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2007 Team Report: Buffalo Bills

Quarterbacks

Starter: J.P. Losman
Backup(s): Trent Edwards [R]

Starting QB: In just his second year as a starter, J.P. Losman showed dramatic improvement. As a former first-round pick, Losman has all the physical tools that teams look for in a starting QB: good size, strong arm, and excellent mobility, but there were concerns about his accuracy and decision making. Those concerns appear to have been answered, however, as Losman improved his completion percentage from 49.5 percent in 2005 (worst among starters) up to 62.5 percent in 2006 (9th-best in the league).

Backup QB: Craig Nall couldn't do enough in the preseason to keep his job, and the Bills enter the season with only two quarterbacks on the roster. Rookie Trent Edwards represented good value for the Bills as a late third-round draft pick after many experts projected him to go early in Round 2. He struggled playing for a bad Stanford team but has the necessary skills that may allow him to develop into a solid pro.

Running Backs

Starter: Anthony Thomas
Backup(s): Marshawn Lynch [R], Dwayne Wright [R], Fred Jackson, Josh Scobey
Fullback(s): Ryan Neufeld

Starting RB: The Bills decided to part with Willis McGahee and traded him to the Ravens in the offseason. That opens the door for Anthony "A-Train" Thomas to take over the starting reins. Thomas was the Bills primary backup a year ago and started several games in place of an injured McGahee. He looked much quicker than he had in previous seasons and averaged 100 combined yards over a 3 game stretch. Thomas is a solid and reliable RB, but he lacks explosiveness and at 30 years old. At some point this season, Thomas is likely to resume a backup role as rookie 1st rounder Marshawn Lynch takes over the starting job.

Backup RBs: The Bills expect a lot from rookie Marshawn Lynch, who the team drafted with the 12th pick overall. Lynch was a productive RB at Cal where he averaged 6.6 yards per carry and scored 35 TDs over three seasons. He has the size to be a power back, the speed to take it the distance, and the elusiveness to make tacklers miss in the open field. Lynch also has soft hands and the ability to line up as a receiver, which will give the Bills the best multidimensional threat they've had at RB since the days of Thurman Thomas. While many talented RBs take some time to adjust to the NFL, Lynch should make a quicker transition after having played in a pro-style offense under Jeff Tedford at Cal. The Bills added another promising RB in Round 4 of this year's draft when they selected Dwayne Wright out of Fresno State. Wright is a powerful inside runner and strong blocker who should complement the skills of Marshawn Lynch well. Look for him to contribute right away in short yardage situations or possibly as a fullback. Fred Jackson started in NFL Europe and spent last year on the Bills practice squad, but he has been their most impressive RB in the preseason so far and could make the team as a 4th RB. Josh Scobey was signed because of the impact he can have on special teams but he's been injured this preseason and may not make the team.

Fullback: The Bills plan to use an H-back this year in place of a true blocking fullback. Ryan Neufeld will fill that role; but whether he plays a major role in the offense remains to be seen.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Lee Evans, Peerless Price
Backups: Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, Sam Aiken

Starting WRs: Lee Evans took over the No. 1 WR role in Buffalo last year and emerged as one of the league's best WRs. He combines excellent speed and soft hands with elite change of direction skills that make him almost impossible to cover one-on-one. His big-play ability is evident in his 24 receiving TDs over the last three years, which ranks 7th in the league. The Bills figured Peerless Price still had something left and brought him back to the one place he had been successful. Price showed very little of the big-play ability that originally earned him that big contract with the Falcons, but he did finish with 49 receptions and has run with the first team this preseason.

Backup WRs: Josh Reed has had an up-and-down career for the Bills. He has struggled when put in a starting role, but generally does well when he lines up in the slot as a third or fourth WR. Reed lacks breakaway speed and drops too many balls, but he has great run-after-the-catch ability and can create mismatches in open space against slower safeties and linebackers. Reed is also the Bills best blocking WR so they like to keep him on the field as much as possible. Roscoe Parrish is one of the smaller WRs in the league at 5'9" and 168 pounds, but he is also one of the most explosive athletes on the roster. Sam Aiken has been with the team for a long time but has never really had a chance to play much on offense. He has good size and is one of the team's best special teams gunners so his spot as the 5th WR is likely safe.

Tight Ends

Starters: Robert Royal
Backups: Kevin Everett, Matt Murphy

The Bills signed Robert Royal in free agency last year and he brought some much-needed stability to the position. By most accounts, the Bills were very happy with Royal's blocking and he began to emerge as a weapon in the passing game late in the season. Over the last six games of the season, Royal had 12 receptions and three TDs. Kevin Everett is a former 3rd round pick out of the TE factory in Miami University. He missed his rookie year with a torn ACL and was buried on the depth chart last year, but he had a strong offseason and could provide the Bills with the receiving weapon they've been looking for at this position.

Place Kicker

Rian Lindell : Despite a solid 2004, critics were concerned that Lindell had limited range on field goals. Over the last two years, he dispelled that myth, going 20 of 25 from 40+ yards. Last year he hit 92.0% on field goals and 100% on PATs. In his seven years in the NFL, Lindell has never missed an extra point. After two straight years in the top ten in kicker scoring, the Bills entered rebuilding mode in 2006, and Lindell's scoring opportunities dwindled. The team ranked 20th in kicking scoring. CAMP UPDATE: In the game at New Orleans, kicker Rian Lindell made a game winning field goal from 54 yards with 3:23 left in the fourth quarter. It had plenty of distance to spare. He was also good from 36 yards earlier in the game and added a PAT.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: Terrence McGee; Josh Scobey; Roscoe Parrish

CB Terrence McGee remains one of the top KRs in the NFL. His 30.2 yard average ranked 5th in 2005. Last he averaged 26.1 yards on 52 returns. Free agent acquisition RB Josh Scobey emerged as the work horse on kickoffs for the Seahawks in 2005, with 59 of their 61 returns and averaging 22.5 yards. He averaged only 18.5 yards on 17 returns last year before landing on injured reserve with a broken shoulder. Scobey could backup, spell, or even replace McGee (if the team decides he's too important defensively to be handling returns). WR Roscoe Parrish showed he can handle kickoffs in addition to punt returns in 2005, with 10 returns for a 26.1 yard average.

Punt Returners: Roscoe Parrish; Jim Leonhard; Fred Jackson

After he recovered from a hand injury, Roscoe Parrish did emerge as the Bills top punt returner as anticipated during his rookie year in 2005. His 13.3 yard average on 14 returns ranked 5th in the league that year. Last year he averaged 11.4 yards (10th) on 32 returns, and took one the distance for a score. The only other player to return any punts last year was DB Jim Leonhard (7 returns, 8.3 avg.). The Bills placed in the top ten for fantasy return points for a third consecutive year.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Jason Peters, LG Derrick Dockery, C Melvin Fowler, RG Jason Whittle, RT Langston Walker
Key Backups: G Duke Preston, T Kirk Chambers, G Brad Butler

The Bills were only average at best last season, but there is hope for this season as the club brought in three free agent players who should help strengthen this group. Newcomer Derrick Dockery has the natural ability to become one of the finer guards in the NFL. He has incredible size, surprising agility, and at 26 years old, is still improving. The Bills paid a ton to get him via free agency but he's worth it. Jason Peters, who may be one of the most athletic linemen in the NFL, has become a great cornerstone at left tackle and is still improving. Langston Walker will start at right tackle. He started all 16 games for the Raiders last year but was inconsistent. With the addition of Dockery and Walker, this could be the best offensive line the Bills have fielded in some time.

Team Defense

The Bills cleaned house last year and new head coach Dick Jauron hired Perry Fewell to run the defense. Fewell coached under Lovie Smith in St. Louis and Chicago and brought a version of the Tampa Cover 2 defense with him to Buffalo. In addition to implementing a new system, the Bills also added a lot of defensive talent on draft day when they spent their first 5 picks on defensive players. Those rookies wound up playing a major role as 4 of them became starters, including both starting safeties. The Bills made some more big changes this offseason as they allowed CB Nate Clements and MLB London Fletcher to leave via free agency and traded OLB Takeo Spikes. Defensive line is the strength of this unit and they should be able to put a lot of pressure on opposing QBs. The run defense was a major weakness last year, however, and the team has done very little to address it. The linebacking unit went from being a strength to a question mark in a hurry but the Bills hope that Angelo Crowell and rookie Paul Posluszny will be the new anchors of their defense. The secondary will certainly miss a player like Clements and will likely run more zone schemes to try and compensate. Overall, this looks like a defense in transition as several talented veterans have moved on and will need to be replaced by unproven youngsters. There is certainly some young talent here to build around, but the run defense and pass defense both figure to be worse this year than a year ago. The Bills special teams remain one of the best in the league and benefit from dynamic returners Roscoe Parrish and Terrence McGee.

Defensive Line

Starters: DE Aaron Schobel, DE Chris Kelsay, DT Larry Tripplett, NT Kyle Williams
Backups: DE Ryan Denney, DE Anthony Hargrove, DT John McCargo, DT Tim Anderson, DE Carl Powell, DE Ryan Neill, DT Jason Jefferson

Starting DL: The Bills have a deep and talented group of defensive linemen that make up the strength of their defense. Aaron Schobel has averaged 10 sacks/year over the first 6 years of his career. He got off to a very slow start in 2006 with just 3 solos and 1 sack over his first 4 games, but he still managed to finish with a career-best 14 sacks and was named a starter in the Pro Bowl. Chris Kelsay is coming off his best season, in which he finished with 41 solos and 5.5 sacks despite frequently splitting time at LDE with Ryan Denney. Rather than risk losing him in free agency, the Bills signed Kelsay to a big contract before he hit the market, which could mean more playing time for him this year. Larry Triplett was a big free agent signing for the Bills a year ago, but he only managed 2.5 sacks in 16 games and his play was generally underwhelming. NT Kyle Williams was a 5th round pick out of LSU last year and one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. He outplayed 1st round pick John McCargo and took the starting job away from Tim Anderson pretty early on.

Backup DL: The Bills had a rough preseason and took a bit hit to their defensive line depth. Ryan Denney has always been excellent against the run, but he continues to improve as a pass rusher and finished with a career-high 6 sacks last season. Unfortunately, Denney suffered a broken foot in the preseason and is out indefinitely. Anthony Hargrove was acquired from the Rams in a midseason trade. He had 6.5 sacks in 2005 before falling out of favor in St. Louis, and was suspended for the first 4 games of the season for violating the league's steroid policy. Darwin Walker was briefly a Bill over the offseason before being refusing to report and subsequently being traded to the Bears. John McCargo could be one of the most important players to the Bills defense this year. They traded up into the 1st round last year to select him, but his rookie season was cut short by injury. The Bills have very high hopes for him and he will likely contribute at both tackle positions. Tim Anderson gives a good effort but he was over matched as the team's primary NT last year and was eventually replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Kyle Williams.

Linebackers

Starters: WLB Keith Ellison, MLB John DiGiorgio, SLB Angelo Crowell
Backups: ILB Paul Posluszny (R), OLB Coy Wire, OLB Mario Haggan, OLB Josh Stamer

Starting LBs: This unit will be undergoing quite a bit of change as MLB London Fletcher signed with Washington and OLB Takeo Spikes was traded to Philadelphia. Keith Ellison was a late round draft pick a year ago who filled in capably when Takeo Spikes went down with an injury. Ellison has good speed and excellent cover skills but can be overpowered in the running game and doesn't make many big plays. Ellison is the smallest of the Bills starting linebackers which is why he'll remain at WLB despite being versatile enough to play elsewhere. The MLB position was an interesting preseason battle, as the surprising John DeGiorgio outlasted star rookie Paul Posluszny for the starting job. Posluszny will eventually start, but DiGiorgio showed a keen understanding of the line calls and used his excellent lateral quickness to make a ton of tackles during camp. Angelo Crowell is the Bills most athletic linebacker and could play any LB position, but the Bills will keep him outside at SLB and also use him in the nickel/dime packages. He's an excellent playmaker with 5 sacks, 4 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles in his last 2 seasons.

Backup LBs: Posluszny is a tough, classic middle linebacker who should start for the Bills for years. Posluszny was a highly productive college linebacker at Penn State who rarely misses a tackle and has excellent instincts. Some have questioned his coverage skills so he may be a 2-down linebacker early on in his career, but he should eventually become one of the best fantasy IDPs from this class. Coy Wire was moved from strong safety to linebacker last year when injuries hit and it turned out to be a great fit. He played linebacker in college and struggled in coverage as an NFL safety, but his speed and tackling ability make him a natural fit at either OLB spot in the Bills defense. Mario Haggan has been on the team for 4 seasons and led the team in special teams tackles last year.

Defensive Backs

Starters: SS Donte Whitner, FS Ko Simpson, CB Terrence McGee, CB Jason Webster
Backups: CB Kiwaukee Thomas, CB Jabari Greer, CB Ashton Youboty, FS Jim Leonhard, SS John Wendling (R), SS George Wilson

Starting DBs: This group will certainly be weakened by the loss of CB Nate Clements, who signed a massive contract to play for the 49ers. The Bills surprised a lot of people when they drafted Donte Whitner with the #8 pick overall, but he wound up starting 14 games and finished second on the team in tackles. In contrast, Ko Simpson was a draft day steal for the Bills in round 4 and he wound up starting every game after Troy Vincent went down with an injury in the opener. The two rookie safeties played better than most expected them to and look like they will be fixtures in the Bills secondary for years to come. Terrence McGee has emerged as a very reliable cornerback, although he has struggled at times and might have difficulty matching up against better WRs now. The Bills will likely have a competition for the other starting spot, but the veteran Jason Webster has the best combination of talent and experience and should win the job if he can stay healthy.

Backup DBs: Kiwaukee Thomas has starting experience and will likely begin the year as the nickel corner. Jabari Greer has been the most impressive in training camp but lacks ideal size to start. The Bills think they got a steal when they took Ashton Youboty in the 3rd round of last year's draft, but he missed most of training camp while dealing with his mother's death and never really caught up. He may be the most talented of the contenders for the #2 CB job but is completely unproven at this point and hasn't shown much in the preseason so he might still be another year away from contributing. Jim Leonhard made the team in 2005 but rarely played, was cut in 2006, and then was re-signed as an emergency replacement when injuries decimated the Bills secondary. He is a versatile player who can play either safety spot and also return punts. The Bills spent a 6th round pick on John Wendling, a safety with great size and athleticism who will likely back up Donte Whitner once he gets comfortable playing at this level.

Last modified: 2007-09-02 08:18:23