I was thinking about it and the Bills have one sick WR tandem in T.O. and Evans. I think the Jets have the players to stop these guys. The Bills might be able to win a few against New England and Miami simply because their pass defenses aren't that good. Miami was 25th in pass defense last year and loaded up with rookies in the draft. Although the Pats were ranked 11th in pass defense, New England faces a similar situation with few experienced veterans on the squad (no more Rodney Harrison!). I just don't know how the Pats and Fish will be able to match up against T.O. this year and I would be nervous as a fan of their teams. Granted the Jets had a dismal 29th best pass defense in the league last year, but I would be shocked to not see them better than 10th this year. We basically were giving the QB all day to throw with Mangini's ball-less tactics. Plus, Revis and Rhodes alone were not enough to cover the whole field. If we put the pressure on Edwards, with our kind of coverage, I can't see them beating us this year; at least on paper. The Pats and Phins should have a tougher time with this. Could the Bills picking up a couple wins from these teams give the Jets a better shot at winning the division?
i wouldn't be too worried about buffalo, and neither will any other AFCE teams. they didn't win a game last year intra division.
I was going to write a long drawn out explanation, but I figured the answer to your question lies simply in the Offensive and Defensive lines. Bills have a great WR tandem, but if that (suspect) line cannot protect Edwards, it won't matter. The Pats have one of the best front 7 in the league so thinking the Bills can split with them is a reach regardless of who they have in their secondary (tho they've added some good talent back there). Bills vs Dolphins can't say I see it happening either.
This. Even when we're decent and the Bills suck they find ways to embarrass us, when they aren't embarrassing themselves. I also don't think Bellicheat and Sparano are having sleepless nights over TO and LE.
The entire division plays each other tough year in year out. Also, the NYJ, Miami and NE all improved their secondaries this offseason and should all put out stout defenses. I think Buffalo is in trouble more than anybody's defenses. TO and Evans is a pretty damn good tandem but Edwards stinks, Lynch is suspended and pretty fuckin overrated, and their oline has gone even further south after exiling LT Peters. I'm not expecting big things from Buffalo this season.
Yeah, but if you take away Miami's and NE's inexperience at the CB position, then they both have the best Secondaries in the NFL!
As long as Dick Jauron is coaching the Bills, we always have a very good chance to sweep them. I don't care that he's an Ivy Leaguer, the guy is a bum.
i think the op hasn't been paying much attention to the off season of other afce teams. the pats got springs and bodden as free agents and drafted darius butler, cb from ct. and then drafted another big defensive lineman, brace and then brady is back with the most powerful offense the nfl had ever seen the season before, and they are all coming back. wishful thinking with new england. miami is the defending afce champs and until someone knocks them off, they are still the team to beat. realistically, new england is the team to beat and the jets are not the team to do it this year with a rookie qb and first year coach. ryan will need a season or two to get the guys fully implemented to the new defensive scheme, so i don't think the defense will be as good as some here are claiming. down year for the jets this year with the hope of seeing flashes of greatness towards the end of the season, we hope!!!! jets and bills will fight for the cellar of the division, and it's too close to call right now....
[YOUTUBE]WvTliO4jxrk[/YOUTUBE] Somebody needs to make a new one of these including his 2008 highlights.
Coaching aside,the biggest question marks with the BILLS are the OL and DL. Yes, last year they went 0-the division, but that was primarily for three reasons. 1. Defenses figured out if you contain Lynch and double Lee Evans, you in essence shut down the offense. It also didn't help that Josh Reed was injured. He's a solid possession guy that helps move the chains. In the red zone he disappears, but at least he helps get you there to put some points on the board. 2. The OL couldn't get it together. Peters played uninspired football and the whole left side of the line was a weak spot. The BILLS were better running to the right and Trent Edwards got better pass protection from the right (although ironically the hit that knocked him out of the CARDINALS game came from the right, but he was an unblocked blitzing DB.) 3. The DL couldn't get much QB pressure. Our sack totals were dismal. Kelsay did not get it done last year. Schoebel was injured but injuries happen to every team so to not have a contingency plan shows a lack of preparedness on the coaching staff. Now, lets see what they addressed in the offseason..... 1. They acquire T.O. Call it crazy, stupid, desperate, whatever adjective you choose, he was the best player available at the time. Galloway is not nearly the same threat as T.O. even with T.O. propensity to drop passes. It helps take pressure off of Lee Evans. Also, it moves Josh Reed from the #2 to the slot. They cut their fumblicious TE Robert Royal and picked up a steal in the fourth round with Shawn Nelson. He may not contribute this year, but Derek Schouman and Derek Fine have a battle brewing. I like Fine's chances better than Schouman, but we'll see. 2. The OL. This is the biggest "if" for the whole season. They kept two starters (Walker, Butler), moved them to new positions, picked up a very serviceable C in Hangartner and drafted two very promising rookies in Wood and Levitre. Asking rookies to produce in order to make your season is always going to cause a fanbase extra ulcers, but they do come through sometimes. DOLPHINS fans saw what Jake Long did and the BRONCOS enjoyed Clady last year, but to ask lightning to strike twice on the same team in the same season is a huge gamble. At least the rookies are being installed at RG and LG, so there will be veterans to help cover their mistakes. The one thing that all of the OL has is their ability to play different positions, which allows some plug and play if the coaching staff feels guys are not playing as well as anticipated. As far as the dead weight cut, Peters was an above average LT but was overrated. He may have the ability, but his play on the field should not have warranted that Pro-Bowl selection. Dockery was just a huge mistake from the get go, and cutting him loose as soon as possible was the smart move. Fowler wasn't much better and just as smart. At the very least, this current OL is no worse than last year, but the jury is still out if it's any better. If it is, the BILLS have a good chance for a playoff spot. 3. The DL. The best acquisition this offseason came in the form of two coaches, believe it or not. They went out and got Buddy Nix, a guy with a proven track record of solid drafting, and Bob Sanders, Green Bay's DC from last year. Both have made their presence known with addressing the biggest problem from the defense, the DL. Maybin, the BILLS top draft pick, should be a solid pass rusher in the seasons to come, but should be used situationally this year. People may dog this philosophy, but he will develop into a pass rushing machine in the seasons to come. As far as the rest o the DL, not much changed, but with new coaches in here, they didn't ask for wholesale changes, which makes me think they were poorly coached from seasons past. There have been reports from OTA's on Sanders already getting through to McCargo and Kelsay. Those two, more than any, need to step it up on the D. The LB's are a pretty solid group, as long as the DL is doing their duties. Even with last year's problems of getting to the QB, they still ranked in the top half of the league in team D. What does all of this bull crap mean? The BILLS are, at worst, the same team as last year. I can see them getting 2 wins at worst and 5 wins at best from the AFC East. Every game last year in the AFC East was hard fought and close. Nothing was a true blow out, ala 56-10 to the PATRIOTS, etc...... I see them getting a split with the JETS and DOLPHINS at the very least. The PATRIOTS all depends on how far along the OL is, and they play them their first game, so that game is not looking promising.
Yeah the Jets and Bills usually split it, but IMO a lot of people are underrating the Bills here. They were 6-0 at one point last year and although they lost Peters, they got T.O.. I mean I hate the guy, but if he could focus then he could give the AFC east headaches. Injures plagued the Bills last year and I think the Bills might be underrated at this point. I think the Patriots are declining and the Fins had a fluke year. Or maybe I think the Bills are better than they are because I've had to hear about how great they are. Half of my family is made up of Bills fans and they think they're going to wreck havoc on the AFCE.
I know what you mean, my In-Laws are JETS fans, except my wife, I brainwashed her.... LOL BTW, the BILLS were actually 5-1 after 6 games, but point taken. They started strong and folded heavily. Question is, which team shows up this year?
Maybe not a superstar, but aside from his one year in Detroit (who ran a Tampa 2 Zone) Bodden excelled in man coverage every year he played. I can see him being a huge player in NE's scheme. I wanted the NYJ to sign him, puzzled why we didn't. NE got him for real cheap, sub 1 million I believe!
