The Sports Guru

Projected Record

6-10, 3rd Place AFC East

Projected Schedule W/L
@New England (L)
@Miami           (L)
NY Jets            (W)
Minnesota        (W)
@Chicago         (L)
@Detroit          (W)
New England    (L)
Green Bay       (W)
@Indianaplois  (L)
@Houston        (L)
Jacksonville     (L)
San Diego       (W)
@NY Jets         (L)
Miami             (W)
Tennessee      (L)
@Baltimore    (L)

There are several common denominators with teams that are this far down on the list.  Several have first time Head Coaches.  Others have big questions marks at the quarterback position.  Some have both, and like their division counterparts in New York, the Buffalo Bills come into the season with a new head coach and a quarterback controversy.  How the Bills handle these issues will determine their level of success in 2006.

Team Strengths – Willis McGahee can flat out run.  Before last season McGahee was hearing whispers that he couldn’t run inside and gained weight.  The result was a poor 2005, filled with injuries and frustration.  McGahee has lost the weight this off-season and is back to running fast and free.  The Bills looked at defense in the draft, selecting Donte Whitner from Ohio State at #8.  They have an athletice secondary and the linebacking corp is sold with London Fletcher and return of Takeo Spikes.  Buffalo is always a tough place to play, especially when the weather turns cold.

Team Weaknesses -  Former coach Mike Mularkey made a huge mistake last off-season when he simply handed the starting QB job to J.P. Losman.  The incarnation went directly to Losman’s head and questions of his work ethic and desire came into question.  Losman became unpopular with his teammates and eventually was replaced by back-up Kelly Holcomb.  When Mularkey quit after the season the Bills hired Dick Jauron.  Jauron proceeded to open the #1 quarterback job up to anyone who could earn it.  Report out of Buffalo say this has done wonders for Losman who studied and prepared hard.  Going throigh the pre-season, the job will come down to Losman or Holcomb.  Right now, neither is more than average, with Holcomb showing flashes in spurts that make him more suited for a back-up role.  The defensive line has lost some beef up front and will need to establish the line of scrimmage.  Wide Reciever is a position of concern with the departure of Eric Moulds to Houston, but Peerless Price returns to try and fill the void.
                                

Best Case Scenario – Buffalo coaches have to privately be hoping that Losman turns all the potential into results on the field.  On offense the Bills are more suited to a down field attack that suits Losman’s strong arm.  If Losman and perform and the Bills can run the football with McGahee they can have some success.  Other than the typically tough divisional games the Bills have a cream-puff of a schedule that could lead to some surprises.  A .500 record is attainable, but nothing more.  

Worst Case Scenario –Losman loses the QB battle ad the Bills are forced to go with Holcomb, a journeyman at best.  If this is the case alot of pressure will be put on McGahee and on the defense.  The Bills have some players on defense, but questions remain about the ability of Takeo Spikes to come back from the torn Achilles that ended his 2005 season.  The AFC East is tough, and with two tough road games to start the season(NE and Miami)Jauron and his staff are going to need to be cogniscent of the morale of this team if they get beaten badly Weeks 1 and 2. 

My Opinion –  For some reason the Bills intrigue me.  I have them finishing 6-10, sure, but they have some talent and have the schedule that could allow them to get on a roll.  There is a lot of parody in the League, and like many teams there is little room for error when it comes to the Bills.  Regardless of who wins the QB battle both will probably play at times this season and both are known to be inconsistent.  Jauron and his staff will have to stay on top of this.  If the Bills can survive those first two games without having a major meltdown they may jsut be ok.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 2nd, 2006 at 3:32 pm and is filed under Broncos/NFL, 2006 NFL Preview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.