The Bills finished 7-9 last season, losing five games
by three points or less. Buffalo has some young talent, such as WR Lee
Evans, QB J.P. Losman and SS Donte Whitner. But they lost much of their
veteran nucleus, including CB Nate Clements, MLB London Fletcher-Baker,
SLB Takeo Spikes and RB Willis McGahee. So where does that put Buffalo
in 2007?
OFFENSE
QB J.P. Losman has a strong arm,
capable of making all the throws. He’s adept at avoiding the rush and
can make plays on the run. But he’s still young and needs to work on
recognizing coverages and not locking on to one receiver. Losman also
needs to learn to throw the ball away and not force throws.
At
running back, Willis McGahee is off to Baltimore. Enter rookie
first-round draft pick Marshawn Lynch. Lynch has a great blend of size
(5-11, 215), speed and power. He’s solid in pass protection and can
also play outside as a receiver. Lynch is elusive and rarely goes down
on first contact.
Lee Evans is the go-to guy in the receiving
corps. Evans is a big-play receiver who caught six passes of 40 yards
or more in ’06. He has great speed and is deadly on a double-move
route. Of Peerless Price, Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish, someone needs
to step up to keep Evans from facing constant double teams. TE Robert
Royal set career bests for catches (23) and yards (233) in ’06.
The
Bills are hoping they improved their o-line with the additions of guard
Derrick Dockery and right tackle Langston Walker. LT Jason Peters is a
player on the rise, forming a solid left side with Dockery. Duke
Preston started the second half of ’06 at right guard, but much
improvement is needed if he hopes to keep the starting job. Center
Marvin Fowler is a bit undersized and routinely gets outmuscled by
larger tackles.
DEFENSE
On the line, Pro-Bowl right
end Aaron Schobel registered a career-high 14 sacks last season. Chris
Kelsay and Ryan Denney round out a tough, aggressive front line.
Anthony Hargrove and Larry Tripplett will also see extensive playing
time up front.
This unit took a big hit when it lost
Fletcher-Baker and Spikes. Second-round pick Paul Posluszny will man
the middle. He’s smart, quick and can make plays all over the field.
Angelo Crowell will now move over to the strong side, which should suit
his skills. Keith Ellison will replace Crowell on the weak side.
The
Bills will sorely miss CB Nate Clements. Terrence McGee is now the
number one corner. 2006 third-round pick Ashton Youboty will need to
step up. He played in only three games last season, but he’s a good
athlete whose cover skills should improve. Kiwaukee Thomas, last year’s
nickel corner, will also need to improve.
The Bills started two
rookie safeties last season, Donte Whitner and Ko Simpson. Whitner is a
physical run-stopper and Simpson is the deep cover man with great ball
skills.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Pro Bowl punter Brian Moorman
is phenomenal. He gets great hang time and is an excellent directional
kicker. Kicker Rian Lindell , the most accurate kicker in Bills
history, hit 23 of 25 FG attempts last season and has made all 224 of
his career PAT attempts. McGee finished with a solid 26.1-yard kickoff
return average. Parrish was third in the league with an 11.4-yard punt
return average.
PREDICTION
The Bills haven’t made
the playoffs since ’99. That streak won’t end this year. Losman is
still a work in progress, as is the o-line. And Lynch needs to prove
he’s the real deal. The defense also took a step back. This team has
some good young talent, but it needs more time to mature. Expect a 5-11
record and a last-place finish in the AFC East.
