A Decade of Futility and a Little Optimism for the 2009 Buffalo Bills

Are Bills fans looking at a decade without making the playoffs? We are talking 10 years here. Ten!

In the era of free agency in the National Football League, there is no excuse for any team to be as futile as the Bills for that long. Who is to blame?

Tom Donahoe has been considered the scapegoat, the man we all blame for setting the franchise back by years. Conversely, he came in and cleaned up the huge mess that John Butler left before he headed for greener pastures in San Diego.

Donahoe made the Bills respectable and competitive again, but sacrificed the future by signing high-priced, big name veterans, who made the team better, but not good enough.

Then, after years of average play and missed opportunities, Donahoe was let go to make way for the man who would right the ship and bring the Bills back to prominence. Well, not exactly.

Marv Levy was a respected football man and a great coach, but as a GM, his personnel and coaching moves were questionable at best. To his credit, he did draft a few players who will be long-time Buffalo Bills and potential Pro Bowlers.

Following Levy’s sudden departure, the Bills handed the reigns to marketing genius Russ Brandon. That brings us to the 2009 T.O. Bills—no, not the Toronto Bills (the thought of that still makes me sick)—the Terrell Owens Bills.

Who would have thought? Terrell Owens, a Buffalo Bill? To Russ Brandon and anyone who knows marketing, the idea must have sounded terrific.

The fans were down on the team after three consecutive 7-9 seasons with Coach Dick Jauron, the same man the Bills brain trust decided to bring back. Would fans still sell out the Ralph, buy merchandise, and continue to be near the top of the league in television ratings?

Maybe they would, but that is just Buffalo being Buffalo. The people here are generally optimistic about their sports even when common sense will tell you something different. Frankly, Brandon decided to make a bold move—a marketing move—that would sell tickets and make the team relevant in its home town and across the nation.

The real question is whether Owens will help the Bills on the field or be a distraction. It almost isn’t worth trying to predict the impending doom caused by the Owens sideshow. How he behaves on the field and in the locker room remains to be seen.

What he does bring are Hall of Fame numbers and a proven threat to compliment Lee Evans. The Bills sorely needed someone who could take some of the heat off Evans. Defensive backs will have their hands full with that tandem and the rest of the Bills receivers including Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish.

Couple that with tight end Shawn Nelson, the team’s 2009 fourth round pick—a legitimate receiving threat according to many draft experts—and the Bills have a dangerous passing game.

The Bills need steady quarterback play from Trent Edwards who saw a season of highs and lows last year.

First and foremost, Edwards needs to stay healthy and he will need a lot of help from his new-look offensive line. Gone are left guard Derrick Dockery and disgruntled Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters.

In addition to having early draft picks Eric Wood and Andy Levitre as potential starting guards, Langston Walker has been moved to left tackle and Brad Butler has been moved to right. Free agent Geoff Hangartner should start at center.

As a unit, they have potential to be good, but the combination of two first-year starters and a completely reshuffled line just sounds bad on paper.

On the other side of the ball, first round pick and Penn State alum Aaron Maybin should help the non-exist pass rush. More importantly, a healthy Aaron Schobel will be a huge addition.

Keith Ellison on the field at linebacker is still a liability in my opinion and the fact that the team has not addressed it in the offseason is disappointing.

Everyone keeps saying it, but this is a make-or-break year for Jauron and the rest of the Bills coaching staff. Anything less than the playoffs is unacceptable and Jauron knows it.

Will T.O. be the savior that everyone in Buffalo is expecting or will he be the locker room cancer that personally sticks the fork in Jauron? More likely, he will play through his time in Buffalo as professionally as he possibly can to earn the last big contract in his NFL career, but we all know this is no guarantee.

Can the offensive line gel into a cohesive unit capable of giving Edwards time to find his two star receivers? Will they be able to make holes for Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson in the running game?

Will the defense be able to get a consistent pass rush and eliminate big plays?

All of these questions will be answered in a few short months, but for now let’s enjoy the summer months, the start of training camp, and the optimism we all share for the upcoming season. Only when we reach Autumn will the most important question be answered. Will the Buffalo Bills make it ten straight years without the playoffs?

A decade of futility, indeed.

My season prediction: 9-7 (no playoffs)