Addressing the Buffalo Bills Offseason

The Buffalo Bills had yet another disappointing end to one of their seasons. They finished 7-9 after having playoff aspirations for a good part of the season in 2007. However, three straight losses at the end of the year put a damper on those plans, and the Bills were sent reeling back into the off-season.

The Bills were a solid team; they just didn't have the talent to go with their toughness and grit. When you watched a Bills game this past season, you never got the impression that they were gouged, embarrassed, or manhandled. However, the stats would suggest another story.

They gave up 125 yards per game on the ground and an average of 4.4 yards allowed per rush. Their passing defense was also atrocious, ending the season with 29^th ranking, allowing 238 passing yards per game and 7.0 yards per passing attempt.

So you would think it was obvious that the Bills need to address the defensive end of the ball, right?

Not so fast my friend!

Like I said before, as bad as the defensive numbers read, the team was not being destroyed defensively. They gave up only 22.1 points per game, which isn't completely horrible. In fact, it's ranked right in the middle of the pack at 18^th. So for the most part, their defense usually did a good job of keeping them in the game. It was the offense that did a bad job of scoring points to actually win games.

The Bills need to focus in on settling in on a quarterback. There can be no controversy going into 2008. If they want to start Trent Edwards, then they need to name him the starter and keep it that way, even if an injury problem surfaces during the season. The offense is not talented enough to go back and forth between quarterbacks.

Next, the Bills need to get a possession receiver. While Lee Evans is a great deep threat (15.4 yards per reception in 2007), he is not the type of receiver that you can go to time and time again when you need a big play on third down. A receiver of that nature, with some size and perhaps some veteran experience, would be very valuable to a young Trent Edwards who could use safety net at this early stage in his career.