that out of Evans, we need a guy who is strong that can work the middle of the field and catch passes in traffic. I am not talking about Plaxico Burress, I don’t care about the Mularkey connection, and it would be a superfluous signing. Tight End: Mark Campbell and Tim Euhus played well when they were healthy. However, these are not your tight ends that are going to really be a big time factor in a game (such as Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Jason Wittten, or Alge Crumpler). With both Campbell and Euhus coming off-season ending injuries, don’t be surprised to see the Bills spend a mid round pick on a tight end or sign one. Granted they might not be the caliber of players I fore mentioned, this could be somewhat considered an area of weakness if Campbell and Euhus aren’t ready to go. If they are ready, those guys are sufficient tight ends, not game breakers. Perhaps Bubba Franks could be someone the Bills look into, but I don’t see Franks leaving Green Bay. Offensive Line: These guys took their game to a whole new level the second half of the season. Granted they started of slow, offensive line coach Jim Mcnally got these guys to flat out play and I am positive that will carry into next season. Assuming we find a way to get Jennings back, I have absolutely no problem with entering the season with, from left to right: Jennings, Tucker, Teague, Villarial, and Williams. Marcus Price is a solid backup at tackle but is a free agent. Lawrence Smith will be back and entered the season as the starter. Not saying he is adequate or anything, just saying he has a little game experience and can fill in. Depth may be an issue, but the starting five I have no problem with. A lot of Bills fans would disagree, but under Mcnally these guys played great the second half of last season and will continue to improve. If the scenario happens in which Jonas Jennings isn’t resigned, many Bills fans have mentioned a desire for Walter Jones. Albeit, he is perhaps the best tackle in the game, if we were going to spend that kind of money at the left tackle position, we might as well have kept Jennings. I can assure you that Jennings is going to get less of a salary than the perennial pro bowler Jones, and Jennings is younger. Look for a Ryan Diem type player to be added if Jennings isn’t brought back. Defensive Line: Aaron Schobel is a stud. Chris Kelsay is a rising stud. At this point, Ryan Denney provides adequate depth. Bills are fine at end. Sam Adams is a major stud. Pat Williams is a stud, Ron Edwards provides decent depth. The Bills are fine at defensive tackle so long as Pat Williams is back. Perhaps Tim Anderson will begin to develop after the Bills invested at third round pick for him. Perhaps a young guy with some athletic ability wouldn’t hurt to bring in since Adams and Williams are both over 30. But in short the Bills are fine at D-Line. Linebacker: Takeo Spikes, London Fletcher, and Jeff Posey format what is one of the best corps in the league. Angelo Crowell is a nice backup as is Josh Stamer. Mario Haggan was a big time player in college who is also on the roster. We are fine here. Cornerback: Nate Clements is the definition of a shut down corner. Terrence Mcgee is improving and really played great the second half of last season. Watch for him to emerge in the upcoming season. Kevin Thomas, if re-signed provides excellent nickel back play for the Bills. Un-drafted rookie free agent Jabrari Greer played well when called on last year. The Bills are set at corner. Safety: You know what you get out of Lawyer Milloy. He’s a physical presence and outstanding leader. Troy Vincent is going to be one of the best FS in the game. He reminds me a lot of what Rod Woodson did in his career. I look for big things out of him after last year. The problem is that neither of them is under 30 but I see 3-5 good years out of both of them. Coy Wire is still in my doghouse but many would argue he brings solid depth at strong safety. Rashad Baker played great when he got a few starts this season and replaced incumbent starter Izell Reese. Baker was undrafted out of Tennessee. Specialist: Brian Moorman once again deserved to be in the Pro Bowl but wasn’t. He is a great, athletic punter. Rian Lindell is not the best kicker but is also not the worst. I think the Bills can upgrade but I doubt they will. Terrence Mcgee is one of the best return men in the league and was a Pro Bowler over Dante Hall. Freddie Smith needs to be the full-time punt returner, because Nate Clements fumbles too much at that position and plus his value as a corner is to high to risk him like that. The Bills needs can be summed up in the following short list. Remember, this is in the full assumption that the Bills re-sign Jennings, Williams, Price and Thomas. This list is not in any particular order. 1. Back up to Mcgahee 2. Third Receiver-big, strong, possession guy 3. Back up quarterback 4. Depth at O-Line. Only upgrade starters if they are indeed significant upgrades. 5. PERHAPS Tight End…pending injury recovery 6. Young DT through draft 7. Kicker In a nutshell, re-sign our guys and we will be fine. If we don’t get Williams, Jennings, Thomas, and Price, we all of a sudden have glaring holes at starting left tackle and defensive tackle, and then nickel back and backup tackle. But I have a feeling our guys will be back. We are $12.6 million under that cap and that doesn’t even factor the releasing of Drew Bledsoe. The money is there, now just do it Tom Donahoe. " ============== I disagree about some of the needs/draft orders (esp. relative rank of kicker need and state of the D-Line and D-backs). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Typical TBD Guy Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 I don't agree with his analysis of the OL. But other than than, yes. Dead on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrobot Posted February 17, 2005 Author Share Posted February 17, 2005 I hadn't stopped to think of it, but we COULD return 21 of our 22 starters, including 11 of 11 from our #2 defense. That's not saying we will, but we could... He obviously likes Posey, doesn't think Lindell is more than the 7th liability on this team, likes our D-Line, and thinks our LB depth is okay---all more of a concern to me than him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Typical TBD Guy Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 I hadn't stopped to think of it, but we COULD return 21 of our 22 starters, including 11 of 11 from our #2 defense. That's not saying we will, but we could... He obviously likes Posey, doesn't think Lindell is more than the 7th liability on this team, likes our D-Line, and thinks our LB depth is okay---all more of a concern to me than him. 244193[/snapback] You're right. LB depth is a concern, but this can easily be addressed in the middle rounds of the draft. I don't think Posey needs to be upgraded. How many plays can a LB make when he has two other Pro Bowl LB'ers roaming the field? Somehow, though, Gray needs to get him rushing the passer more. I'm going to get major stevestojan for this, but I think we should STICK WITH RIAN LINDELL. My reasons for this absurdity? 1. Nugent is a pipe dream. 2. Who else is out there that's noticeably better than Lindell? Name 'em! And Christie is not coming back, so who else besides Mr. Lindell knows our stadium winds? Schobel and Kelsay are no J Peppers or Bruce Smiths, but how easy is it to get one of those types? And PW and SA are getting old, but this year isn't the year to find their replecements (assuming, of course, PW signs with us). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorCal Aaron Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 I'm not sure 'stud' is a word describe any of our DE's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrobot Posted February 18, 2005 Author Share Posted February 18, 2005 I'm not sure 'stud' is a word describe any of our DE's. Yeah, while they're white in color, they're not 8' tall, but you can cut 'em easily. And none give me a major woody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Assuming we find a way to get Jennings back, I have absolutely no problem with entering the season with, from left to right: Jennings, Tucker, Teague, Villarial, and Williams. Ummmm...what's this WE stuff, Kimosabe? Are you a guy who studies football or a Bills fan giving his opinion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrobot Posted February 18, 2005 Author Share Posted February 18, 2005 I'd see the inside linemen Tucker-Teague-Villarial as too weak up the middle, and our schedule next year has DT's that will give them the DT's. Sign an FA or two at 12:01 this Tuesday, TD! Or would that be Wednesday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts