Offseason Outlook 2015: Buffalo Bills

Offense

Words used so often in football, "They are a quarterback away". Frankly, it is true with Buffalo. They will be strolling out either Matt Cassel, E.J. Manuel, Tyrod Taylor or Jeff Tuel behind center. If you didn't know, that is not a strong group of quarterbacks, and they would be lucky to get league average QB play from one of them. At the skill positions, Buffalo got quite a few star-caliber players to add to their roster. It starts with LeSean McCoy. The Bills traded Kiko Alonso for the star running back. The Bills haven't had an RB of his talent level for a very long time. Adding LeSean McCoy will force opponents to stack the box, which will open up more space for their receivers. The Bills have a star in the making in Sammy Watkins, and he is still paired up with another blossoming young player in Robert Woods. Rex Ryan and Bills management didn't stop there though, they also signed Percy Harvin in free agency. For those of you that don't know or happen to forget, Percy Harvin was an MVP candidate in his last year with Minnesota until he got injured, and even though the last fcouple years have been a big struggle for him, he still has an abundance of talent. The speed and skill level of all these wideouts is enough to scare defenses, but add in LeSean McCoy too, and it will be really tough for any defense to play man coverage against this offense. The offensive line is mediocre at best. Cordy Glenn is a solid left tackle, but there are question marks all across the rest of the O-line. Eric Wood is a decent center, and Richie Incognito was a good guard the last time he played, but he's currently a big question mark. At right tackle, Seantrel Henderson will duke it out with Cyrus Kouandjio to start, but both players struggled last year. The Bills drafted John Miller in the 3rd round this year and he will likely start at the other guard position, but not much should be expected out of a rookie guard. While the lack of talent on the O-line and at QB should be noted, this offense isn't doomed in the slightest. Expect a lot of quick passes and screen passes, as McCoy, Watkins and Harvin are three of the best players with the ball in their hands in the NFL. The Bills will most likely want to become a ground and pound offense under Rex Ryan, and they have the weapons to get that done and put up some points. I doubt they will be an elite offense, but they have a chance to be middle of the pack, which would be a huge improvement over last year.

Defense

The Bills did hire Rex Ryan for a reason. and Sexy Rexy has made one heck of a career on creating elite defenses. Lucky for him, the Bills already have an elite defense, as they were 4th in fewest points allowed per game in 2014. It starts and ends up front with one of the most dangerous defensive lines in football (we'll get to St. Louis eventually). From left to right, they have Mario Williams, Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams, and Jerry Hughes. 3 of those players are elites at their positions and Jerry Hughes is turning into a spectacular pass rusher. At linebacker, they traded away their star in Kiko Alonso to get McCoy, but Ryan has done spectacular work in his career with getting the absolute most production out of linebackers. They also have a talented sophomore in Preston Brown. Nigel Bradham was good for them last year too, so Rex has some talent to work with. In the secondary, they have a young up and coming cornerback in Stephon Gilmore. If he stays healthy, he could really turn the corner to being a top 10 cornerback this year. They recently drafted Ronald Darby in the 2nd round, which I thought was a good pick. He doesn't do any one thing spectacularly, but he is a solid overall cornerback and I could easily see him being a great number 2 behind Gilmore for years to come. Leodis McKelvin is another solid cornerback who will be the number 2 this year behind Gilmore, and Nickell Robey was a good nickel cornerback last year and should continue to grow (Nickell playing nickel... Get it? Anyone? No, okay...). At safety, they have Duke and Aaron Williams who were both average players last year. It's true that this defense will be known for their deadly front four, but there is some depth to it and talent across the board. So when this defense is top 5 another year in a row, make sure to give Gilmore, Brown and some other players some credit too.

Bills fans are used to hearing that it's going to be another long year, so I guess it's a good thing that they don't have to hear that same line this year too! The Bills are building something. I think Rex Ryan is the perfect coach for them, and just by the general attitude in Buffalo, you can tell that there is a level of excitement they haven't had in years. Do I think they will win the division? No, sorry Buffalo fans. The difference between Brady and Matt Cassel is too much. I do think Buffalo has a great shot at a wildcard playoff berth this year. They were oh so close last year, and I believe that Buffalo only got better this year. So Bills fans, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride this season, because it's going to be exciting.