10 Answers: What Needs To Happen For a Buffalo Bills Return To The Playoffs

(Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

Beating bottom feeders and other mediocre squads on the road is nice, but now is the time to beat some contenders away from home as well.

7. Turk Schonert as an offense taker opposed to an offense maker

Remember the Chiefs game last year? If the aforementioned no-huddle plan comes to fruition, we could see a lot of similar outcomes in 2009 in Buffalo’s favor. But for this to happen, Schonert needs to hand the reigns off to Trent Edwards and not look back.

After losing four straight last year, Schonert moved upstairs to the coaching box to see the field and get a better idea of the flow of the game. It was a great start, but he still needs to relinquish control of the offense because if he can’t swallow his pride this offense will be stuck in neutral.

Edwards is a smart QB that is more than capable of letting the offense run through him.

8. Significant production from the unexpected

I did a piece recently about 9 players who will breakout in 2009, and even though it’s highly unlikely that all of them do, we need at least three of them to. The ones that are most crucial include John McCargo, Trent Edwards and Leodis McKelvin.

But here’s hoping that somebody like Aaron Maybin, Poz, or even Chris Ellis can emerge as an untamed beast on defense in 2009 because we still have several gaping holes on that side of the football that could hold this team back.

It would also be nice if Schobel regains his 2006, pre-mega contract form as well because this team is starving for sacks.

9. Refusing to raise the white flag in the trenches

Cliché time: The game is won in the trenches, and all eyes will be on Buffalo’s retooled offensive line in 2009.

The brain trust in Orchard Park believes they’ve addressed the interior of the line more than enough to handle the onslaught of nose tackles in a division where all three rivals play the 3-4, but the biggest questions will be at the tackle positions that protect the pass rush from the outside.

This line was brutal in 2008, and if they are worse this year than there will be no chance of making it to the postseason, let alone Edwards lasting 16 games. Conversely, the defensive line needs to produce some semblance of a pass rush in 2009 and hope the run defense holds firm like it did last year.

10. Rise of a superstar

The last and most important aspect that will determine the 2009 Buffalo Bills playoff fate is simple. Most playoff teams have one thing in common: they either send multiple players to the pro bowl or they have one key player that single-handedly carries the team in MVP fashion.

If one player truly needs to rise to the occasion in 2009 and have a career year, it’s Trent Edwards. But even if Edwards is marginally improved from 2008, that could pave the way for somebody like Evans, TO or Lynch to emerge as a prime time player capable of taking a game over.

On defense McKelvin and Whitner are young defenders that have shown flashes, but to truly become a playmaker, somebody needs to make plays and consistently take the ball away from opposing offenses.

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