#25 Buffalo Bills

Since the AFL's inception in 1959, the Buffalo Bills have consistently been one of the league's proudest franchises with an extremely loyal fan base. This year has seen an outpouring of affection for their 90 year old owner Ralph Wilson, as well as their prolific Defensive End Bruce Smith; for they were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Wilson played a crucial role in the NFL-AFL merger in 1966 as well as led his team to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the early nineties. Smith on the other hand is only the NFL's all-time sack king with 200 career sacks.

After a promising 5-1 start to 2008, the Bills stumbled down the stretch to a third consecutive 7-9 season. They were an abysmal 0-6 versus AFC East opponents, which will obviously need to be addressed if they want to make a playoff run. You cannot go 0-6 in your division and expect to go anywhere. That said, the Bills stirred up some controversy by acquiring the oft-controversial, yet talented WR, Terrell Owens.

Offense:

Week one in 2008 saw the Bills pound the Seahawks to the tune of 34-10, and although they started 5-1, their offense slowly collapsed and they finished the year ranked 25th in the league. The addition of T.O. will provide Buffalo with significant depth at the WR position, which in my humble opinion could turn out to be one of the better WR corps in the NFL. T.O. will be opposite veteran WRs Lee Evans and Josh Reed. These 3 receivers should provide QB Trent Edwards ample opportunity to improve upon his paltry numbers last season in which he had 2,699 yds and 11 TDs in 2008. The Bills rushing attack however is a little more suspect. Their main back, Marshawn Lynch will remain suspended for his violation of the leagues' personal conduct policy, and will be out the first 3 games of 2009. They will likely need him as the Bills face the Patriots Week 1, the Buccaneers in Week 2, and the Saints in Week 3. Their backups Fred Jackson and Dominic Rhodes need to step up for the Bills in order to survive these games. Jackson provided a spark for the struggling offense last season and in a short period of time gained over 500 yds rushing on 5 yds a carry as well as catching 37 balls for 317 yards. If Lynch does not produce when he returns look for Jackson to carry the load.


Defense:

Two words: Paul Posluszny. The Bills' linebacker had a fine rookie season, piling up 110 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. Look for him to improve this season on a Bills defense that still includes Kawika Mitchell and Aaron Schobel. The defensive unit was ranked 15th in the NFL and it will likely get better when their first round pick Aaron Maybin finally signs. Maybin, a DE out of Penn State, was the 11th pick overall and will add some versatility and athleticism to the bills defensive line. He'll be a fun player to watch this year.

The Verdict:

While their defense and offense look to be improved, I still do not see the Bills anywhere but the basement of the highly competitive AFC East that now has a returning Tom Brady. They must figure out a way to win a game in that division if they want to make a playoff run. Also here's a few quick stats you might find interesting:

- 49-63 overall and 16-26 in the AFC East since 2002 (the first year of the 4 division format)
- 60-84 overall and a measly 19-39 within the division since 2000
- One winning season since 2000: in 2004 and they went 9-7
- Two .500 seasons since 2000: 2002 and 2000

Their schedule outside of AFC East opponents this year include games against the Colts, Falcons, Titans, Panthers, Saints, and Bucs. Good Luck.
2009 outlook: 6-10. It's going to be a rough year for the Bills.

~ Ash