The Buffalo Bills could be the NFL’s dark horse this season. With the talent pool, they have on offense; with enough direction, they could challenge many the good teams. Teams have had trouble stacking up against the Bills rushing attack, and now they will have a few more pieces to attack with. Buffalo was a team on the rise a few seasons back until head coach Doug Marrone bolted. From there, they hired Rex Ryan who often underperformed as a head coach. Rex has never had success finding a franchise quarterback, a trend that continued in Buffalo. Tyrod Taylor has had flashes of talent while with the Bills but never came into his own. The Bills have given him the tools to succeed, so how will they pioneer his success?
Wide Receiver Duo
When healthy, Sammy Watkins has shown he can be the all over the field, speedy receiver the Bills need. Unfortunately, for him, the team has not gone out of their way to provide him with a stand out #2 receiver. Enter the 2017 NFL Draft where they picked stand out wide receiver Zay Jones out of East Carolina. Between his solid route running and sure hands, Jones ought to expand the opposite side of the field. Having a second receiver who should stack up the yards for the Bills should add a completely new set of wrinkles to their offense. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor should not be the only one who benefits from Jones’ presence. Opening up the field more than likely will give tight end Charles Clay more room to work. Look for a more attack friendly offense out of Buffalo this season.
League Leading Run Game
With one of the league’s, best offensive lines in the run game, the Buffalo Bills led the league in rushing yards the past 2 seasons. LeSean McCoy turns 29 this offseason shows no signs of slowing down in being the primary workhorse for the offense. By saying that, the Bills will also strongly push their backs this season to find a strong backup/complimentary back to McCoy. They have shuffled the cards as far as backups go the past few seasons, but they may have the depth to find a long-term answer.
New Coaching Philosophy
Rex Ryan has always centered his coaching style on ground and pound football. Buffalo’s defense took a step backward under Ryan but with new head coach Sean McDermott, a former defensive coordinator with the Panthers, it should get back on track. With a rebounding defense, Buffalo will not have to control the clock as often. New offensive coordinator Rick Dennison should have no problem recreating the success he has had in Denver. Dennison will have to figure out how to get struggling quarterback Tyrod Taylor up to franchise QB form. Taylor served as the backup quarterback to Joe Flacco when Dennison was the QB coach with the Ravens so the two should be familiar with expectations. Getting the passing game balanced along with the run ought to be a focus for the Bills this season.
The Buffalo Bills have been on the outside looking in for too many seasons now. Their league-leading playoff drought has spanned 17 seasons and fans have grown impatient. The Buffalo Bills hope this season will be the year that stops the bleeding on the coaching carousel. Since 1960, the Bills have had two head coaches at the helm for five consecutive seasons. Without consistency, they will never be able to break their Super Bowl woes and be consistent competitors. As a first-time head coach McDermott will have an uphill battle. However, the Bills were not as bad as their record showed. With the right pieces in place, the Buffalo Bills should have no trouble reaching at least 8-8 this season.
Editors Note: This can also be seen in our upcoming NFL Preview Edition.