Buffalo Bills: Can They Avoid Being The Worst Team In The AFC East?

For the last five years the Buffalo Bills have been division bottom feeders in arguably the weakest division in the NFL. Between having an incompetent coach in Chan Gailey and Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starting quarterback who was a finicky passer at best, the Bills have lacked the motivational leadership that other perennial playoff teams have become known for.  Although their rushing attack has been their saving grace more often than not, their inconsistent defense has prevented the Bills from garnering necessary wins.  However, the Bills well thought out 2013 draft selections could effectively alleviate all of the lingering nuisances that have plagued this team for some time.

  For the starters, the Bills decided to find a new head coach that could not only make their running game consistently viable but who could also effectively teach their new rookie quarterback EJ Manuel how to be a professional NFL quarterback.  By hiring Doug Marrone, the former head coach from Syracuse, the Bills finally found an offensive minded guru who was able to dynamically emphasize both a strong rushing attack and a methodical passing game.  Unlike Chan Gailey who was one track minded in allowing the quarterback to dictate the offense, Marrone has made it clear that he wants running back C.J. Spiller to be a more prominent force in the offense.

Although Spiller is a younger back, his vast improvements from season to season have made him the Bills go to offensive weapon whenever they happen to find themselves in a bind.  During the 2012 regular season, Spiller excelled far past his previous season statistics when he rushed for two more touchdowns (4 TD’s in 2011) and more than doubled his previous yardage from last season when he rushed for 1,244 yards (561 rushing yards during 2011 season).  Aside from his explosive running capabilities, Spiller has slowly become a more prominent figure as a reliable receiver as well.  Last season, Spiller caught 43 passes for 459 yards and two touchdowns.  While Spiller has been used as a hybrid receiving running back in the past, last season was his easily his breakout year as he boosted his average receiving yardage from 6.9 yards in 2011 to 10.7 yards in 2012.  If Marrone can effectively use Spiller’s vast talents in critical situations, Spiller could easily become the dominant crux of the Bills offense.

With that being said, the Bills also wanted to be less one dimensional with their offensive approach when they selected Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel in the first round of the 2013 draft.  While some draft analyst viewed the Bills selection of Manuel as premature and risky, in his pre season debut Manuel proved to be both confident and patient while passing from the pocket.  Along with his solid passing abilities, Manuel is also extremely quick on his feet and with time could prove to be a dual threat passer similar to that of Robert Griffin III.  If Manuel can improve his ball security skills while avoiding unnecessary injuries, he could be the franchise quarterback the Bills have been looking for.

Assuming their young offensive prospects can get the job done, the Bills still need a consistent defensive front and a persistent secondary if they hope to compete against teams with stellar quarterbacks.  Fortunately, the Bills utilized three out of their seven picks to address their defensive woes.  In the third round, the Bills selected inside linebacker Kiko Alonso from Oregon to be a dominant presence up the middle.  If Alonso can prove to be the tenacious linebacker the Bills believe him to be, they’ll easily improve to be one of the more dominant defensive fronts rather than being the lackadaisical pushovers they were last year (31^st against the rush last season).

Although the Bills secondary was fairly solid for most of last year (10^th against the pass last season), they still needed some younger talent, particularly at the safety position to back up the Bills prolific secondary star Jairus Byrd.  In the fourth round of the draft, the Bills selected safety Duke Williams from Nevada.  Between his lighting quick speed that allows him close in on passes consistently to his impressive hitting abilities, Williams has tenacity and strength in spades that will serve him well in Buffalo.

In the end, the Bills had a sensational draft that garnered them a competent passer and several defensive prospects that should be able to contribute as avid starters from day one of the regular season.   Assuming the Bills new head coach Doug Marrone can step up to fine tune this franchises’ frustrating inconsistencies, they have a solid chance to not only avoid being the worst team in the division but to also attain a wild card spot for the first time since 1999.