Bills Breakdown: Ten Things Jauron, Bills Must Change to Succeed in 2009

How far the Buffalo Bills have fallen. Exactly a year ago, the Bills were sitting on top of the AFC East with a 4-0 record. They were ranked in the top five in nearly every major power ranking. But, they failed to make the playoffs.

A mere month ago, the Bills were playing in the most-watched television program of 2009, Monday Night Football, against the New England Patriots.

After a crushing loss to the rival Patriots, the Bills defeated the re-building Buccaneers. The following week, a dominating defensive performance was overshadowed by an anemic offense in a 20-point loss to the Saints. People began to wonder.

Last week, the Bills suffered their most embarrassing loss since a 52-10 lambasting at the hands of those very same Patriots at home in 2007. The Dolphins rode three interceptions of Trent Edwards and 250 yards rushing to a 38-10 defeat. Now, wonder for some has turned into certainty.

Many believe the Bills are again doomed for another winter watching the playoffs on television, something they've done for the past nine seasons.

We've been disappointed in the minimal boost Terrell Owens has brought to Buffalo's offense, but he reminded us during his weekly press conference that the season is only into its fifth week. There's a lot of football yet to play.

I'm not being idiotically optimistic. It's hard to be real optimistic at all. But it's as foolish to call this season quits in Week Five, as it was last season to book a spot in the playoffs at this same juncture.

I'm not sold on the Bills rebounding, becoming the league's hottest team and stampeding into the playoffs, but here are the ten things they must do, or a decade of futility will be complete.

10. Get healthy—I'm putting this at the ten spot, because it's basically out of the Bills' control. Starters Bryan Scott, Donte Whitner, and Paul Posluszny are still nursing injuries, but are expected to return this year. Their starter savvy and superior athleticism is dearly needed.

The Bills' backups aren't horrible football players, it's just obvious they have little to no game experience.

9. Win against the teams that aren't overly talented—I'm peering further down the road here, but games against the Chiefs, Panthers, Titans, Texans, Jaguars, and this Sunday against the Browns are must-wins. The Jaguars and Texans may be better squads than the Bills at this point, but they all are games that certainly aren't out of reach. Give yourself a shot.

If the Bills continue to believe that they're the nerdy freshmen and the rest of the NFL symbolizes the hot, blonde senior, they're done. Those are games they must win, to have any chance in the dog days of November and December. Believe in yourself.

8. Either speed up, or slow down the no-huddle—The Bills' offensive leaders (Dick Jauron, Alex Van Pelt, Trent Edwards) have been the targets of harsh criticism regarding the effectiveness of the No-Huddle and whether it should be scrapped or not.

For a guy like me, this story has been littered all across local media outlets. It's been everywhere. The bashing is comparable to the news about David Letterman for the rest of you, whose lives revolve around more than just sports. 

It's a valid point. The Bills rank dead last in time of possession (just over 25 minutes per game) and last week they held the ball for only 22 minutes against the Dolphins. One first thinks lack of ball control is the main ingredient in the recipe for losing a football game.

But entering the season, the Bills knew they weren't going to win many possession battles, and wanted to use the up-tempo attack to confuse defenses while masking the limits of their offensive line. So, if you want to be quick with the offense, catch defenses off-guard, then do it. What's the point in waiting around?

The other school of thought here is what Dick Jauron has been alluding to all week. The no-huddle doesn't necessarily relate to time of possession. A team running the no-huddle can hike the ball quick into the play clock or wait until its final ticks.

So what's the point, then? Why not huddle, strengthen communication, call a play, then allow Trent Edwards to audible at the line if he feels the need?

Either way works; it's the Bills' indecision with the attack that they themselves founded in the early '90s, that's had the offense actually stymieing itself.

7. Use the middle of the field—This is nit-picking, but comments below would be appreciated on the amount of throws you've seen this year across the middle. Many teams live between the two safeties. Outside of a few Terrell Owens slant attempts (that have been intercepted ) I don't recall an attempt to use the seam of the field.

The thought here is, with safety coverage mainly on the outside to help in cover-two defenses, the middle of the field should be open.

Trent's perfect for this call—he can make that touch throw over the linebackers, in front of the deep safeties. Owens and Lee Evans can go deep somewhere other than down the sideline, remember that. How about running two wide receivers at a safety—make him commit one way or the other.

Not difficult. Spread 'em out. Use the entire field.

6. More aggressive on defense—I've got nothing but praise for the defensive front, that's sixth in the NFL in sacks at this point. Not a misprint. The Bills 11 sacks have them nearing the top five in quarterback take-downs. Never thought I'd live to see the day. However, the defensive coordinator(s) must use this extreme luxury to his/their advantage.

Usually, when a team can force pressure with four rushers at the line, the coverage has a field day. With seven players dropping into coverage, the secondary has to play with a new sense of aggression. Jump a comeback route, peel off a receiver to step in-front of a throw. They've got six to seven players covering three to four players on opposing offenses.

You don't need to be a mathematician to realize those numbers are heavily stacked in the Bills favor. Again, not a tough fix. Just a game plan tweak.

5. Move players around—Sorry for the generality, but I mean it in a very broad sense. Terrell Owens has historically worked well in the slot, to the quarterback's left, and just off the line. Lee Evans makes a deadly slot guy, as well. No nickel-back is covering him down the middle. How about Roscoe Parrish on the outside, for an easy slip screen? Or Marshawn Lynch spilt wide?

Not only will personnel changes confuse defenses, but the matchups they create make Trent Edwards' job that much easier. The NFL is all about finding favorable matchups for your team, and exploiting the other teams' weaknesses. Do it.


4. Use play-action—Please, please use more play-action. The mis-direction and play-action bootlegs were critical to the Bills' offense ripping the Patriots defense in Week One. In Week Two, the fake-run was pivotal in deep connections with Lee Evans and Terrell Owens for scores.

Why the abandonment? There's really no point. The play-action creates that split-second bite from the defense that's often the difference between an interception and completion. Buffalo's two running backs have got to be on opposing defenders' minds, so the Bills must use the play-action to their benefit. Watch games on Sunday, the majority of big plays you see will come from that pesky fake hand-off.

3. Play with some pride—It's funny that most of my points are referring to the X's and O's of football, but the most important aspects of revitalizing your season comes from within.

The Bills have a great fan base standing behind them (though it's tough) and although some are calling it a season, many (including yours truly, the eternal optimist) still believe this team can win football games. Look around and see the bevy of talent and promise on the Bills' roster. It's definitely there.

Buffalo needs to go into every Sunday in full belief they will win. They can't be worried about protecting their dignity while doing what they can do to lose by only 14, not 21.

2. Run the football—Back to the field. It sounds easy enough, right? A fundamental of the game.

The Bills have come out firing, in probably the wrong situation this season. Though Owens and Evans—on paper, at least—are a dynamic duo, the Bills O-line is young, and their quarterback isn't exactly a seasoned veteran.

Think about this...the Bills have only reached the 10th rush of the game before reaching the 10th pass attempt of the game once, in a victory against the Buccaneers. What that means is, the Bills have been trying to pass to set up the run. Isn't that bass ackwards?

1. Play with some fire—No offense to Dick Jauron, but if you need fire, look elsewhere. He may be a good coach behind the scenes, but I've seen more emotion from Ben Stein. I'm a firm believer in the fact that Jauron doesn't need to grab players by the face mask after a missed assignment, but the golf claps after a punt don't cut it in the NFL.

Someone, say a veteran like Aaron Schobel, Lee Evans, or in this case, quarterback Trent Edwards must step up, and light a fire under the behinds of the entire team. They need more inspired team efforts like the defense's play against New Orleans or the offense's showing against New England. If Buffalo can use passion to form complete team outings each week, the Buffalo Bills will rebound from their slow start.

I'm not expecting every or all of these ideas to be implemented. Heck, they might not change a thing. But if the Bills really believe they can make a playoff run, as crazy as it may sound right now, they need to make some adjustments.

The only thing that's for certain is, if we're watching a 10th straight NFL postseason without the Bills, the coach and some of the players will no longer be with us.