Bills Won't Fool Anybody In 2009

By Miguel Rodriguez

  The Buffalo Bills had a September to remember last season, but it didn’t take too long for that month to become a distant memory.

  That’s because a promising start turned into one of the epic disappointments in franchise history.

  The Bills positioned themselves nicely to end an eight-year playoff drought by winning five of their first six games, including a 4-0 start. Factor in the Bills playing a weak schedule and that the powerful New England Patriots lost star quarterback Tom Brady to a season-ending knee injury in their opener – and fans (and media) couldn’t help but talk about the possibility of the Bills winning the AFC East and hosting a playoff game for the first time in more than a decade.

  It was all just a tease.

  The Bills became just the third team since the NFL adopted the 16-game schedule to miss the playoffs after a 5-1 start.

  How did that happen?

  Their inability to win a game against a division opponent is one reason.

  A bigger cause for their failure is the fact they’re still paying the price for a decade’s worth of poor personnel decisions – from bad draft-day selections, including first-round busts J.P. Losman and Mike Williams, to poor free-agent signings (offensive linemen Derrick Dockery, Tutan Reyes and Bennie Anderson and receiver Peerless Price).

  The Bills’ defense ranked 14^th in both points and yards allowed, but the unit’s middle-of-the-pack status was misleading because it finished 28^th in total sacks (24) and 20^th in takeaways (22). The ‘D’ only made 10 interceptions.

  Playoff defenses have playmakers that find ways to make positive game-changing plays, and that’s something that hasn’t happened with this club since the late 1990s.

  The offense failed to bailout the defense, ranking 23^rd in scoring and 22^nd in passing. Throw out a 54-point outburst against a bad Kansas City team in Week 12 and the Bills averaged just 14.78 points per game after scoring nearly 25 per in their first six contests.

  With that in mind, do the Bills have a chance at ending their playoff drought in 2009?

  A better question is do the Bills have a chance at winning a division game in 2009?

  Maybe.

  It’s all about modest goals since the playoffs are a long shot at best even with the signing of star receiver Terrell Owens.

  Owens is on the down side of his career but he’s still caught more touchdowns (38) the past three years than all of the Bills’ wide receivers (30) combined. Owens doesn’t make the Bills playoff contenders but at least the offense has the potential to instill fear in opposing defenses for the first time since 2002 when Drew Bledsoe was slinging passes to Pro Bowl receivers Eric Moulds and Peerless Price.

  While the defense will receive a boost from the return of former Pro Bowl defensive end Aaron Schobel, who missed the final 11 games of last season with a foot injury, it still doesn’t have enough impact players to make a difference in big games.

  Defensive end Ryan Denney and linebacker Kawika Mitchell shared the team lead with four sacks last year. That’s pathetic, as is starting end Chris Kelsay’s total of 4½ sacks since signing a four-year $23 million deal two years ago.

  The Bills hope they can change that with the selection of speedy defensive end Aaron Maybin in the first round of April’s draft.

  In the secondary, the last safety to record an interception was Donte Whitner in a Dec. 9, 2007 win over the Dolphins. That’s something that has to change and it’ll be a little more challenging in 2009 since the secondary lost ball hawk Jabari Greer (two interceptions, two touchdowns) via free agency.

  Second-year corner Leodis McKelvin has shown signs of having a nose for the football (two interceptions and one TD), but with just six starts under his belt he’s still a little green. The Bills hope second-round pick Jairus Byrd, who made 17 interceptions in college, can provide a boost, as well.

  The Bills will need a miracle to beat New England, which won 11 games and still missed the playoffs last year, now that Brady’s fit for duty. Brady is 13-1 lifetime against Buffalo.

  Miami made the worst-to-first jump in the division in one season with proven winner Bill Parcells making outstanding personnel selections – which included scooping up quarterback Chad Pennington after the Jets released him after trading for Brett Favre. The Dolphins brought back veteran defensive end Jason Taylor to work in tandem with pass-rushing linebacker Joey Porter (17½ sacks) in an attempt to make the playoffs two years in a row.

  The Jets? The defense should come to play under new coach Rex Ryan, who brought impact linebacker Bart Scott with him from Baltimore to inject some attitude in the unit. The offense? If they get solid play out of unproven quarterbacks Kellen Clemens and Mark Sanchez, then they could be playing games that matter in December.

  The Bills will likely be playing out the string by then. After three straight seven wins seasons and with strong AFC and NFC South teams serving as the Bills’ non-divisional opponents, another 7-9 season would be a lofty goal.

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