Is This Team Improved or Not From Last Year?

[Bufcomments]

Yes , I think the team is better and bigger/stronger.

 

QB, RB, WR are OK, we can still have a better QB but I like Fitz and the Bills can win with him and good run game. The Oline is key. We will find out more after the Chiefs game how well they can play and I will hold off judging them until after this weeks game.

 

TE....incomplete.

 

The Defense is greatly improved with Merriman. I cant wait for the first game because they are going turn THE DOGS loose on Cassel.

 

Darius is a beast, so is Kyle Willians. MaGee is back to health, Wilson is an upgrade,a slight one over Donte.

 

LB's are going to get better as the season goes on. Batten will get some playing time to keep Merriman fresh . I like the Barnett and Morrison pickups, both are an upgrade over Poz.

 

With Roscoe back we will see the Bills at full strength Sunday. I think they can score on most teams. If Merriman can stay healthy he IS an All-pro player. Can have a bigger impact than back when we got Takeo Spikes.

 

If they go 8-8 I will be surprised but they have the talent to do it....that is if the defense can play better against the run...and Jamal Charles will test them.

[Glory Bound]

I reserve judgement until after the second game.

I don't believe the "final" roster is set wrt adding more veteran players.

Remember, if a vet is on the payroll for Game #1, his salary is guaranteed for the entire year.

 

I disagree with the QB position. We're markedly better than we were last year at this time. TE was the anointed starter and BB was the 3rd Stringer. Fitz is much better than the ball-less one. And, in spite of the trashing that TT's received here, he's a decent backup. Smith is better as a Slash/3rd QB than Brohm would ever be.

 

If you can't see that Chandler is a very decent TE, then perhaps you will once the bullets start flying for real.

 

WRT the OL - there's less dead weight there now than last year at this time. It definitely can use some shoring up in the tackle position, but Chan's greased the sled already to make a change depending on who they can or can't get between now and when the final gun goes off on game 1.

 

You really think the WR position is weaker? Seriously? You really think that Lee's 37 receptions for 578 yards and 4 TDs of 2010 won't be matched by another receiver still employed by OBD? Really? Of course in 2009, he had a whopping 44 catches for a massive 612 yards and 7 TDs. Frankly, Lee was a good soldier, and I didn't necessarily like that he asked to be traded and they obliged, but he was not producing - for whatever reason, but the fact is that he was expendable. I wish him well, and that we got more for him than they did.

 

Now that the entire League can't use our D like a floormat, expect to see our Secondary get lit up. That will be the acid test as to how much the D has improved from last year. I do think they've turned the corner and the DLine is much improved as is the LB corps - but as you said, injuries could wipe that gain out in short order.

 

I think we'll be a lot more competitive this year and depending on the health of the teams on any given Sunday, I expect they could win against all of their opponents. That's why they bother to play the games.

IMHO, your analysis is dead-on (with the exception of TT)! I see 7 to 9 wins by a decent team

Edited September 4, 2011 by Glory Bound

[ganesh]

One of the important upgrade will be the CONTINUITY In the system. This allows Chan to open up the playbook a little more, something that he couldn't do last year. I don't think Evans departure is a downgrade. It is not like we have lost a WR with 100 catches/10 TDs of production. If Johnson gets double teamed, Nelson has already showed last season that he can step up and pick up the slack. Easley is the big X factor here. He can go either the Moulds way or the James Hardy way. I think we will be OK with the WR.

 

The OL is indeed an issue. The line was a mess with all the injuries last year. The line is a mess this year with all the movement. The question is: Will the line be a mess on opening day. Is there any better alternative to improve the line at this 12th hour. The answer is probably No. The Bills will have to go into Kansas City with the hand they have been given and make the best use of it. It is going to be a mental challenge. Can this line ignore the crowd noise and avoid false starts that will put this team in a hole on 2nd and 3rd downs.

[Nuncha]

I do think they are better than they were last year. The more important question is are they better relative to the teams in the AFC East. That question will be answered by mid November.

 

I dont think this team is much better then last year - same O-line problems which will get much worse as soon as one of the starters goes down.

 

RB/QB - same

 

WR - very young group without Evans - the inexperience will show at times

 

The D-line is better, the LB's will be better IF and only IF Merriman and Barnett are healthy.

 

Secondary - same

 

special teams - same

 

I'll go out on a limb and say they will win 2 more games then last year 6-10. They won't start 0-8 this year though......

Edited September 5, 2011 by Azucho98

[Sisyphean Bills]

Super Bowl!

[Mr_Blizzard]

I think the Bills are better this year (although I wish the Lee Evans was still on the team).

 

That being said, I don't believe the 2011 record will be much better. The Bills have one of the toughest schedules and play in a strong division. Couple that with only 7 home games (Toronto is NOT "Home"), the cards are stacked against the Bills. I'm thinking 5-11 right now, but injuries could change that..

[hondo in seattle]

The defense has taken a big big step up. It is now much better handled to run a 3-4 defense. Troup and Carrington are going to take a step up in their second years, Dareus is a monster along the line, Barnett and Merriman should help the LB core, Sheppard and Morrision help the depth at MLB, and getting Dwan Edwards back should round out the D-line.

 

The secondary is slightly better with addition by subtraction in losing Whitner and starting Wilson, and the addition of Williams adds some depth and talent to the corners. Although losing Whitner does hurt the depth at the back end (Searcy does remedy that a little). I still think that Wilson being on the field is a net positive and that Williams adds talent.

 

The offense will be about the same. The loss of Lee will hurt but I think that the whole offense will be better having played a full year in the system. Also I think Easley and Nelson could fill the void Lee left. Brad Smith should add a weapon for Gailey to use. On top of that not starting Turd Edwards for two games should help the offenses performance. Although this O-line (Barring any moves) is still very much a mess.

 

I think that overall this team is improved and will likely see a 7-9 season. But this team is still a good draft class away from being a playoff team.

 

 

Agree entirely with this but will add one more thing. The addition of Wannstedt to the coaching staff will help the linebacking corps and will also help Edwards develop as a DC. Also hoping CJ contributes more to the offense this year.

[tennesseeboy]

too many new faces and too many old faces gone to make a good assessment before they have played a few games, but my overall impression...

 

qb. Fitz is the starter and has had the team from the outset. I think that alone is an upgrade. We haven't had a quality backup in years, so I guess the backup jury is out, although I would think Smith would be a slight improvement over last year.

 

Offensive line as bad as ever, and there isn't a worse won in football. This is the area where we will be dragged down more than any other. Gailey can work around weaknesses, but we will have a very restricted offense given the lack of talent here.

 

WRs. Got Johnson, Parrish and one of the youngsters should step up. Nevertheless Evans was a presence to be feared and no one is going to be intimidated by the new receivers early in the season. Downgrade.

 

Tight End. No real change from a bad situation to a more bad situation. No improvement which is surprising given the number of good proven tight ends available in free agency.

 

Ironically I think our offense will be better because of the stability and experience at qb and Fred Jackson's consistent running ability. Better than the third worst team in football, though, isn't all that exciting.

 

The defense on the other hand should be quite good. Great front three, and an aggressive linebacker corps should stop the run, which was what killed us last year. We should have a good pass rush, and I like our db's....I a new co-ordinator and we should be a good solid defense.

 

I'm hoping nine wins, but really expect about 7.

[DefenseWins]

You really think the WR position is weaker? Seriously? You really think that Lee's 37 receptions for 578 yards and 4 TDs of 2010 won't be matched by another receiver still employed by OBD? Really? Of course in 2009, he had a whopping 44 catches for a massive 612 yards and 7 TDs. Frankly, Lee was a good soldier, and I didn't necessarily like that he asked to be traded and they obliged, but he was not producing - for whatever reason, but the fact is that he was expendable. I wish him well, and that we got more for him than they did.

 

 

Actually, I don't remember seeing anything but some speculation that perhaps Lee might have asked for a trade. If you have a source/link on this please post it for all of our benefit or else admit that you don't know this for a fact and are just speculating...

 

Even if Lee was simply a midlevel player or avg player, that is no reason to get rid of him until a viable replacement/improvement is available. Right now we don't know whether we have a viable replacement on hand...

[mrags]

As others have said - the upgrade is Fitz starting instead of Edwards. Smith will clearly have more of a positive impact than Brown, Brohm, and Edwards did combined.

 

 

Along with Dareus, I'd add the extra 30 pounds on Carrington and Troup and say a significant upgrade.

 

Davis was the best LB on the team last year when he was healthy.

 

People don't want to hear it - but Kelsay looks MUCH better at OLB this year with a full season to adjust.

 

Sheppard and a healthy Batten are further upgrades from last year, and Morrison is legiitmate quality depth (unlike Torbor and Ayodele).

 

HUGE upgrade for the LB unit - even if Merriman misses time...!

 

 

Williams >> Corner. Hopefully we'll feel like Wilson >= Whitner.

 

I'd call the DB's more of a push for now.

 

 

 

Punt returns are still good - but clearly it's a no change. If Moorman bounces back from arguably his worst season, that would help.

 

 

If I told you last November our starting LB's included a healthy Andra Davis, Kirk Morrison, Sheppard, Batten, and Moats, you'd have been thrilled with the upgrade over Torbor and Ayodele. Sure Merriman and Barnett are good and a big upgrade, but they aren't the whole upgrade, so the overall upgrade is hardly "fragile".

 

 

 

Evans' 40 catches 4 TD's/season are pretty damned easy to offset. He is no loss - sorry. My pet golden retriever is an upgrade over Evans.

 

The OL core of talent on the team improves every year they can stay healthy and play together - Bell-Levitre-Wood are still babies for NFL O-linemen. There's every reason to believe they just keep getting slowly better for the next several years through experience.

 

 

 

This ignores that last year, while adjusting to the new schemes, and starting Edwards while showcasing Lynch for a trade, they started 0-8 and finished 4-4, and that they had 3 losses in O/T to playoff teams. This was already a 5 or 6-win quality team last year. This year they are a 8-8 or 9-7 team easy, based on my belief that the defensive upgrades have been huge and they will be in the top 12 or so defenses in the league. Of course, how many wins all depends on how things break and who stays healthy. Also, don't forget Wanny's addition to the coaching staff.

 

Next April they will draft either QB/OT/WR depending on who steps up and who doesn't this season. Going into next season ALL the talk will about being a real playoff contender.

I was going to reply to the OP but you said everything I would have said. Thanks for the work. Lol

[8-8 Forever?]

Don't know about you but I was looking at our new 53 man roster and here is what I come up with.

 

QB's - Do be honest with you Thigpen is no better than Edwards, and Smith may be an upgrade on Brown: Slight Upgrade

OL - I see no improvement here: No Change

TE: - I see no improvement here: NO Change

RB's - I see no Improvement here: No Change

WR's - We got worse with the Evans trade: Downgrade

 

Overall the offense is not really any better than last year on paper.

 

DL: With Dareas we have an upgrade.

LB's: If Merriman and Bennett can stay healthy this is an upgrade.

DB's: Slight upgrade with Aaron Williams.

ST's: With kick offs basically eliminating kick returns this may be a downgrade. We have some good returners but they no longer mean anything with the new rules. However, we struggled last year tackling: No Change

 

 

Overall Defense should improve with the upgrades at DL and LB. Depth is better overall. Problem is I don't see the defense staying healthy throughout the year with all these fragile upgrades. We sit here on pins and needles just waiting for Merriman and Bennett to get hurt. Offensively, I see no real improvement on paper unless the offensive line improves. With the lack of a WR that can stretch the field with the loss of Evans, I don't see this offense improving on last year. The addition of Brad Smith offsets the loss of Evans.

 

Based on the defense being better I see this team winning 6 games this year.

 

 

 

 

Overall: we should be able to improve on sacks and stopping the run. This should result in more interceptions.

and miss out on the best can't miss QB prospect in 15 years. sucks to be a Bills fan

[billybrew1]

Don't know about you but I was looking at our new 53 man roster and here is what I come up with.

 

QB's - Do be honest with you Thigpen is no better than Edwards, and Smith may be an upgrade on Brown: Slight Upgrade

OL - I see no improvement here: No Change

TE: - I see no improvement here: NO Change

RB's - I see no Improvement here: No Change

WR's - We got worse with the Evans trade: Downgrade

 

Overall the offense is not really any better than last year on paper.

 

DL: With Dareas we have an upgrade.

LB's: If Merriman and Bennett can stay healthy this is an upgrade.

DB's: Slight upgrade with Aaron Williams.

ST's: With kick offs basically eliminating kick returns this may be a downgrade. We have some good returners but they no longer mean anything with the new rules. However, we struggled last year tackling: No Change

 

 

Overall Defense should improve with the upgrades at DL and LB. Depth is better overall. Problem is I don't see the defense staying healthy throughout the year with all these fragile upgrades. We sit here on pins and needles just waiting for Merriman and Bennett to get hurt. Offensively, I see no real improvement on paper unless the offensive line improves. With the lack of a WR that can stretch the field with the loss of Evans, I don't see this offense improving on last year. The addition of Brad Smith offsets the loss of Evans.

 

 

 

You have taken a very hard and honest look at the Bills and it is difficult to say otherwise, but I will try....

I think, last year, we made a ton of mental errors on defense which resulted in a ton of big plays against and I am hoping that we make less this year as it is our second year in the system and our LBs are a veteran group. I wish they had a normal offseason and practiced together more.

 

I guess I would add two things to your list. One, we are in the second year of our new coach, systems etc. and that should really help.

And two, last year's draft class will be much improved... I say will be and not should be as I am confident they are much better and ready to help.

 

I can see anywhere between 10 wins and 4 wins. Basically on the bounce of the football, winning and losing are both contagious and more importantly injuries. Merriman in particular, but there are other key guys of course.

[Dorkington]

We are at. 500 right now, so yeah, we're better right now.

[Billsguy]

Don't know about you but I was looking at our new 53 man roster and here is what I come up with.

 

QB's - Do be honest with you Thigpen is no better than Edwards, and Smith may be an upgrade on Brown: Slight Upgrade

OL - I see no improvement here: No Change

TE: - I see no improvement here: NO Change

RB's - I see no Improvement here: No Change

WR's - We got worse with the Evans trade: Downgrade

 

Overall the offense is not really any better than last year on paper.

 

DL: With Dareas we have an upgrade.

LB's: If Merriman and Bennett can stay healthy this is an upgrade.

DB's: Slight upgrade with Aaron Williams.

ST's: With kick offs basically eliminating kick returns this may be a downgrade. We have some good returners but they no longer mean anything with the new rules. However, we struggled last year tackling: No Change

 

 

Overall Defense should improve with the upgrades at DL and LB. Depth is better overall. Problem is I don't see the defense staying healthy throughout the year with all these fragile upgrades. We sit here on pins and needles just waiting for Merriman and Bennett to get hurt. Offensively, I see no real improvement on paper unless the offensive line improves. With the lack of a WR that can stretch the field with the loss of Evans, I don't see this offense improving on last year. The addition of Brad Smith offsets the loss of Evans.

 

Based on the defense being better I see this team winning 6 games this year.

 

 

 

 

Overall: we should be able to improve on sacks and stopping the run. This should result in more interceptions.

 

Key addition: Marcel Dareus Key subtraction: Aaron Maybin

 

Verdict: The Bills are improved.

 

Are the Bills playoff contenders: NO!

 

We are at. 500 right now, so yeah, we're better right now.

 

Win percentage = games won/ games played.

 

What is 0 / 0? It's not .500.

[Bflojohn]

Simply put, go look at the roster for the opening of the 2010 season, and compare it with this years version and you can't help but see that this is a team on the rise! Albeit, going from 3rd worst upward is a long climb,but it MUST start somewhere, and Buddy and crew have made it work. Additionally, the RE-build isn't finished yet, so don't expect a very young team to have playoff asperations this season. The kiddie corps on defense will grow together and make for some awesome units in the NOT too distant future, and a bonified franchise signal-caller is only a year away, IMO, and the Atlanta model of drafting a QB and OLT (Matt Ryan and Sam Baker) in round one could be the key to next year and beyond. I am optimistic, going forward, and see 2011 as a springboard to better teams in 2012 and 2013.

[Fan in San Diego]

Overall, I'm not sure any team knows what it has until the second game.

 

That being said, considering the run defense is what led to many of the 12 losses last year, and the upgrades to it, I'd say yes, the Bills are improved. I don't see teams running on the Bills like they did last year.

Yes, this defense could not get off the field last year. This year I see more 3 and out's for the defense which will give our offense more opportunity to score points. I think at least 8-8 if not better. If we stay healthy, we could be 10 - 6.

[RocBillsfan]

Next April they will draft either QB/OT/WR depending on who steps up and who doesn't this season. Going into next season ALL the talk will about being a real playoff contender.

 

I see next seasons drafting of either; a QB, OL, LB, TE.

[Ramblin' Rob]

Agree with the OP about everything but the WR's I really liked who Lee was as a team member, but he was over rated by many Bills fans. All I needed to hear was Chan's assessment of him. He needs to run better routs. He was a 7 year vet, if they dont run good routs now, what will motivate them to do so? His best seasons came with one of our worst QB's in team history. And all of this preseason bashing of our other WR's is ridiculous. Have seen posts saying we the worst group in the league and that Jones was the worst #2 in the league. Couldn't the same have been said last year about Johnson? My point is, lets give it a game or two before we make this assertion.

[thewildrabbit]

The players aside I would hope that this years team will be better simply because all those college coaches and assistants who didn't have much NFL experience now have some NFL experience.

 

Defense should be way better provided everyone stays healthy, one more year of experience for some playing in a 3-4. Plus the other teams castoffs pickups should be an upgrade to what the Bills started last year.

 

The offense is going to be worse, much worse IMO. Loss of Evans, Loss of Hangman & no upgrade for the O line, no TE yet. Only one proven RB that could easily wear out under a full load.

 

 

Sooo, with the improvement to the D and loss of some good vets I'm thinking 4-12 to 6-10

[Dorkington]

 

 

Win percentage = games won/ games played.

 

What is 0 / 0? It's not .500.

 

Tongue in cheek posts not allowed here, or what?