Buffalo Bills: Reason To Be Excited for Next Season

I'm not going to sugarcoat anything in this article, but Buffalo Bills fans should be anxious and excited for next season.

"Why?" you might ask...

Well I'll tell you.

This season started out dismal.  The team looked lost and unorganized against the Miami Dolphins.

The line couldn't block, the running backs had nowhere to run and Captain Check-down Trent Edwards looked awful.

However for the past month and a half this team has begun to show signs of life and that they are moving in the right direction.

First the team promoted Ryan Fitzpatrick to starting quarterback and then began a trend of playing hard.

It all started when the Bills put up 34 points against the stingy Baltimore Ravens defense and took them to overtime.  Then they played two tough games against (division leaders) the Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears before finally winning two in a row against the Detroit Lions and the Cincinnati Bengals, the last game in which they surmounted a three-score deficit.

Then they came back against the Pittsburgh Steelers and took them to overtime in which they almost won.

I know Steve Johnson's dropped game-winning touchdown still stings, but he's a good young receiver and seems to be "all-in" when it comes to Buffalo.  He'll make way more game-winning plays in the future than he will game-costing ones.

So if the Bills finish strong (and by all rights they should with the Vikings, Browns, Dolphins, Patriots and Jets left) and then make smart moves in free agency and the draft (like not taking a running back with their No. 1 pick) they should start 2011 (if there is no lockout) off with a bang.

With the AFC East being so strong the playoffs might still be two or three seasons away but the Bills should at least have a respectable record (somewhere around 8-8 or 9-7) next season.

This may sound crazy but if I were head of the Bills organization I'd stick with Chan Gailey.  He's coached up this young team and made them exciting to watch.

Who'd have thought that the team that Sports Illustrated's Don Banks said wouldn't win a game all season has become one that could make a nice year-end run and take that momentum into next season.

So Bills fans, this season was over weeks ago and a long cold winter lies ahead, but next season is looking pretty sunny if you ask me.

For more blind hope for the Bills follow me on Twitter (@jomac006).