2009 Recap: Buffalo Bills

Entering 2009, Dick Jauron’s Buffalo Bills had finished 7-9 for three consecutive seasons. The team had finally given up on 2004 first round quarterback J.P. Losman who threw for 33 touchdowns and 34 interceptions during his time in a Bills uniform. With 2007 third round pick Trent Edwards under center, the Bills had hope for an offense that already included a solid running back tandem of Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson and wide receiver Lee Evans.

The team made headlines when it signed six-time Pro Bowl receiver Terrell Owens to a one-year, $6.5 million contract to line up opposite of Evans. Unfortunately the Bills totally neglected their offense line, trading away Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters to the Eagles for draft picks and releasing starting tackle Langston Walker before the season began.

Armed with two first round picks in the 2009 NFL draft, the team took defensive end Aaron Maybin of Penn State with the 11th overall pick. They also drafted center/guard Eric Wood of Louisville with the pick they obtained for Peters. However, the team’s best pick turned out to be Jairus Byrd, a free safety out of Oregon who would later be named to the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster after tying for the league lead with nine interceptions despite only starting 11 games.

Things nearly started out well in the team’s opener on Monday night against the division rival New England Patriots. If not for a Leodis McKelvin fumble on a kick return, the Bills would have upset the Pats. Unfortunately for them, Tom Brady had one of his signature late game drives and the Pats won by one point.

The team did beat up on the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week two, winning 33-20; however, with an inexperienced offensive line and an underachieving Owens, the Bills were outscored in their next three games 81-20.

They did seem to pick things up when they secured an overtime victory against the New York Jets and a 20-9 win against the Carolina Panthers before their bye week, yet, the Bills would end up winning only three of their next eight games. Jauron was fired on November 17 after the team suffered a 41-17 blowout against the Tennessee Titans.

By season’s end, the team finished in fourth place with a 6-10 record.
For the second season in a row, Edwards displayed an inability to stay healthy, only starting in six games. He ended the year completing 60.1 percent of his passes for 1,169 yards and only six touchdowns and seven interceptions. His replacement, Ryan Fitzpatrick, a seventh round draft pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2005, didn’t fare much better, completing only 55.9 percent of his passes for 1,422 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

After being drafted 12th overall in 2007, Lynch became a workhouse rushing for 1,115 and 1,036 yards in his first two seasons. However, Lynch missed the first three games of the year due to suspension and ran for a disappointing 450 yards en route to a 3.8 yards per carry average.

Jackson, Lynch’s backup in 2007-2008, ended up carrying the Bills’ offense, rushing for 1,062 yards while also catching 46 passes for 371 yards.

The T.O. experiment was a dud. Owens posted one of the worst seasons of his career, catching a mere 55 passes for 829 yards and five touchdowns. Evans, who was supposed to benefit from increased attention to Owens, posted a career low in catches (44), yards (612), yards per catch (13.9), and first downs (27). Outside of Owens and Evans, the only other receiver on the roster with double-digit catches was Josh Reed (27/291/1).

The offense finished the season ranking 28th in points per game, 30th in passing offense, and 16th in rushing.

Defensively, the Bills actually had one of the league’s best secondaries. They allowed the second fewest yards per game, ranked second with 28 interceptions, and third in opposing quarterback’s completion percentage (56.8%). Along with Byrd, safety George Wilson had a very good season finishing with 103 tackles, two sackes, one forced fumble, and four interceptions.

Middle linebacker Paul Poslunszny led the team in tackles with 110 while also forcing three fumbles and making three interceptions. However, the Bills’ run defense was terrible in 2009, ranking 30th at 156.3 yards/game.

Luckily for the Bills, defensive end Aaron Schobel returned to Pro Bowl former, registering 56 tackles and 10 sacks to go along with three forced fumbles and an interception. Seventh year end Chris Kelsay chipped in with 62 tackles and five sacks while defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and Kyle Williams combined for 122 tackles and six sacks.

Unfortunately for the Bills, Maybin was a total non-factor in his first season despite being a top-15 draft pick. The former Nittany Lion posted 0 sacks despite finishing his redshirt-sophomore year with 12.

In January 2010, the Bills named Chan Gailey their new head coach and will be implanting a 3-4 defense which should help Maybin capitalize on his athletic ability, however, the team certainly has a lot of work to do in order to move up in the standings in the improving AFC East.

Off-season Issues to Address:

1. Offense: The team still does not know if it has a franchise quarterback on its roster. Edwards took a step back in 2009 and Fitzpatrick is nothing more than a backup. The offense line featured two rookies and a seventh round pick at left tackle. They will all have to improve in 2010 including Wood who suffered a gruesome leg injury. Evans desperately needs some quality receiving depth behind him if he is to produce to his abilities. Perhaps 2008 second round pick James Hardy will be able to step up but he has done nothing since tearing his ACL.

2. Run defense: Whether it’s a linebacker or defensive tackle, the Bills must improve against the run in a division that features three good run offenses. With the switch to the 3-4, the Bills will need to assess who fits where in their new scheme and then look to the draft to fill in the rest.

3. Coaching: Jauron never led the team to a winning record during his tenure as head coach. Gailey formerly coached the Cowboys and recently coached the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 2002-2007. The Bills ranked 24th overall in attendance last season. The team has not posted consecutive winning records since the 1998-1999 seasons.