It All Hinges On Trent Edwards For The Buffalo Bills

The hiring of Dick Jauron, as head coach, and Marv Levy, as General Manager, placed the Bills in a three year rebuilding phase.  Levy is gone now, but that rebuilding continues.  The Bills are entering year three of this phase, and they look primed to make the playoffs and possibly more. 

Many thought the first draft of the three year rebuilding phase was terrible.  Donte Whitner, the eighth pick, was considered a reach even as a 20th pick.

Yet, it wasn't as surprising as John McCargo, a third round prospect, being taken by the Bills after trading back into the first round. This draft seemed like a train wreck as the Bills just about wasted their first two picks.

The later picks of Ashton Youboty, Ko Simpson, Keith Ellison, and Kyle Williams were all very solid.

Consecutive seven through nine seasons wouldn't give one much of a reason to be excited under normal circumstances, but the past two seasons have been far from ordinary. 

The first season for Dick Jauron started with the Bills two points away from upsetting the powerhouse Patriots.  The Bills were slow after that, but eventually got themselves in playoff contention until a tough loss to the Titans crushed their hopes. 

Many of the drafted players from Dick Jauron's first season as head coach proved to be very strong.  Whitner started right away at SS along with rookie FS Ko Simpson. They paired to make one of the brightest young safety combos in the league.  Ellison and Williams both made many starts, and played admirably for day two picks. However, McCargo and Youboty made no impact.

That off season was a tough one, as the Bills saw London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes, Nate Clements, Willis McGahee, Mike Gandy, and Andre Davis leave town.  This left many holes in the roster and too many to fill in the next draft. 

However, the 2007 draft was about as good as it gets for the Bills.  The first round selection of Marshawn Lynch filled their biggest offensive need at running back. 

Trading up early in the second round landed them Paul Posluszny—a prime candidate for their franchise MLB. 

The third round brought a surprise player in Trent Edwards.  The QB position was not a big concern, as it seemed J.P. Losman was the man for the Bills. 

Dwayne Wright, who seemed to be a solid number three running back, was picked up in the fourth.  The incredibly athletic John Wendling, a special teams ace, was picked up later, and then lastly Derek Shouman was taken in the seventh. 

While the draft was promising the Bills still had some holes at TE, number two receiver, WLB, DT and CB.  Going into that next season, very few people thought they'd win more than five games. 

The Bills opening game for the second season in a row, was a nail biter, but ended on a Elam GW field goal.  The most memorable moment from that game was the spell of injuries the team had, including Kevin Everett, who suffered a spine injury. 

In the third game of the season J.P. Losman went down, and rookie QB Trent Edwards was forced to go in.  No one could have predicted the ensuing drive.  Trent led the Bills on a touchdown drive capitalized by a Marshawn Lynch score. 

Trent looked absolutely incredible and flashed something Bills fans hadn't seen in a decade.  He couldn't repeat that success for the rest of the game but still looked impressive to many.

His next game against the Jets looked absolutely breath taking for a rookie QB and turned into the Bills first win of the season.  The next game was a Monday night thriller against the Dallas Cowboys; a team that was very hot, and looked to be too good for the Bills. 

It was a game to forget for Tony Romo, as he had six turnovers himself including five picks, two of them for TDs.  The game ended in a game winning field goal for the Cowboys, and again the city of Buffalo entered a state of depression. 

Injuries would be the story of the season for the Bills. They relied heavily on the depth of their bench to stay competitive. After staring 1-4 the Bills would go 6-2 in their next eight. Trent eventually earned the starting job as J.P. Losman.  The bills finished with three more losses, and there were still many questions about Trent.  He showed poise and decision making far beyond a typical rookie. 

The free agent signings after the season proved to be incredible for the Bills. They picked up Marcus Stroud in a trade, and signed Kawika Mitchell and William James.

The most recent draft for the Bills started with two bulls-eyes.  Leodis McKelvin was the first pick and the top CB in the draft.  The next pick James Hardy was incredible as many people predicted him to go in the first round.  At over 6'5" he provides the bills with the red zone threat they haven't had in the last two years. 

Chris Ellis was taken in the third giving the Bills depth at DE.  The later picks were not to high on many mock draft forums, but were necessary to fill gaps in the special teams.  They did not draft a center, and the tight end they got in Derek Fine wasn't exactly the pass catching tight end many hoped to receive.  It's clear that the Bills have done a great job filling holes, and this should raise the hopes of many fans. 

The Bills defense seems to be in order; their D-line is solid, the line backing corp has a bright future, and the secondary could be great.  The key, however, is the offense and it all rides on the play of Trent Edwards. 

The receiving crop seems solid thanks, to the addition of Hardy.  The O-line can only improve and having a pro bowl left tackle is pivotal.  The running game is great with the play of star Marshawn Lynch, and bright backup Fred Jackson. 

If Trent improves and lives up to the potential he has shown since high school, then this team can do some real damage. It is very apparent why people are starting to buy into the hype of the Bills.