Buffalo Bills: Six Bills Who Must Step Up Against New York Jets and Beyond

At this point in time many Bills' fans and especially the people who cover the Bills are peaking ahead to next season.

With Buffalo sitting at the bottom of the AFC East at 0-3, they probably have some reason to.

I'm a little different.

I didn't wait for nine months to call this season a complete waste after three weeks. To me, that doesn't make sense.

Maybe I'm a little impatient, but saying that the rest of the games are basically meaningless is something I'm just not ready to do yet.

With that being said, the Bills have some work to do in order to return to respectability.

These are the six Buffalo Bills' skill players, (three offense, three defense) that need to step up this week against the New York Jets and for the rest of the season if Buffalo wants to at least be a competitive team. 

3. Defense: Jairus Byrd

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ORCHARD PARK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: Jairus Byrd #31 of the Buffalo Bills intercepts a pass that deflected off of Andre Johnson #80 of the Houston Texans at Ralph Wilson Stadium on November 1, 2009 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Image

Byrd-man, where have you been?

We all know about Jairus Byrd's breakout rookie season, one in which he hauled in nine interceptions and was named to the Pro Bowl roster.

He was the most integral part of the Bills' secondary, especially as the season progressed.

Byrd's ball-hawking skills made opposing quarterback's hesitant to throw his way and when they foolishly did, he made them pay with multiple impact plays. 

Thus far, he's only accounted for 11 tackles and hasn't recorded a pass deflection, much less an interception.

In his defense, the 2009 2nd-round pick has played sparingly in the first three games, as he's slowly recovering from off-season surgery. 

The former Oregon Duck told the media he's very close to 100 percent, and getting in front of Mark Sanchez's passes this week would greatly increase the Bills' chances of victory.

Buffalo's played two of the four best quarterbacks in the NFL in consecutive weeks, so Byrd may be able to feast on the lesser signal callers in the league from here on out.

If he can become a factor again, Buffalo will be in a lot more games than people think.  

3. Offense: Johnathan Stupar / Tight Ends

I'll cut Mr. Stupar some slack, because he was never labeled as a real pass-catching threat as a tight-end.

Still, the Bills are in dire need of production from the tight end position.

We've seen against both Green Bay and New England how vital a tight end can be to the passing attack.

Stupar did reach career highs last week against the Patriots, with a measely three catches for a pedestrian 27 yards.

I can't remember the last time I saw a Bills tight end catch that 20-yard pass down the seam in the middle of the zone - Buffalo needs that as a part of their offense, especially with unafraid Ryan Fitzpatrick behind center.

2. Defense: Aaron Maybin / Pass Rush

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GREEN BAY, WI - SEPTEMBER 19: Aaron Maybin #58 of the Buffalo Bills sits on the bench during a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on September 19, 2010 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Bills 34-7. (Photo by Jonathan Danie

Aaron Maybin has received press this week from the Buffalo News and the AP, as he manned up, saying he has not met everyone's expectations and certainly has fallen short of the goals he set for himself upon entering the NFL.

So far in his short career, Maybin's been utilized as a situational pass rusher with no results. Last week however, he played 38 of the 66 defensive snaps against the Patriots.

Still nothing.

But the fact that he was on the field more extensively in Foxboro tells me that either he's winning over the coaches or, more likely, they are giving him more opportunities to succeed.

Maybin must get pressures on the quarterbacks, as the anemic pass rush has been the most glaring problem on the Bills' defense three weeks into the year.

Similar to the secondary, Maybin could be the beneficiary of playing quarterbacks that aren't exactly on the Aaron Rodgers / Tom Brady-level, but most of the offensive line's he'll face the rest of the season are well put together.

His improvement is extremely crucial to the Bills' defense and the team as whole.

2. Offense: C.J. Spiller

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ORCHARD PARK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: CJ Spiller #21 of the Buffalo Bills awaits a kickoff against the Miami Dolphins during the NFL season opener at Ralph Wilson Stadium on September 12, 2010 in Orchard Park, New York. The Dolphins won 15-10. (Photo by Rick S

Call me crazy, but I'd really like to see more out of C.J. Spiller, even after his remarkable showing against the Patriots last Sunday.

That's how high my expectations are for him.

We'll probably get more explosive kick returns in the future, but he needs to become a dynamic back in the offense if the Bills want to win games this season.

He did score on a five-yard bubble screen against the Pats' and finished with 29 yards on four carries, but he has to make more of the times when he touches the ball.

Similar to Fred Jackson, a player who I really feel bad for, Spiller seemingly has no control over the amount of carries he receives - that is until he consistently delivers positive yardage.

As for Jackson, he easily could be placed on this list, but the coaches simply aren't giving him a chance, which is a shame, because he worked so hard last season to reach feature-back status.

I may be nit-picking here with Spiller, but I don't think it's out of the question to want the yardage he accounts for within the offense to escalate as time goes on.

1. Defense: Paul Posluszny

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ORCHARD PARK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: Anthony Fasano # 80 of the Miami Dolphins makes a catch at the 2 yard line against Paul Posluszny #51 of the Buffalo Bills during the NFL season opener at Ralph Wilson Stadium on September 12, 2010 in Orchard Park, New Y

Paul Posluszny will return this week after missing two games with a sprained MCL, an injury he suffered on the first play of the second half of the Bills' season opener against the Dolphins.

At the time he went down against Miami he had eight tackles and a sack, in what turned out to be the Bills only dominating defensive effort thus far in 2010.

The Bills have shied away from playing much 3-4 in his absence, because the alignment calls for talented inside linebackers to make the majority of the plays.

All the good 3-4's around the league boast a sideline-to-sideline thumper, and though I'm not going to put Poz' on the same level as Patrick Willis, Ray Lewis or even Johnathon Vilma, we've all been waiting to see what the former Bednarik and Butkus Award winner can do as the showcased player in this Bills defense.

If Posluszny can become an impact guy in the middle, it will have a ripple effect on the rest of the defensive unit.

1. Offense: Ryan Fitzpatrick

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FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 26: Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 of the Buffalo Bills looks to pass in the second half against the New England Patriots during on September 26, 2010 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots defeated the Bills 38-30. (P

I know, I know, he's coming off a game in which he energized the Bills' offense in a hostile environment.

But it was Fitzpatrick's late interceptions that ultimately cost Buffalo the win.

I'm as pleased as anybody with Fitzpatrick's gritty performance, don't get me wrong. The simple fact he throws the football to those intermediate and deep routes unlike a former Bill we came to know very well, has me more encouraged than I've been in quite some time.

The career backup finally has a chance to prove himself to Bills fans, as well as the rest of the National Football League. You think he's content with his back-up status? Definitely not.

So, against what should be a tougher test this week against the New York Jets (over-hyped) secondary, he needs to take the reigns of the offense. He cannot become complacent with another 250-yard, two pick performance.

If Fitzpatrick, who breathes life into a formerly dead offense, can slightly improve and concentrate on those tight-window throws in crunch time, I'll be satisfied.