Andre Reed’s induction last Saturday was genuine and emotional. Reed also used the podium to send a particular message to Bon Jovi and Toronto partners when he asserted the Bills weren’t going anywhere. A rousing applause responded to his declaration.
The strength of the current Buffalo Bills isn’t a trio of exceptional offensive talents like Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and Reed in the late 1980s and 1990s. The Bills have promising offensive talent. That’s happened in recent history before with draft picks spent on J.P Losman, Willis McGahee, Marshawn Lynch, Trent Edwards, and Lee Evans. Not all were disappointments, but none resembled their most successful era.
Buffalo used their seven draft picks on three offensive lineman, two linebackers, a cornerback, and one wide receiver. Not one pick was used for a defensive tackle or end. There’s a perfectly logical explanation for it. The Bills are flush with talent at these vital positions.
In spite of Buffalo’s future ownership limbo, general manager Doug Whaley got promoted in 2013 after Buddy Nix stepped down. Whaley learned under the Pittsburgh Steelers front office and scouting department. The Pittsburgh grad became proficient in analyzing and suggesting picks such as Troy Polamalu, and Lawrence Timmons, and LaMarr Woodley. Whaley’s bringing stability and a set plan amidst his team’s future ownership and location in doubt.
Whaley drafted a special athlete in wide receiver Sammy Watkins during May’s draft to boost an offense in need of punch due to Steve Johnson’s departure. What should be noticed are the less recognized moves now paying dividends belong to a defensive line ranked second for total sacks to only Carolina in 2013.
The first and second names on the depth chart didn’t play long in the Hall of Fame contest against New York. Kyle Williams, Mario Williams, Jerry Hughes, and Marcell Dareus played in two series. Three guys on that line recorded double-digit sack totals, with Dareus compiling a respectable 7.5 of his own.
Buffalo signed Williams away from Houston as a free agent in 2012. The 29-year-old from N.C. State is a three-time Pro Bowler and has four double-digit sack totals in his eight year career. Hughes thrived in his first year in Buffalo with 10 sacks.
Defensive tackles Williams and Dareus anchor the middle. Both are Bills draft picks. Williams is the line’s elder statesman at 31 and Dareus was their first round pick in 2011 from Nick Saban’s Alabama program.
It doesn’t exactly waver once backups are called upon. Jarius Wynn, Alan Branch, and Manny Lawson are three capable pass rushers and disruptive forces who can spell first stringers without a major tailing off.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s roots are ingrained on the defensive side of the ball. He worked under Bill Belichick and Jeff Fisher coaching staffs before getting a head coaching shot at 43 years old in 2009. Schwartz was fired and quickly picked up by the Bills this offseason.
Working under Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans squads featured defensive lines with Jevon Kearse, Kevin Carter, Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Albert Haynesworth. Sacks, pressures, and turnovers are directly analogous to Schwartz’s current group in Buffalo.
One of the major concerns for Schwartz is mending a run defense gashed for 2,063 yards in 2013. Buffalo permitted 128.9 rushing yards per game, fifth worst in the league. Take into account Buffalo went 6-10 and that defense spent lengthy time on the field with a lower tier offense unable to consistently sustain drives.
Conversely, the Bills were fourth best against the pass, holding offenses to 204 yards per game. Shoring up a porous rush defense in a pass-happy league will put the squeeze on quarterbacks to find open windows against a stingy back line.
The defensive line is receiving hype, yet some consider Buffalo’s back of the defense their foundation. Stephon Gilmore and Leodis McKelvin form a pair of elite corners who helped tally 23 interceptions in 2013, second best in football. That fact withstanding, this defensive line will lessen pressure laid upon that secondary.
If sacks, quarterback pressures, forced fumbles, and improvement against the run become synonymous with Buffalo’s defense, competing for division or wild card playoff spots won’t be an impossible dream for the city on the eastern side of the Niagara River.
Buffalo’s stout defense could become a successful formula pending injuries. It’s speed and athleticism starting with the line pose challenges for quarterbacks across the board. Doug Marrone and E.J. Manuel need to gear up an offense that averaged 21.2 points, well into the lower third of NFL offenses.
Giving leads to their defense would behoove the Bills. The New England Patriots remain the AFC East’s standard bearer, but the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets each finished 2013 at 8-8. Neither team is undeniably better than the Bills. Buffalo could accomplish a degree of winning not experienced for well over a decade on the eastern side of the Niagara River.