Buffalo Bills' 2008 Preview: Getting To Know Your Offense

Well, the season is still months away, but with the draft over, and teams starting to shake the rust off in OTAs and mini-camp, the sound of football is getting fans revved up.

With many of their core players returning, as well as their injury-reserve players becoming healthy, the Buffalo Bills appear to be a strong force in the AFC, and should contend for a playoff bid. After two consecutive 7-9 seasons under coach Dick Jauron, and with last season marred by injury, the Bills had another strong offseason, addressing many of their needs, and seem ready to make the leap so many fans have been waiting for.

Quarterback: Lets start by talking about the most important, and most scrutinized, position. Last year's starter J.P. Losman (6'2" 212 lbs) is now the backup to second-year player Trent Edwards. Edwards takes over after a strong, but inconsistent, rookie campaign. One that saw him and J.P. both have two turns as the starter. Edwards went 5-4 in his role under center, while Losman went 2-5.

Losman has struggled with inconsistent play throughout his short career, infuriating coaches and fans alike. Couple that with the fact that he was drafted during the Donahoe regime (first round, 22nd pick), and it seems to spell the end of Losman's playing career in Buffalo. He is a young and athletic gunslinger with a powerful arm, and will certainly catch on somewhere. He is also a good teammate and outstanding citizen.

Trent Edwards (6'4" 231 lbs) was a third-round draft pick (92nd overall) last season out of Stanford. He was a highly-touted prospect coming out of Los Gatos High school. Injuries derailed his promising college career, along with being on a pretty bad team in a strong conference. Edwards was expected to take a couple years to groom behind Losman, but an injury to Losman's knee in Week Three against the Patriots ended that idea.

Edwards played admirably last season, considering how he was thrown into the fire, and after an injury to his wrist gave Losman another chance at starting, he didn't lose confidence in himself. He got another shot while almost saving the season with two straight wins, which saw us in the playoff race until Week 15 where the Bills lost in the snow game to Cleveland 8-0.

Edwards had one of his best games against the Miami Dolphins, throwing for 165 yards and four touchdowns. He also had a great game against the Jets on Week Four, throwing for 234 yards, and against the Redskins, throwing for another 257 in a come-from-behind victory.

Edwards is a smart, technically sound QB, who is calm under pressure (see the game against the Redskins). He reads defenses quickly and delivers the ball with his quick release. He has an underrated arm and a compact release, and he has good pocket awareness for a young QB.

He has good leadership skills and takes command of the huddle, getting the information out and getting everybody lined up. He had a good offseason, putting on 30 pounds of muscle to better withstand the rigors of a full season. He has good potential and great expectations. If Losman stays for this season, which I think he will, then expect the Bills to keep two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster and maybe one on the practice squad.

Running Back: This is arguably their strongest position on the roster. With Marshawn Lynch (5'11" 215 lbs) returning for his second season after his first offseason in an NFL strength and conditioning program. Lynch was a beast last season, running over people for 1,115 yard and four yards per carry, despite missing three games due to an ankle injury. Lynch got stronger and quicker in the offseason, and he looks to break out in 2009.

Lynch was the Bills' first-round pick (12th overall) last season out of the University of California, and he did not disappoint. He made crucial plays and ran over opponents, even when it seemed like plays where over. He would say that he was in "BEAST MODE". He had his breakout game against the Bengals, running for over 100 yards (153 yards) for the first time, and adding a YouTube highlight-reel run to punctuate it. Lynch is also a receiving threat who runs smooth routes and has good hands.

The Bills have good depth behind Lynch, and a good one-two punch when paired with Fred Jackson. Jackson (6'1" 215 lbs) a former Coe College and Sioux City Bandit of the United Indoor Football League, came on strong last year in his first season after spending 2006 on the practice squad. He ran for 300 yards on 58 carries, a 5.5 yards per carry average. He had his first 100-yard game against Miami, running for 115 yards. He had his breakout game against the Redskins with 82 yards rushing and another 69 receiving for a total of 151 yards from scrimmage.

The third running back will probably be Dwayne Wright, a fourth-round pick (111th overall) last year out of Fresno State. Wright is a big back (5'11" 228 lbs) who isn't going to run away from too many people, but is a strong, between the tackles runner. He is also a good blocker, which could allow him to see the field in some situations and on special teams.

Xavier Omon, the team's sixth-round pick (179th overall) this year should end up on the practice squad, unless he beats out Wright for the third running back spot. Omon is a big (5'11 227 lbs), one cut back, who ran all over Division II last year, scoring 37 touchdowns last year, and 98 total touchdowns in four years. The Bills should keep three running backs on the 53-man roster, and maybe a practice squad player.

Fullback: The Bills will go with a fullback this year after a failed attempt to go with a H-back last season. Shortly after the season ended (Jan. 17 to be exact) the Bills signed Darian Barnes to the team. He is a big (6'2" 240 lbs) veteran fullback. He played for Tampa, Dallas, Miami, and most recently for the Jets, before landing in Buffalo. He will be in his seventh pro season. He is one of the few pure, blocking fullbacks in the league at a dieing position.

With the Bills going back to a power-run game with Barnes leading the way for Marshawn Lynch, defenses will be sore after games. He should also help on special teams.

Mike Viti, an undrafted free agent out of Army, is a small (5'9" 236 lbs) but compact player with a chance to make the practice squad if he can stay healthy. He holds an Army record for benching 470 pounds, and is said to have "muscles coming out of muscles". He was also a team captain at Army, and could see time on special teams. We will keep one fullback on the 53-man roster

Wide Receiver: This is arguably the most improved position on the team. Last season the team lacked height and depth, and both are areas that the Bills improved upon via the draft. They added James Hardy with the 41st-overall pick in the second round, and at 6'6" and 220 pounds, the former basketball player will provide height and playmaking ability in the red zone.

This will allow Josh Reed (5'10" 210 lbs) to move back to the slot where he can be a playmaker and a chain mover, while also allowing them to have more designed packages for Roscoe Parrish (5'9" 171 lbs) their most electrifying player.

They also added Steve Johnson in the seventh round. A 6'2" 2000-pound receiver out of Kentucky who will compete with Justin Jenkins, a good special teams player, and Felton Huggins, a practice-squad player last year. Of course, this unit isn't complete without their No. 1 receiver Lee Evans. 

Evans (5'10" 197 lbs), their first-round pick (13th pick) in 2004 out of Wisconsin has become their go-to guy, a player who commands double teams because of his great speed and play-making ability. Evans is coming off of a down season where he only caught 55 balls for 849 yards and only five touchdowns.

He was the product of inconsistent quarterbacking and a conservative offense. He also had nobody else that really scared defenses, causing him to be double and triple teamed a lot. With the addition of Hardy, and a devastating ground game, Evans should breakout again in 2009, and have over 1,000 yards and almost double his scoring output from last season.

Evans didn't get many chances to shine last year, but had some spectacular catches deep down the field, and even on some end-zone fade routes, tip-toeing the sideline. His most spectacular catch was his game-winner against the Jets in Week Eight. Losman threw a pass that was under thrown late in the fourth quarter, with the Bills clinging to a 6-3 lead, and Evans fought through two Jets for the ball. He landed on his feet and kept running the rest of the way for an 85-yard score to win 13-3. The Bills will probably keep five wideouts on their 53-man roster and a practice squad player.

Tight End: Tight end is one of the team's weakest positions. They tried to address it over the offseason in free agency and in the draft. They have Robert Royal (6'4" 255 lbs) returning as the probable starter after offseason knee surgery. Royal is a sound blocker, but has shaky hands and fumble problems. Losing Michael Gaines was a big blow to this position, but he was not worth what the Lions gave him in my opinion.

I like the addition of Teyo Johnson, an early signing in January; it has gone under the radar. Johnson is a second-round pick (63rd overall) by the Raiders back in 2003 out of Stanford, where he played both football and basketball. He has good speed for a tight end, and is a big target at 6'6" and 260 pounds; he could be what the team is looking for at the position.

Another free agent brought in to compete is Courtney Anderson, another big tight end (6'6" 270 pounds) with the ability to stretch the field. The Bills still have Derek Schouman, a seventh-round choice last year and Tim Massaquoi a free-agent pickup last year. The Bills did draft a tight end this year with their second pick in the fourth round in Derek Fine out of Kansas. Fine is a decent receiver and a willing blocker, who will most likely make his mark on special teams this season.

The Bills will probably keep three tight ends instead of four on the 53-man roster, because of the fullback position will take up one of those spots. This should be a good battle to watch develop in training camp and through the preseason.

Offensive Line: One of our weakest positions has become one of our strongest, and looks to stay that way for a few more seasons. The improvement of Jason Peters on the left side has been remarkable. The addition of Derrick Dockery last season has been a good move, along with bringing in Langston Walker, a solid right tackle, and both were free-agent signings last year.

Brad Butler has been a nice surprise as well at the right guard. Melvin Fowler is a smart, technically sound center at the one spot on the O-line I thought they would bring in some serious competition. I think they will upgrade the position next year through the draft (see my "Looking Ahead" article for more info).

We have solid depth with Jason Whittle coming off of injured reserve, and Duke Preston as our interior backups, both also play special teams. Kirk Chambers is our swing tackle. We have some good, young talent on the way in rookie free-agent guard Robert Felton out of Arkansas, and seventh-round pick Demetrius Bell out of Northwestern, a former basketball center turned offensive tackle. We also have practice squad players Nevin McCaskill, Christian Gaddis, Patrick Estes, and tight end turned tackle Matt Murphy. 

This is one of the most solid lines in the league, and it will only be their second season together, so watch for more improvement. It is also one of the biggest lines in the league. The former 2004, college free-agent out of Arkansas, Jason Peters, who was a tight end there and is now a Pro-Bowl left tackle (and don't worry, he will get his money, he has every other year) is 6'4" 340 pounds.

Derrick Dockery, our road-grading right guard, a former third-round pick (81st overall) in the 2003 NFL draft out of Texas by the Redskins, is a massive 6'6" 330 pounds.

At center we have the former Brown and Viking Melvin Fowler, a third-round pick (76th overall) in the 2002 draft, who stands in at 6'3" 310 pounds. Our starting right guard is our fifth-round pick (143rd overall) in 2006 out of Virginia, Brad Butler, who is 6'7" 315 pounds.

Langston Walker was a second-round pick (57th overall) out of California in the 2002 draft by the Raiders is our huge, right tackle who weighs at 366 pounds and 6'8". That's 1,661 pounds of protection for Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch. The Bills will probably keep nine offensive linemen on their 53-man roster and two on the practice squad.

I am going to put out a "Breaking Down the 2008 Buffalo Bills: Getting to Know Your Defense", discussing the improved defense and special teams very soon.