Buffalo Bills' 2008 Preview: Getting to Know Your Defense

This is the second installment of my Buffalo Bills' offseason preview. In this part, we will be breaking down the defense, the special teams, and the coaching staff.

The Bills defense suffered the most last year in a season plagued with injuries. They lost two of their defensive linemen, three corners, two linebackers, and their free safety. They made it a point in the offseason to not only upgrade, but to add serious depth to the defense, especially in the secondary, which was hit the hardest.

Buffalos' defense is underrated, mostly because they do not put up great numbers. The last couple of years they have been a bend-but-don't-break defense. Allowing teams to put up good yardage against them, but it has worked in some games. This strategy forces offenses to be conservative by not allowing the big play, and has kept the Bills in some games by forcing field goals.

They are a fun group to watch though, because they fly to the ball and never take plays off. The defense is going to be much improved going in to next season, with the additions made through free agency and the draft, and just being healthy.

Defensive Line: The Bills use a rotation throughout the defensive line, in an effort to keep the players fresh. The line was fairly weak last season due to injuries. They failed to get to the quarterback or stop the run. They made some vast improvements this offseason. They traded for three-time Pro-Bowl defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, a huge addition (6'6" 310 lbs) to an undersized line. He commands double teams, and that will allow the other players to make more plays.

They also signed Spencer Johnson (6'3" 286 lbs) from the Vikings, who is exactly the type of player the Bills like because of his versatility (can play end or tackle) and work ethic. Buffalo also used its third-round pick (72nd overall) on Chris Ellis (6'4" 261 lbs), a pass-rushing end out of Virginia Tech.

Buffalo seems pretty solid up front this season, with the added depth and the addition of Stroud. That will take a lot of pressure off Aaron Schobel, a two-time Pro-Bowler, and former first-round pick (27th overall) defensive tackle John McCargo. McCargo (6'2" 307 lbs) was injured his rookie season, but showed flashes last year of why he was drafted so high. He only had 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks, but made some big plays by blowing up the run in the backfield. When a player like Stroud lines up next to him, McCargo should make a lot more plays.

Chris Kelsay will start opposite Schobel, with Ryan Denney and Ellis backing them up. Kyle Williams and Johnson will be the backups inside. With a deeper rotation and a much-improved line, expect another great year from Schobel and another trip to the Pro Bowl.

Linebacker: The linebacking unit got two major additions this offseason. They added Kawika Mitchell (6'1" 253 lbs) from the champion N.Y. Giants, and will get Paul Posluszny (6'1" 240 lbs) back from the injury that ended his very promising rookie season. This unit is also deeper now, with Keith Ellison a former starter moving into a backup role behind Mitchell, and backup John DiGiorgio having started 14 games last year in Posluszny's absence. Angelo Crowell (6'1" 246 lbs), who is one of the toughest and most underrated players on this team, is the other starting linebacker.

Buffalo needed to add more size to this unit, without sacrificing their most valuable weapon, speed. They did this with the addition of Mitchell, who is also a sure tackler, having played middle linebacker in his years at Kansas City.

Posluszny is a solid middle-linebacker who can drop into coverage, and gets through traffic on his way to the ball carrier. He only played three games last year, but had 26 tackles in those games and always seemed to be around the ball. Bills fans should be excited to get this guy back. He is a true, hard-nosed football player, who when he broke his arm was so mad that he let his teammates down, and was hoping to play the next week until the Bills placed him on IR.

The Bills added some depth here in the draft as well, picking Alvin Bowman (6'1" 222 lbs) out of Iowa State in the fifth round (147th pick overall). He is expected to contribute right away on special teams. With these additions, Crowell, the Bills' most consistent linebacker, will hopefully have a breakout year and take that step to the next level of his career.

Cornerback: The Bills' thinnest position last year could be one of their strongest this season. The Bills are expected to keep five corners, but could warrant keeping six, looking at what they have on the roster depending on preseason play. Buffalo seemed to lack size and strength last year at the corner position, but seem much improved in that area. Terrance McGee (5'9" 198 lbs) will again probably be a starter on one side, but who will start on the other?

Jabari Greer stepped in last season after injuries to Jason Webster (not with the team anymore) and Ashton Youboty, and played pretty solidly. Greer has good size (5'11" 180 lbs) and speed (a former track star at Tennessee), and made some good plays, showing solid coverage against some of the league's elite receivers last year. He will be pushed by third-year cornerback Ashton Youboty (5'11" 189 lbs), free-agent pickup Will James (6'0" 200 lbs formally Will Peterson), and first-round pick (11th overall) Leodis McKelvin (5'10" 184) out of Troy.

All five of them could warrant time on the field, but there is also the Bills' fourth-round pick Reggie Corner (5'9" 175lbs) and seventh-round pick Kennard Cox (6'0" 192 lbs). Cox most likely will be delegated to the practice squad, leaving six. Greer got significant playing time last season for the first time in his career, and is probably the favorite to start opposite McGee.

McKelvin won't be rushed unless James and Youboty don't play well. McKelvin has looked good in mini-camp, and could play some in nickel or dime packages early in the season, along with playing on special teams.

Will James will probably get to play on the outside receiver in the nickel package when McGee moves into the slot. Youboty, a former third-round pick out of Ohio State has a lot of potential, but has not quite reached it yet. If he is not traded to the Browns, then I would suspect he would be released, unless he puts on some weight and plays well in the preseason. If the latter happens, then the Bills may keep six with Corner, who is a good cover-guy, and have some real playmakers in a deep backfield. This will be an exciting battle to watch as it plays out this preseason.

Safety: The Bills had one of the most promising young safety tandems in the league going into the 2007 season. Donte Whitner and Ko Simpson had just come off of a solid rookie season, and were looking to add to their success in 2008 when Simpson broke his ankle in Week One.  Now healthy, it looks like Simpson will again be the starter next to Whitner, and they should continue their promising careers.

Whitner (5'10" 208 lbs) is one of the leaders of this defense. He is a hard hitter who flies around the field, hitting anything that comes near him. The former eighth-overall pick in 2006 recorded 89 tackles last year and played every snap until Week 17. With the return of Ko Simpson (6'1" 202 lbs), Whitner should be able to make more plays and show he's one of the best safeties in the league.

John Wendling (6'1" 222 lbs), a sixth-round pick last year is the main backup to Whitner, and is a major special-teams player. George Wilson (6'0" 212) was one of the great stories from last season, a converted wide receiver who moved to safety last year to have a better shot at making the team.

When Simpson went down, and Jim Leohnard, the backup, went down, Wilson got his chance and took advantage of it, scoring on an interception on Monday Night Football against Dallas, and picking up a fumble against the Dolphins and returning it for a touchdown, finishing the season with 37 tackles and two interceptions.

The other backup will be Bryan Scott, a good run supporter and blitzer who played well joining the team halfway through the season. It will be a stretch to think the Bills will keep five safeties, but this group will make it a tough decision.

Special Teams: Always a staple of Buffalo Bills football, this year will be no different. The Bills have Pro-Bowl punter Brian Moorman, and much-improved kicker Rian Lindell to form one of the most solid, kicking duos in the league. Long snapper Ryan Neill needs to improve his game in bad weather conditions, but had a fairly solid year. Our kick-coverage units took a hit in the offseason, losing Sam Aiken, Josh Stamer, Coy Wire, and Mario Haggan, but we filled those holes with younger players like Justin Jenkins and John Wendling, who both played well last year, and via the draft with Alvin Bowen, Derek Fine, Kennard Cox, and Steve Johnson.

We have the best return duo in the league with Terrence McGee returning kicks and the electrifying Roscoe Parrish returning punts. Adding to that duo is rookie Leodis McKelvin, who's return abilities will take some of the load off both of them.

Coaching: Head coach Dick Jauron, in his third season here (14-18), is a former player, and is a coach whose players rally around him. He is a smart guy who treats his players like people, and won't feed you any bull. Turk Schonert is a first-year offensive coordinator, and was the quarterback coach last season. He uses systems built to the strength of his players, utilizing them as best as he can. As a former quarterback himself, he is putting more responsibility on that position, which will benefit Trent Edwards on the field.

Perry Fewell, in his third season as defensive coordinator, uses the cover-two defense, but mixes it up with blitz packages and exotic coverages. He coached well last year, losing a lot of players. He plugged people in and it didn't seem to matter. Bobby April is the special-teams coach, and has had one of the best special-teams units in the league each of his five years here.

This defensive group played well last year, and with the improvements it has made, I can see it being in the top fifteen next season. Schobel, Whitner, and Stroud are looking to have Pro-Bowl seasons in 2008.

Poz and Crowell should have breakout seasons, and with all of the additions to the secondary, this team is going to be a lot of fun to watch. Of course, our special teams will be one of the bright spots again, no matter what, and I can't wait to see the newbies playing, especially McKelvin.

Jauron needs to have a winning record this year or he could be done in Buffalo. I like our coaching staff, and I like what they have done so far. They have made this team a family, and put in not only high character guys, but some real strong leaders. With the Bills headed in the right direction, and with such a young team, they will be good and exciting to watch for years to come.