Playoff Bound in Buffalo? Bills Owe It to Their Fans

When the 2008 NFL season starts, I will be a sophomore in college.

The day after the Buffalo Bills' last playoff game, I talked about it with my friends in my 5th grade classroom.

The Bills, despite the likes of great quarterbacks Todd Collins, Rob Johnson, Doug Flutie, Alex Van Pelt, Drew Bledsoe, Kelly Holcomb, J.P. Losman, and Trent Edwards, haven't won a playoff game since 1995.

All sarcasm aside, the Buffalo Bills still sold out every game last year, as they did the year before, despite finishing 7-9 both seasons. The Bills have posted a winning record once in the last 8 seasons: In 2004, they finished 9-7. Fans have had just about enough. The Bills have been rebuilding since Jim Kelly left in 1996. They looked like they had something in 1998 and '99, but then Wade Phillips decided to start Rob Johnson over Pro Bowler Flutie.

The pieces are in place this year. The team has strengthened their defense, which despite inexperience and injury, had a decent 2007 season. The offensive line is the best its been in the last 6 or 7 seasons, and the team finally seems to have found a running back to build around in Marshawn Lynch. The team will likely pick a highly rated wide out in the upcoming draft, so their offense should be good to go.

That is, if the Bills have, finally, found a long-term QB in Trent Edwards.

The pressure is on Edwards this year because the team is as good as its been in a while. Its up to the coaches, however, to stick with Edwards, no matter what. If they think Edwards is the guy, and not J.P. Losman, than don't bench him after one bad game. This strategy obviously doesn't work, as we've seen in previous seasons with Johnson/Flutie, Losman/Holcomb, and Losman/Edwards last season. Switching QBs stunts the development of both, and the Bills don't have time to experiment anymore.

The time is now for the Buffalo Bills. Whether they will deliver remains to be seen.