Beware of the Buffalo:Offseason Leads to Big Offensive Changes for Bills

If someone was describing the Bills' offense last season, words like predictable, deficient, and abysmal would come to mind. They improved from the Steve Fairchild-led group of the year before but the only place to go was up after the bleak offensive performance from the 2007 season. The Bills averaged a meager 21 points per game in 2008, good for 23rd in the league. 

The offense wasn't creative showing a mixture of sets, and most certainly wasn't imaginative in the play-calling department. If the Bills' fans were the jury in the case of the lackluster offense, Turk Schonert would have been found guilty. 

Some blame was rightfully placed on the first year offensive coordinators' shoulders, but the lack of talent on the offensive side of the ball was the main culprit in the Bills' point scoring predicament.

Let's look at how the Buffalo's off-season acquisitions may bring more flair and ingenuity to a desperate Bills offense.

Spread 'Em Out

Seeing the Bills in a five-wide set last year was very rare. Lee Evans created his normal matchup problems because of his elite speed and route running ability, but the rest of the receiving corp was unable to consistently get open.

Josh Reed may have been the favorite underneath target of Trent Edwards, but outside of Roscoe Parrish's occasional reception, the Bills wide receivers were inexperienced in all facets of becoming quality targets in the NFL.

Rookie James Hardy disappointed, not even eclipsing 100 yards on the season, and Steve Johnson contributed late in the season but defenses were never scheming for him even during the time he was most productive.

Now with Terrell Owens opposite Lee Evans, the secondary receivers for the Bills have more room to get open, and will see a lot more single coverage.

Expect to see Buffalo line up in many more four and five receiver sets, to spread the field as much as possible allowing Trent Edwards to work through his progressions, something he does very well.

The Bills will create matchup issues with their spread attack. Imagine, a linebacker on Roscoe Parrish, or a small corner on Terrell Owens. The frequent spread offensive will give the Bills an advantage in the passing game not seen since the K-Gun days.

No-Huddle Offense

Don't expect the success of the K-Gun instantly, but with the likes of Dominic Rhodes, Eric Wood, Andy Levitre, and Terrell Owens now donning Bills' jerseys, the no-huddle offense makes a ton of sense.

Trent Edwards' strong suits thus far in his career have been his quick decision making, and release.

The Bills now boast three running backs in Lynch, Jackson, and Rhodes with serious pass-catching ability. Quick swing routes and inside circles in front of linebackers will be common routes run by the multi-faceted backs on passing downs. Their isn't a major drop off in talent between the three runners, so keeping everyone fresh won't be a daunting task.

The young, revamped, offensive line has a lot of potential and grit, but nothing is certain. It may take time to gel into a cohesive unit but the Bills can't get off to a slow start especially with the tough back end of their schedule.

If all the above reasons don't spell out "No-Huddle Offense", I don't know what does. Add in the aforementioned passing game potency and the Bills' ability to keep defenses off balance and winded, and you have yourself the Bills' success in 2009.

Goin' Deep

As if this isn't obvious enough, the Bills have two of the NFL's most intimidating deep threats in Terrell Owens and Lee Evans. Much has been made of how Owens will be the perfect compliment as a possession guy to Evans' deep threat potential.

Although different in stature, these guys both love the long ball. In the past two seasons Owens and Evans both averaged near 16 yards per catch, never finishing below 16th in the league.

Anticipate a lot more double-move deep routes, and long balls down the sidelines this season. It will make defensive coordinators weary, and allow guys like Roscoe Parrish and Josh Reed to feed off underneath throws from Edwards.

It may not seem drastic but those three tweaks to Buffalo's offensive playbook will change the way defenses plan for the Bills in 2009. For the first time in recent memory, the Bills' talent gives their offensive coordinator room to be a creative coach.

With Edwards maturing into his third NFL season, he will be asked to keep defenses unsteady with the no-huddle offense. The spread look produces coverage difficulty, and with two of the leagues most supreme deep threats, safeties will have to keep their heads on a swivel every down.

Turk Schonert has experienced a full year as an offensive coordinator in the NFL and he knows there is much room for improvement. The Bills' accomplishments hinge on his play-calling.

All of these changes will revitalize the Bills' lifeless offense in 2009.