Five Ways the Bills Can Rise

Can the Buffalo Bills make a run this season, and put themselves back in the playoffs for the first time since the 1999 season?

That’s the ultimate question facing this football team and head coach Dick Jauron, who's back after some resistance from the Bills’ fan base, entering his fourth season on the sidelines at The Ralph Wilson Stadium.

But what does this team have to do in order to get back on top and finally compete with the New England Patriots for the AFC East crown? Today, I'm all about Buffalo as I try to figure out a way the Bills can make a run into January.

Getting Back on Top

1. Play more Cover 1 on defense

One of the knocks against the Bills’ defense is its inability to stop the run. In ’08, the Bills gave up more than 121 yards a game on the ground, and a lot of that was attributed to their failure to play solid run defense in their Tampa 2 scheme, which is a seven-man front.

Buffalo has the talent at corner in Terrence McGee, Leodis McKelvin, and Ashton Youboty to play man-to-man with safety help. Safety Donte Whitner has good enough feet to match up against a No. 3 receiver in the slot.

If I were the Bills, I would move Whitner to free safety (where he can make more plays), thus moving Bryan Scott into the starting lineup at strong safety, and becoming more of an eight-man-front team that brings pressure and plays man coverage in the back end. Stop the run, and take your chances with McGee and McKelvin.

2. Get T.O. involved

Forget about the media attention that Terrell Owens brings to the shores of Lake Erie at The Ralph, because along with Lee Evans, this combo matches up with the best outside the numbers—and that includes Randy Moss and Wes Welker of the Pats.

Expect the Bills to see plenty of Cover 2 and 2-Man in the backend when they attack the field in the passing game. This is where they must take advantage of defensive schemes.

The issue with each of these coverages is in the middle of the field, where both Evans and Owens can stem their routes, get up field, and work between the two deep safeties—this leads to big plays, which Buffalo needs. Owens should make the Bills a game-plan nightmare in the passing game.

Jackson will need a big September until Marshawn Lynch returns.

3. Forget about Marshawn Lynch in September

There’s no reason Lynch should be talked about heading into camp or into September, because he’s gone—and Fred Jackson is the man in the backfield along with free agent pickup Dominic Rhodes. We all know that Lynch is a special talent in the backfield—and one of the better dual-threat backs in the league—but I still think the Bills can expect the same production with a combination of Jackson and Rhodes.

Jackson can run downhill with power, and he breaks more tackles than you'd think; plus, I like the idea of Rhodes becoming a major player in this offense in the short-to-intermediate passing game, especially in third-and-medium situations.

Losing Lynch, who is suspended for the first three games, was a blow to the offense, but there’s a reason Jackson got a new deal, and there's a reason Rhodes was brought in—to pick up Lynch’s production and make this team forget about him for a while. Still, there's plenty of production to replace.

4. Find a pass rush

The Bills only got to the quarterback 24 times in ’08, and although plenty of that can be attributed to the health of DE Aaron Schobel, thy need to get the most out of their front four, which will be a challenge with the departure of defensive line coach Bill Kolar to the Texans.

If the Bills can get production from both Schobel and rookie DE Aaron Maybin, they can continue to rely on their Tampa 2 scheme in third-and-long situations. Until they see that, though, I expect them to bring pressure and use the fire zones that are synonymous with this scheme.

If they can’t generate a pass rush up front, they need to get creative—use Whitner, get the linebackers active, and basically do whatever it takes to get to the quarterback and cause turnovers. With Tom Brady back in the division, the Bills can’t afford to sit back in coverage and let him pick them apart.

T.O. and the Bills have to play good football at 'The Ralph.'

5. Win at home

Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park should be one of the toughest places to play in the entire league. The weather can change in an instant, and a day that was sunny and pleasant can turn into a rainstorm with lake winds that knock you off your feet. Plus, it’s the ultimate weapon when the rain turns to snow later in the season.

The Bills have to win early to set this up, and that starts within the division.

Buffalo went 0-6 in AFC East games in 2008, and that’s just bad football, folks. The Bills should expect to win all three division games at home, and then at worst go 1-2 on the road in the East, which should set them up for a run when the weather turns. No one wants to come to Buffalo in late November and December, and that includes the tourists at Niagara Falls, let alone a football team.

If quarterback Trent Edwards can manage this offense in the weather, the Bills should be a solid football team at home. Starting fast and winning home games is crucial to setting up a move in the division after Thanksgiving.