Areas of concern for the Bills as the regular season begins...

[shelby]

This article raises some good points....as a team, there is still a lot of work to be done if we are going to improve on our 7-9 season last year:



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While positive signs were plenty, there were still way too many signs that the Bills would be a team lacking either the talent or the experience necessary to significantly improve on last year's 7-9 record.
"Disappointing," said Jauron after his team was overmatched in a 28-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans in the Bills' third preseason game, when things are supposed to start coming together. "We were a little bit sluggish and it could be for a number of reasons. There's a lot of things that we need to fix."
Such as:
--Developing continuity along the offensive line. Newcomers Derrick Dockery (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/395949) and Langston Walker (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302234) have upgraded the talent level. However, an ankle injury to Melvin Fowler (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302023) forced him to the sideline and interrupted competition for the starting right guard spot between Duke Preston (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/552617) (who had to play center) and Jason Whittle (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/12814). Whatever five players open the season against Denver on Sept. 9 will not have played much together.
--Developing a pass-catching tight end. It was labeled a priority need by general manager Marv Levy but through three preseason games, Robert Royal (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302118) and Kevin Everett (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/410359) had two catches for two yards between them.
--Breaking in rookie running back Marshawn Lynch (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/504639). Part of this relates to the line problems, but Lynch had just 28 yards on 16 carries (1.75 average) through three preseason games. That's not going to make anyone forget Willis McGahee.
--Stop the run on defense. The Bills allowed 141 yards per game a year ago and will have two new starting linebackers, Coy Wire (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302148) (until Keith Ellison (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/504706) returns from a sprained ankle) and either rookie Paul Posluszny (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/431421) or second-year man John DiGiorgio (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1114536). That Posluszny, the team's ballyhooed second-round pick from Penn State, hadn't won the job outright yet was disconcerting. The Titans averaged 4.4 yards per carry against the Bills, who were sloppy with their tackling.(edit: Poz was named the starter yesterday.)
--Find a replacement for Nate Clements. It remains veteran free agent Jason Webster (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/187676), but Buffalo's secondary is definitely struggling and there could be plenty of juggling here as the season progresses. Terrence McGee (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/396033) has already been shifted from the left to the right side to take on opponent's better split ends.
full story (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/teams/report/BUF/10330162)
Thoughts?

[Mitchy moo]

5 plays from a winning record last year and after we lost a few old players and a ******, I think we got alot better. Plan on us seeing a better side of .500 even with a hard schedule.

[casdhf]

I think everything comes down to the offensive line. If they can play well as a unit, the offense should be able to control the ball and the clock. So at least when our crap D has to be in the field, they'll be fresh.

[Earthquake Enyart]

TE doesn't matter in this offensive scheme.

[HHURRICANE]

I think everything comes down to the offensive line. If they can play well as a unit, the offense should be able to control the ball and the clock. So at least when our crap D has to be in the field, they'll be fresh.

Finally admitted that our D has problems. There is hope for this board.

[Mitchy moo]

Finally admitted that our D has problems. There is hope for this board.

It's a suspect D, Crap is yet to be seen.

[patmoran2006]

5 plays from a winning record last year and after we lost a few old players and a ******, I think we got alot better. Plan on us seeing a better side of .500 even with a hard schedule.
Yer blindness and ignorance towards things is disturbing.

5 plays from a winning record? LOL, how many plays away were we then from being 4-12 or worse.

How many games last year did we go out from start to finish, control the game thoroughly through out and clearly deserve the win. Both Miami games and at New York are the three I can think of.

Anyway- last year is last year. Things balance out and generally teams finish how they deserved to.

This team THIS year has many issues, including every one listed in that story. You're just too blind to want to see anything other than what you WANT to see.

Our defense flat-out is not good enough, and our offensive line has potential disaster written all over it on the right side.

[Mitchy moo]

5 plays from a winning record? LOL, how many plays away were we then from being 4-12 or worse.

How many games last year did we go out from start to finish, control the game thoroughly through out and clearly deserve the win. Both Miami games and at New York are the three I can think of.

Anyway- last year is last year. Things balance out and generally teams finish how they deserved to.



How many teams can you say pretty much the same thing about? The difference between winning and losing in very narrow and we lost many of our games by one score or less. Plan on better times this year, even after the hard schedule.

[HHURRICANE]

Wether we like it or not:

1) We have a starting RG that didn't play with the starters until this week.

2) We are starting essentially 2 rookie LBs as Wire is really still learning the position.

3) We struggled at DT last year and we have made no changes, at all.

4) We have the toughest schedule in the league and our first 7 games are all teams with winning records.

5) We have virtually no depthe anywhere so one injury could be catastrophic.

Let's not act like we were only a few plays from the playoffs and that this is a continuation of last year. We lost 4 veterans and are fielding one of the youngest teams in the league.

[Night Train]

It's the DL ( especially DT ) and the ability to stop the run.

[SamAdamsFan]

Basically as usual just like every year since 1999, I think on average the whole team is an area of concern.

[im4bflo]

I think everything comes down to the offensive line. If they can play well as a unit, the offense should be able to control the ball and the clock. So at least when our crap D has to be in the field, they'll be fresh.

I've always thought that, it all starts in the trenchs.
If you dominate the line of scrimage, your chances are very good.

[Oaf]

Webster is a tard. He is no better than KT starting at this point. Youboty finally started showing signs of promise, so I say we toss him in the fire to take his lumps now rather than later.

[im4bflo]

My only concern is that I don't explode from excitement, before the 9th get's here!
I'll have to get through 6 more days, until I can freaking LET LOOSE!!!!!
Man, it's finally time for BUFFALO BILLS football!!! :xtreme::rocker::punk::band:
woooooo... cool it, have another shot, let's get ready for some buffalo football.
Enough bull, the truth is coming fans.
GO BILLS!

[jamze132]

I've always thought that, it all starts in the trenchs.
If you dominate the line of scrimage, your chances are very good.
This is the key to victory in the NFL. And with our mod squad, I don't see too many victories this year.

But if App State can take down #5 Michigan, we can surely take down the Broncos? They will be playing with heavy hearts and will dedicate the game to the guys that died on their team so they should play pretty good. Or they could flop and blame the loss on the deaths. I dunno. Guess I will have to start a thread about this!!!

[Jan Reimers]

I think the O line - particularly with the addition of Butler - will be fine, and that Lynch was being kept under wraps a little in the preseason. Royal and Everett will hold their own in a passing attack which will see a lot of multiple WR sets and a lot more throws to the RBs.

I share the concerns about the D, however. I hope Poz is really a stud - he needs to be.

[Don't Panic]

At this point, I think its a bit insane to not see the potential troubles that this team faces. Granted, things could go extrodinarily well (Fowler/Butler/Walker play well; Price or Reed and Royal or Everett step up; Schoebel and Kelsay don't need a breather... ever; our DTs don't turn into turnstiles; Wire shows able to play well in Ellison's absence; our CBs play well enough not to kill us), but the of averages says that a few of the concerns being raised now will manifest at some point in the season. There are simply to many cracks in the dam to look the other way. This is most definitely a building year... going 8-8 would be a tremendous victory in itself.
What that means in the big picture is that some of the things that the FO could have addressed this past offseason weren't (cash to cap... whatever the reason), but I still see a plan in place and I see it being followed through. That's enough to keep me interested. At least they should be fun games to watch this year.

[mybills]

and that Lynch was being kept under wraps a little in the preseason.
I hope you're right, because he hasn't impressed me other than his ability to catch. :ill:

[justasportsfan]

The bills are an unknown. The coaches left several questions on the table during preseason.

Are we really that bad or were the coaches hiding stuff and saving the real state of the team for regular season? Who knows? We will know is a few days.