Buffalo Bills Season Preview

(Courtesy of My Sportsbook) - The Buffalo Bills hope the fact that J.P. Losman wears a jersey emblazoned with a large number seven proves to be symbolic. The Bills need that seven to turn up lucky in 2005, as they prepare to take one of the biggest gambles the NFL will see this season. In an effort to energize an offense that often struggled behind the plodding Drew Bledsoe in 2004, Buffalo head coach Mike Mularkey will this year hand the ball to the younger, more mobile Losman, a player that is just two years removed from battling the likes of East Carolina and Rice. Losman will hand the ball off regularly to running back Willis McGahee, who is the unquestioned backfield starter now that Travis Henry has been shipped to Tennessee.

The goal in Buffalo will be the re-emergence of a franchise that has gone five straight winters without playoff football, and last won a postseason game when Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and Marv Levy were still in town. The Bills came close to ending their playoff drought last season, when they won nine of 11 following an 0-4 start but blinked on the final week in a home loss to Pittsburgh and finished out of the money. The Steelers, for whom Mularkey served as offensive coordinator for three years before arriving in Western New York, undoubtedly showed Buffalo that a franchise can thrive with a young quarterback at the helm. The organization is praying that Losman can tap into some of Ben Roethlisberger's magic, and that his lucky number seven can keep the Bills from again rolling craps. Below we take a capsule look at the 2005 edition of the Buffalo Bills, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2004 RECORD: 9-7 (3rd, AFC East)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 1999, lost to Tennessee, 22-16, in AFC Wild Card Game

COACH (RECORD): Mike Mularkey (9-7 in one season with Bills, 9-7 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Tom Clements

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jerry Gray

OFFENSIVE STAR: Willis McGahee, RB (1128 rushing yards, 13 TD, 22 receptions)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Takeo Spikes, LB (96 tackles, 5 INT, 3 sacks)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 13th rushing, 26th passing, 7th scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 7th rushing, 3rd passing, 8th scoring

FIVE KEY GAMES: Miami (10/9), N.Y. Jets (10/16), Kansas City (11/13), at San Diego (11/20), New England (12/11)

KEY ADDITIONS: QB Kelly Holcomb (from Browns), RB ReShard Lee (Cowboys), WR Roscoe Parrish (2nd round, Miami (FL)), TE Kevin Everett (3rd Round, Miami (FL)), G Bennie Anderson (Ravens), G Mike Gandy (Bears)

KEY DEPARTURES: QB Drew Bledsoe (released), RB Travis Henry (to Titans), T Jonas Jennings (to 49ers), T Marcus Price (not tendered), S Izell Reese (not tendered), S Pierson Prioleau (released), DT Pat Williams (to Vikings)

QB: After unloading Drew Bledsoe (2932 passing yards, 20 TD, 16 INT) in the offseason, the Bills will place their offense in the inexperienced hands of J.P. Losman. The second-year pro has only five pro pass attempts to his credit, but the team believes Losman's mobility will give the team an added offensive dimension that it lacked with Bledsoe at the controls. Backing Losman will be former Brown Kelly Holcomb (737 passing yards, 7 TD, 5 INT with Cleveland), who is viewed as a veteran presence despite having started just 13 regular season games in 10 NFL seasons. The Buffalo quarterback with the most experience, former Bear and Redskin Shane Matthews, is likely to serve as the No. 3 signal-caller.

RB: With a virtual rookie doing the passing in 2005, the Bills are relying on running back Willis McGahee to make the leap to becoming an elite-level back this season. McGahee had won the starting job from the now-departed Travis Henry (326 yards) by October of last season, and reeled off seven 100-yard games thereafter. Henry was traded to Tennessee, so McGahee will be backed in 2005 by some combination of Shaud Williams (167 yards, 2 TD), Joe Burns (73 yards) and former Cowboy ReShard Lee (128 yards, 1 TD). Daimon Shelton (17 receptions) started 12 games at fullback last season, and will re-assume that role in 2005. Burns can also play fullback, as can seventh-round draft pick Lionel Gates (Louisville).

WR/TE: Back to serve as the Bills' No. 1 receiver is Eric Moulds (88 receptions, 5 TD), who posted the fourth 1,000-yard season of his career last season. Moulds will start opposite Lee Evans (48 receptions, 9 TD), who endured a slow start to his rookie season but finished by scoring touchdowns in five of his final six games. The team surprised some by using its first draft pick on a receiver, Roscoe Parrish (Miami (FL)), a move that likely resigns holdovers Josh Reed (16 receptions), Sam Aiken (11 receptions) and Jonathan Smith (3 receptions) to battle for the Nos. 4 and 5 receiving slots. The club also looked to improve its depth at tight end by selecting Kevin Everett (Miami (FL)) in the third round, but Everett tore his ACL at mini- camp, and is expected to miss at least part of 2005. Holdover tight ends Mark Campbell (17 receptions, 5 TD) and Tim Euhus (11 receptions, 2 TD) are virtually assured of roster spots, but part-time starter Ryan Neufeld (6 receptions) could be in jeopardy depending on Everett's timetable.

OL: Left tackle Jonas Jennings was one of the most coveted jewels of the 2005 free agent class, and bolted to San Francisco for a better deal almost immediately after going on the market. In his place will likely be former Bear Mike Gandy, who will have to make the switch from his usual spot at guard. Alongside Gandy will be another new face, former Raven Bennie Anderson, who is likely to beat out incumbent Ross Tucker at the guard spot. Center Trey Teague, right guard Chris Villarrial, and right tackle Mike Williams are all basically guaranteed starting jobs in 2005, and Tucker, fellow holdovers Jason Peters and Dylan McFarland, and fourth-round draft choice Duke Preston (Illinois) are competing for backup jobs.

DL: Gone from one of the top run-stuffing units in the league is tackle Pat Williams (53 tackles, 2.5 sacks), who took his 320-pound presence and a fat new contract to Minnesota. That means holdover Sam Adams (41 tackles, 5 sacks) will be lining up next to some combination of Ron Edwards (21 tackles, 4 sacks) and 2004 third-round pick Tim Anderson, both of whom the Bills are high on. At end, Chris Kelsay (37 tackles, 4.5 sacks) and Aaron Schobel (73 tackles, 8 sacks) will seek to apply more pressure to the quarterback, and backup Ryan Denney (34 tackles, 3 sacks) should see plenty of time coming off the edge as well.

LB: The linebacking corps of London Fletcher (142 tackles, 3.5 sacks) in the middle and Takeo Spikes (96 tackles, 5 INT, 3 sacks) and Jeff Posey (65 tackles) on the outside was definitely a team strength in 2004, but it remains to be seen if the unit continues to thrive without the massive Pat Williams playing in front of them. Spikes is the unquestioned star of the unit, and comes off a second straight Pro Bowl appearance last season. Backup LBs Josh Stamer (24 tackles), Mario Haggan (18 tackles) and Angelo Crowell (14 tackles) will see most of their time on special teams.

DB: Defensive coordinator Jerry Gray will be overseeing a shift in the secondary, as Troy Vincent (27 tackles, 1 INT) moves full-time from cornerback to free safety, and special teams stalwart Terrence McGee (92 tackles, 3 INT) takes permanent ownership of the corner spot opposite Pro Bowler Nate Clements (73 tackles, 6 INT). Vincent, 34, comes off a season in which he missed nine games due to injury, meaning backup Rashad Baker (22 tackles, 1 INT), a three- game starter in 2004, will have to again be ready. Lawyer Milloy (61 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 INT) had a productive season at the strong safety spot, and will re-assume his place on the depth chart ahead of Coy Wire (25 tackles). Kevin Thomas (45 tackles) and Jabari Greer (15 tackles) figure to again serve as the backup corners.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Buffalo is set on special teams, where kicker Rian Lindell (24-28 FG), punter Brian Moorman (43.2 avg.) and return men Terrence McGee (26.3 kickoff return avg., 3 TD) and Nate Clements (9.3 punt return avg., 1 TD) represent one of the elite units in the league. Clements could have challengers at punt returner in the form of Jonathan Smith (17.4 punt return avg.), who had a return for a score last season, and rookie Roscoe Parrish, who had two returns for touchdowns during his senior season at Miami (FL).

PROGNOSIS: Buffalo made fewer personnel changes than just about anyone in the league, but the shifts the team made were all significant. With Bledsoe gone, Mike Mularkey and offensive coordinator Tom Clements are entrusting the offense to a rookie, Losman, who has little meaningful experience. With Jennings no longer occupying the left tackle slot, it will be up to Mike Gandy to prove that he can play the position and protect Losman's back. With Pat Williams' defection to Minnesota, the Bills lose one of their largest presences, literally and figuratively, on the defensive side of the ball. All of those changes, especially the one behind center, are an indication that Buffalo could take a step back in the second year of the Mularkey era. Losman may be gifted, but he is bound to make mistakes, and McGahee is probably not ready to carry the load on his own. That puts a ton of pressure on a defense that, while talented, still lacks an elite-level pass rusher to scare the likes of division foes like the Patriots and Jets. The Bills appear destined to finish third, and with enough improvement by the new-look Dolphins, could realistically descend to the AFC East basement.

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