Los Broncos
08-02-2007, 12:04 AM
http://nfl.com/news/story/10277058
With a more mature Losman, Bills will be better.
Pat Kirwan
NFL.com Senior Analyst
PITTSFORD, N.Y. (Aug. 1, 2007) -- When I was in the NFL, flying into Buffalo wasn't a pleasant trip. The Bills were led by Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith and it was pretty much a lock they were going to win with that veteran team. Well, in the past five seasons, the Bills have averaged seven wins a season and are not a veteran team.
As I watched the current team walk out to practice at training camp, a couple of things really hit home as the young faces crossed my path: There is not one player on the roster with 10 years of experience (the Patriots have 11 players with 10-plus years of experience) and there were 49 players with three years experience or less on the practice field at St. John Fisher College. As one fan said to me when they walked by, "These guys look like the kids who play football here at St. John."
When I asked Bills general manager Marv Levy if he was spending time with his very young football team to help mentor them, he said, "Once in awhile I will talk to the team, but I don't really spend much time with the individuals." I asked coach Dick Jauron if the youth of his team changes his style of leadership to a more parental style and he assured me that wasn't the case. I asked former Bills receiver Steve Tasker if he thought the youth was going to be a problem and he said the team was ready to take a nice jump.
The Bills have excellent special teams, a quarterback that led his team to a 5-3 record in the last eight games and a defense that lost three starters (London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes and Nate Clements). Most of the club insiders think the team will improve on its 7-9 record from 2006, while most outsiders think the Bills will go the other way.
HOT TOPICS
The money spent on the offensive line: Jauron said the Bills targeted three offensive linemen in free agency and got all three -- right tackle Langston Walker, left guard Derrick Dockery and right guard Jason Whittle. The big question probably surrounds Walker, especially as a pass blocker. Quarterback J.P. Losman says all he's looking for is another half of a second in the pocket and the passing attack will be fine.
After a rookie season shortened by injury, the Bills hope John McCargo can anchor the run defense.
After a rookie season shortened by injury, the Bills hope John McCargo can anchor the run defense.
Can the run defense improve? A number of Bills players I spoke with mentioned how small the front is and how they are going to have to play the run better. A lot of people have their fingers crossed that John McCargo can stay healthy and plug up the run game inside. The Bills could have used Darwin Walker, the former Eagle they traded for, but he refused to show up and got traded to the Bears. Scheme can take you just so far, so the Bills are going to have to make plays in the run game or nothing changes at season's end.
Nate Clements' replacement: From Levy on down, every Bills person expressed that Clements was lost in free agency due to financial demands by the cornerback. All recognize that replacing him is a challenge. The top three candidates at this point include last year's third-round pick, Ashton Youboty, Jabari Greer, and the leading candidate at this point, Jason Webster.
NEWCOMERS ready to make an impact
Paul Posluszny, LB, rookie: When a team lets London Fletcher and Takeo Spikes go, this second-round pick has to be ready on Week 1. I talked with Posluszny and he feels he already has a grip on the defense and is starting to make the calls. Levy said Posluszny reminds him of Shane Conlan.
Marshawn Lynch, RB, rookie: Lynch is scheduled to split time with Anthony Thomas, but Lynch should get the majority of opportunities. It is critical to Losman's effectiveness that Lynch delivers early and often. The Bills really don't have great receiving answers at tight end, so Lynch needs to convert short inside check-down passes into big gains.
SCOUTING REPORT
Marshawn Lynch has the ability to be a big-play threat.
Marshawn Lynch has the ability to be a big-play threat.
Offense: There is a sentiment in Buffalo by a number of players that the offense has to carry the defense. Jauron doesn't believe that is the way he's building this team and I agree. The Bills will protect Losman better and will not give up 47 sacks like last year. Lynch is going to have more explosive runs than Willis McGahee had last year, but only time will tell if defenses respect the Bills' running game more than the deep passing attack to Lee Evans. Last year, Losman connected with Evans and Peerless Price 23 times in the last two games of the season at a 14 yards-per-catch average. If you run those numbers out over an entire season, both Price and Evans would have 80-plus catches each. I think it's possible, but the Bills' questionable situation at tight end will restrict opening up the field.
Defense: If the Bills defense can get to passing situations, their pass rush is in place. Defensive ends Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney combined for 25½ sacks. Getting to pass downs is the challenge for the Bills, and after watching practice, it looks like they are going to have to run blitz more than they want to in order to slow the run down. Rising star safety Donte Whitner let me know the 2007 scheme will pressure the run game and doesn't feel the defense went backward when the veterans left in the offseason.
Special teams: The Bills have one of the best special teams in the league and the young players are excellent for the unit. Their kicker and punter can handle the weather conditions in Buffalo and they have excellent return specialists and a lot of coverage speed. This dimension of the team will live up to its end of the bargain under the leadership of Bobby April.
BIGGEST WEAKNESSES
1. Age and experience have to remain a weakness until the young players have enough games under their belt.
2. The defensive tackles are undersized and will have to slow down Laurence Maroney (New England), Ronnie Brown (Miami) and Thomas Jones (N.Y. Jets).
3. Until tight end Robert Royal actually creates a vertical threat, teams will cheat to help double cover Lee Evans.
CAMP INTERVIEWS
Aaron Schobel: Schobel has emerged as a leader of the defense and has become leaner to give himself greater quickness. He's a perfect fit in this defense and has the work ethic and skill to get close to 15 sacks this season.
J.P. Losman: Man, has this guy matured. I told him after our 20 minutes together that in years past he didn't impress me as a leader type, but now he does. Losman has grown up and is working off last year to get even better. He was one of the last guys off the practice field and then went to another field alone with rookie quarterback Trent Edwards to work on the deep ball. He is working at his game and is much more relaxed than he was in 2006.
Dick Jauron: Jauron has the personality and toughness to turn this roster over in the past two years and position them to win. He likes the way the team finished up last year and expects more this season. The players say he's easy to approach when there is a problem. I asked Dick about the trade of Darwin Walker and he said Walker never embraced being a Bills player so he quietly said we needed to get him out of here.
PREDICTION
While the Bills went 7-9 last year, they also went 3-3 in the AFC East and gave up an average of 16 points per game in those six division games. They swept the Dolphins, split with the Jets and got swept by the Patriots. When I looked inside the Buffalo losses last season, five of them were by three points or less. A number of players felt 10 wins was realistic, and if they just go 3-2 in the games they lost by three points or less, then 10 wins happens.
The Bills won the time of possession battle in 12 of their 16 games last year, and with a better, more experienced offensive line, it is reasonable to expect the Bills to do it again. Last year, the Bills scored less than 21 points in each of their first seven games and they absolutely need to start faster in '07.
My question about the Bills as I leave camp is more about identifying playmakers. Lee Evans is a big-time player but he stands alone. On defense, there are a number of very solid players but no Bruce Smith. I have to figure the team ends up 8-8. Keep in mind, last year Buffalo played San Diego and Indianapolis to the wire and lost. This year, the Bills will find a way to win an extra game like that and it will have a lot to do with Losman leading a two-minute drill or two, which I see as the difference in this team.
With a more mature Losman, Bills will be better.
Pat Kirwan
NFL.com Senior Analyst
PITTSFORD, N.Y. (Aug. 1, 2007) -- When I was in the NFL, flying into Buffalo wasn't a pleasant trip. The Bills were led by Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith and it was pretty much a lock they were going to win with that veteran team. Well, in the past five seasons, the Bills have averaged seven wins a season and are not a veteran team.
As I watched the current team walk out to practice at training camp, a couple of things really hit home as the young faces crossed my path: There is not one player on the roster with 10 years of experience (the Patriots have 11 players with 10-plus years of experience) and there were 49 players with three years experience or less on the practice field at St. John Fisher College. As one fan said to me when they walked by, "These guys look like the kids who play football here at St. John."
When I asked Bills general manager Marv Levy if he was spending time with his very young football team to help mentor them, he said, "Once in awhile I will talk to the team, but I don't really spend much time with the individuals." I asked coach Dick Jauron if the youth of his team changes his style of leadership to a more parental style and he assured me that wasn't the case. I asked former Bills receiver Steve Tasker if he thought the youth was going to be a problem and he said the team was ready to take a nice jump.
The Bills have excellent special teams, a quarterback that led his team to a 5-3 record in the last eight games and a defense that lost three starters (London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes and Nate Clements). Most of the club insiders think the team will improve on its 7-9 record from 2006, while most outsiders think the Bills will go the other way.
HOT TOPICS
The money spent on the offensive line: Jauron said the Bills targeted three offensive linemen in free agency and got all three -- right tackle Langston Walker, left guard Derrick Dockery and right guard Jason Whittle. The big question probably surrounds Walker, especially as a pass blocker. Quarterback J.P. Losman says all he's looking for is another half of a second in the pocket and the passing attack will be fine.
After a rookie season shortened by injury, the Bills hope John McCargo can anchor the run defense.
After a rookie season shortened by injury, the Bills hope John McCargo can anchor the run defense.
Can the run defense improve? A number of Bills players I spoke with mentioned how small the front is and how they are going to have to play the run better. A lot of people have their fingers crossed that John McCargo can stay healthy and plug up the run game inside. The Bills could have used Darwin Walker, the former Eagle they traded for, but he refused to show up and got traded to the Bears. Scheme can take you just so far, so the Bills are going to have to make plays in the run game or nothing changes at season's end.
Nate Clements' replacement: From Levy on down, every Bills person expressed that Clements was lost in free agency due to financial demands by the cornerback. All recognize that replacing him is a challenge. The top three candidates at this point include last year's third-round pick, Ashton Youboty, Jabari Greer, and the leading candidate at this point, Jason Webster.
NEWCOMERS ready to make an impact
Paul Posluszny, LB, rookie: When a team lets London Fletcher and Takeo Spikes go, this second-round pick has to be ready on Week 1. I talked with Posluszny and he feels he already has a grip on the defense and is starting to make the calls. Levy said Posluszny reminds him of Shane Conlan.
Marshawn Lynch, RB, rookie: Lynch is scheduled to split time with Anthony Thomas, but Lynch should get the majority of opportunities. It is critical to Losman's effectiveness that Lynch delivers early and often. The Bills really don't have great receiving answers at tight end, so Lynch needs to convert short inside check-down passes into big gains.
SCOUTING REPORT
Marshawn Lynch has the ability to be a big-play threat.
Marshawn Lynch has the ability to be a big-play threat.
Offense: There is a sentiment in Buffalo by a number of players that the offense has to carry the defense. Jauron doesn't believe that is the way he's building this team and I agree. The Bills will protect Losman better and will not give up 47 sacks like last year. Lynch is going to have more explosive runs than Willis McGahee had last year, but only time will tell if defenses respect the Bills' running game more than the deep passing attack to Lee Evans. Last year, Losman connected with Evans and Peerless Price 23 times in the last two games of the season at a 14 yards-per-catch average. If you run those numbers out over an entire season, both Price and Evans would have 80-plus catches each. I think it's possible, but the Bills' questionable situation at tight end will restrict opening up the field.
Defense: If the Bills defense can get to passing situations, their pass rush is in place. Defensive ends Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney combined for 25½ sacks. Getting to pass downs is the challenge for the Bills, and after watching practice, it looks like they are going to have to run blitz more than they want to in order to slow the run down. Rising star safety Donte Whitner let me know the 2007 scheme will pressure the run game and doesn't feel the defense went backward when the veterans left in the offseason.
Special teams: The Bills have one of the best special teams in the league and the young players are excellent for the unit. Their kicker and punter can handle the weather conditions in Buffalo and they have excellent return specialists and a lot of coverage speed. This dimension of the team will live up to its end of the bargain under the leadership of Bobby April.
BIGGEST WEAKNESSES
1. Age and experience have to remain a weakness until the young players have enough games under their belt.
2. The defensive tackles are undersized and will have to slow down Laurence Maroney (New England), Ronnie Brown (Miami) and Thomas Jones (N.Y. Jets).
3. Until tight end Robert Royal actually creates a vertical threat, teams will cheat to help double cover Lee Evans.
CAMP INTERVIEWS
Aaron Schobel: Schobel has emerged as a leader of the defense and has become leaner to give himself greater quickness. He's a perfect fit in this defense and has the work ethic and skill to get close to 15 sacks this season.
J.P. Losman: Man, has this guy matured. I told him after our 20 minutes together that in years past he didn't impress me as a leader type, but now he does. Losman has grown up and is working off last year to get even better. He was one of the last guys off the practice field and then went to another field alone with rookie quarterback Trent Edwards to work on the deep ball. He is working at his game and is much more relaxed than he was in 2006.
Dick Jauron: Jauron has the personality and toughness to turn this roster over in the past two years and position them to win. He likes the way the team finished up last year and expects more this season. The players say he's easy to approach when there is a problem. I asked Dick about the trade of Darwin Walker and he said Walker never embraced being a Bills player so he quietly said we needed to get him out of here.
PREDICTION
While the Bills went 7-9 last year, they also went 3-3 in the AFC East and gave up an average of 16 points per game in those six division games. They swept the Dolphins, split with the Jets and got swept by the Patriots. When I looked inside the Buffalo losses last season, five of them were by three points or less. A number of players felt 10 wins was realistic, and if they just go 3-2 in the games they lost by three points or less, then 10 wins happens.
The Bills won the time of possession battle in 12 of their 16 games last year, and with a better, more experienced offensive line, it is reasonable to expect the Bills to do it again. Last year, the Bills scored less than 21 points in each of their first seven games and they absolutely need to start faster in '07.
My question about the Bills as I leave camp is more about identifying playmakers. Lee Evans is a big-time player but he stands alone. On defense, there are a number of very solid players but no Bruce Smith. I have to figure the team ends up 8-8. Keep in mind, last year Buffalo played San Diego and Indianapolis to the wire and lost. This year, the Bills will find a way to win an extra game like that and it will have a lot to do with Losman leading a two-minute drill or two, which I see as the difference in this team.