How Will The Bills Fare In '09

The Bills in 2008 were a large dissapointment.  After a strong start of 5-1 then finished 7-9 for the third straight year.  But how will they do this upcoming 2009 season?

First is what led to their offense finishing 25th in YPG in the 2008 season.  The Bills ran into much trouble against the 3-4 defense of the Jets and Patriots.  The running game could not gain ground which caused to many 3 and outs.

This was largely caused by the offensive line.  Most importantly the center.  Our centers could not stand up to the nose tackles of the AFC East teams, which includes names like Vince Wilfork, Kris Jenkins, and Jason Ferguson.  This was causing domination of the interior line as a whole.  Our running game did not play well until the second half of the season, when we prepared for the NT to break down the interior line. 

The defense was another cause for concern but was vastly underrated throughout the season.  The Bills secondary was the strong of the season but could not generate enough game changing plays.  This was largely in part due to the lack of a pass rush from the defensive line.

Aaron Schobel went down with injury and prior to that the Bills pass rush was respectable.  Problem was that there was not enough depth behind him.  Marcus Stroud received double teams each play and resulted in a lack of middle presence.  This greatly contributed to the Bills defense blunders of the '08 season.  Yet the defense still finished 14th in YPG.

So how will the Bills Fair in '09?

The Bills completely re-tooled their offensive line. They released LG Derrick Dockery, traded away Pro-Bowl LT Jason Peters, and allowed Duke Preston and Melvin Fowler to leave via free agency. Now RT Langston Walker is switching to LT.  RG Brad Butler is moving to RT.  And the Bills signed C Geoff Hangartner.  Then drafted Eric Wood and Andy Levitre to play the guard positions.

The Bills are hoping the changes pay off and make the Bills offensive line to become more aggressive and make a strong presence on the interior line.

They also signed Terrell Owens, one of the top and also controversial WR's in the league.  Granted he has caused problems on other teams, I still see this as a great possibility to create havoc for team's defenses.  You cannot double-cover both Lee Evans or Owens and keep a safety in the box to stop Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.

Granted its was a risk to pick up Terrell Owens, but one that was needed to be taken.

The Bills defense will also be improved from last year.  The bills drafted Aaron Maybin out of Penn-State.  He will not play every down, but if he can generate 6-9 sacks on partial downs, then the move is successful. 

The Bills also have a young cornerback in Leodis Mckelvin.  He showed great promise last year, and even though he is not a playmaker he still has signs of being a great corner.  Paul Posluszny is officially in his third year but it is more like his second (injuries limited him in the first year).  This is his year that will show how good he can be and how much of a leader on the defense he can become.

On the day of the Bills first preseason game I am hopeful that the offensive line will show some promise and that we can see a glimpse at the power of the WR duo of Evans and Owens.  With that in mind, if the Bills plans pan out like we all hope, they will be a very dangerous team and will have great potential to make the playoffs.