Five Reasons to Believe In the 2010 Buffalo Bills

Nobody seems to be giving the Bills much credit these days.  Despite an impressive preseason from the offense, nobody is mentioning the Bills as a potential sleeper team in the AFC East.  Sports Illustrated predicts them going 2-14, ESPN has them ranked 31^st in Week 1 of the NFL Power Rankings, and Las Vegas oddsmakers have the Bills as 120 to 1 long shots to win the Super Bowl. 

In this slideshow, I’ll present five reasons why it might be too soon to count out the Bills.

1. Chan Gailey

In 1998, Chan Gailey inherited a Dallas Cowboys team that was coming off of a 6-10, fourth place finish in the NFC East.  Dallas was ranked among the lowest teams in total offense and had recently fired their extremely unpopular head coach.  Does this situation seem eerily similar to the state of the 2010 Bills or is it just me?  All Gailey did was take America’s Team from disarray into the playoffs in the next two consecutive seasons before being dismissed by Jerry Jones – a decision the frugal owner would later regret.  “I regret just giving Chan two years,” said Jones to the Dallas News in a 2009 interview.  That’s quite a statement coming from one of the most notoriously impatient owners in the NFL. 

Gailey has brought a new attitude to the Bills.  In July, he got down to business by removing the HDTVs from the team’s weight room.  A couple of weeks ago, he walked off the practice field to confront a group of fans that were heckling his starting quarterback, Trent Edwards.  Speaking afterwards to reporters, Gailey explained the confrontation saying “…if you say something derogatory to one of us you're say saying it to all of us.”  That’s the kind of coach that a team can get behind.

2. Trent Edwards

Trent Edwards has taken a lot of heat the past couple of years in Buffalo - from the fans and opposing defenses alike.  The Bills offensive line has not been able to keep him off his back, and as a result he has been minimally effective. 

This preseason showed us a taste of what we can expect from Trent when he is given some protection.  Edwards was sacked only twice throughout the entire preseason and he boasted a 102.7 QB rating.  Bills fans are quick to forget that Edwards came highly recommended from the legendary coach, Bill Walsh and that many had projected him as a potential first-round pick in 2007.  He was touted for his accuracy, intelligence and ability to make NFL throws.  Oh, and before Stanford, he never lost a game in high school.  Ever.  If he can stay healthy behind an improved offensive line in 2010, watch out.

3. Running Back

Fred Jackson, Marshawn Lynch, CJ Spiller.  When your running back depth chart includes the 2009 NFL Leader in All-Purpose yards, a Pro Bowler, and the highest drafted running back of 2010, you know that you’re in a good position to dominate the running game. 

Fred Jackson is one of the most talented athletes in the league and rushed for over 1,000 yards last season behind what was arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL.  While there were trade rumors surrounding Marshawn Lynch throughout the offseason, he has been a model citizen at Bills camp and head coach Chan Gailey has had only positive things to say about his attitude and performance throughout the preseason.  And if you hadn’t noticed, this Spiller kid’s no scrub.  He registered three touchdowns on just 26 carries this preseason, and made first team NFL defenses look amateurish with his slippery moves and blazing speed. 

For now, the Bills will rely on Spiller to carry the momentum from his strong preseason into the regular season as they wait for Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch to fully recover from injuries.  When they’re back and 100% healthy though, opposing defenses be warned – you’re going up against the best trio of running backs in the league.

4. Special Teams

If there has been one constant in Buffalo over the past several years, it has been special teams.  While the loss of Bobby April certainly hurts, the Bills will be as solid as ever with Rian Lindell, Brian Moorman and some of the most electric return men in the league making up the unit. 

Lindell and Moorman have been remarkably consistent over the years despite playing their home games in a stadium known for its swirling winds and brutal weather.  Throughout his career, Moorman has been called the best athlete on the Bills roster by more than one of his teammates.  This athleticism has been displayed through several trick plays including a 19-yard touchdown pass to defensive end Ryan Denney in the Bills 34-10 season opening victory over the Seahawks in 2008. 

Special teams is one-third of the game and the Bills have fielded very solid units the past few years.  2010 should be no different.

5. Defense

The 3-4 defense has historically been better at stopping the run.  In fact, four of the top five run stopping defenses in the NFL last season operated out of the 3-4.  The switch to the 3-4 will benefit the Bills in this regard as they were ranked 30^th in the league against the run in 2009.  While the switch to the 3-4 didn’t do much to wow anyone in the preseason, the Bills are making progress under the leadership of veteran linebacker Andra Davis who was brought in this offseason to ease in the transition. 

One of the few bright spots for last year’s Bills was how their defense fared against the pass.  The Bills have returned all of their key players from one of the most underrated secondaries in the league and will look to build upon a strong 2009 campaign which ranked them second in the league against the pass.

Conclusion

When you break the Bills down like we have in this slideshow, it becomes apparent that while the 2010 Buffalo Bills may not have the star power of their AFC East rivals, each unit on its own definitely has the potential to do some good things this upcoming season.  Sometimes all it takes is a change in attitude to bring a team from cellar dweller to contender.  If Chan Gailey can get his team to believe in themselves, who knows what can happen.  As of today, the Bills are undefeated.  Like the Bills marketing campaign has been telling us all offseason, 2010 is a season to Billieve.