Summer at St. John Fisher: Buffalo Bills 2009 Camp Questions Answered

The Bills' season officially starts under the ominous skies of Gillette Stadium on Monday Night Football, Sept. 14. But if you ask me, the season began Saturday morning.

Saying that I've been anxious for training camp to kickoff is a colossal understatement.

Along with the launch of the highly anticipated summer session come many questions, and Terrell Owens is at the forefront of everyone's uncertainty.

Can he form a bond with third year quarterback Trent Edwards? How will the added publicity brought by Owens affect the rest of the Bills? Will he and Lee Evans coexist as two true number one's on the same team?

All those questions are legitimate and will be beat into our brains for the coming weeks by the national sports media. So get used to 'em.

Some of the more "Bills-specific" writers, namely Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com, Brian Galliford of BuffaloRumblings.com, and Tim Graham, who maintains the AFC East blog on ESPN.com, have produced lists of the story lines worth following, in order to gauge the Bills' progress in Rochester. (Outside of the T.O. circus that will certainly ensue.)

Here's what we've heard heading into camp.

- The offensive line must begin to gel. The season depends on it. Eric Wood and Andy Levitre's arrivals are essential to the group molding into a cohesive unit. Though hopes are high, many believe the line's maturation process won't be completed at camp. 

- The no-huddle offense must be inserted into the monotonous read that the Bills refer to as their playbook. (The wrinkle fits Buffalo's personnel so exquisitely that if it's not used frequently in the season's first quarter, I'll reach a new level of disappointment with the Bills' coaching staff.) 

- The starting SAM position is up for grabs. Keith Ellison, Alvin Bowen, and Nic Harris, have at it.

- The pass rush needs help.

Very valid points to assume, and the aforementioned analysts have done a outstanding job making us aware of these background stories hiding behind T.O.'s bright smile.

Don't get me wrong, these guys know what they're talking about, but I'm a little hesitant to agree completely with the Bills' experts. Here's why.

I'm a firm believer that a good O-line lays the groundwork for a team's success and it's clear that the Bills' O-line has a long way to go. Every starter will man a new position and the odds-on favorites for the guard spots are rookies, talented ones at that.

I just think the whole situation is being blown a bit out of proportion.

The Bills' line won't be connected like the Patriots, Colts, or Giants' groups that are filled with veterans, but they don't need to be. It's too glaring of a need that I can't imagine offensive line coach Sean Kugler would head into the regular season on a hope and a prayer. He's aware that a few weeks at training camp isn't enough time to form a solid bond. 

I'm sure he'll work his men harder than he has in the past, but knowing all this, Turk Schonert will add more quick throws and nimble running plays to mask a problem that most likely won't be fixed until mid-season.

Terrell Owens is known for going deep, but he's done some major destruction to opposing defenses on that underneath drag. You know, the one where he motions from out wide into the slot. That one.

Josh Reed makes a living running routes from east to west. And don't tell me Roscoe Parrish and the Bills' running back trio aren't begging for some screens to be thrown in their direction.

Not to worry, big play fanatics, they'll be able to contain pass rushes long enough to free up Lee Evans for the long ball on an occasion. They won't be that bad.

Disguise the offensive line's inexperience while remaining productive.  

In turn, I agree with the notion that the no-huddle offense will occupy a good portion of daily practice.  

As for the starting SAM position, Keith Ellison need not worry. He can't slack by any means, because Alvin Bowen and Nic Harris are super athletic, but he always plays hard and he's got the edge in the experience department over his competition. He's not flashy, but surprisingly consistent.

The knock on Paul Posluszny is that he's often out of position. Kawika Mitchell sometimes gets caught over pursuing the play. Not Ellison. His 50 solo tackles were tied for third on the team with run-plugger Donte Whitner.

You don't hear about him much, because he doesn't make tons of outstanding plays, but his smarts keep him away from making the big mishap at critical points of a game. 

Bowen and Harris will be valuable tools for Bobby April's marvelous special teams.

Lastly, we come to the pass rush. It's simple. Last year, the pass rush stood still. This year barring injury, due to numbers alone, the Bills should get to the quarterback.

Keeping Aaron Schobel fresh at this juncture of his career is imperative, and with Chris Ellis and Aaron Maybin anxiously awaiting on the sidelines to feast on opposing signal callers, that won't be an issue. And remember, Ryan Denney did tie for the team lead with 4 sacks last season.

The interior of the line will demand familiar double teams, which always helps the edge rushers. Look for more outside blitzes as well. This won't be as hard of a fix for the Bills as many may think.

Call me the eternal Bills' optimist, but we'll see how everything unfolds.