ProFootballCentral.com

By PFC Bills Writer Jay Kommuru

The Buffalo Bills finished the 2007 regular season with a mediocre record of 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the eight year in a row. Here is a brief synopsis of their 2007 regular season, followed by a review of their off-season so far.

- Regular Season

The regular season record of 7-9 last year is considered a miracle by some, if you take into account the laundry list of players on the IR, 30th out of 32 in total offense, and 31st in total defense, this thinking is completely justified.

The following players who were slated to be starters at some point ended up on IR: Ko Simpson, Jason Webster, Paul Posluszny, Peerless Price, and George Wilson. The Bills also had Kevin Everett, Jason Whittle, Derek Schouman, Kiwaukee Thomas, Anthony Thomas, and Ryan Denney on IR – all of whom were slated to contribute coming off the bench. Denney and Everett had the most potential out of this group to start at some point last season. All in all, it’s pretty obvious that injuries played a big factor in the Bills’ record. Not a week went by when Bills fans weren’t crossing their fingers in hopes of keeping their roster intact. But it wasn’t just injuries that held them back. The offense couldn’t score points, the QB carousel made everyone dizzy, and the defense couldn’t stop even a backup RB at times.

However with any bad, there’s always some good hidden in it. The Bills found out what they had in a slew of backups that were forced into action. Converted WR, and 3rd stringer George Wilson showed flashes of playmaker ability at the FS position. John Digiorgio, despite his size and small-school status, proved to be a steady player at the MLB spot. Jabari Greer also proved to be somewhat of a solid playmaker, he shut down T.O. in the heartbreaking last second loss to Dallas. Even Bryan Scott got a chance to show off his skills in limited duty.

On offense Michael Gaines proved to be a reliable outlet for rookie QB Trent Edwards. The biggest roadblocks on offense last year were the constant depth chart changes at QB, the lack of a true #2 wideout to take the double coverage off Lee Evans and the eight man out of the box for Marshawn Lynch, and the ultra-conservative play-calling by the former Offensive Coordinator, Steve Fairchild, who somehow managed to land a job at CSU. In any case, the Bills finished another season with a disappointing end, and another year tacked on to the almost decade-long playoff drought.

At the end of the season Marv Levy stepped down as GM. Owner, Ralph Wilson, decided to have a front-office-by-committee approach to replace Levy. He promoted John Guy, and Tom Modrak, to VP titles. And he promoted Russ Brandon to Chief Operating Officer, or the face that in some ways replaces Marv Levy as the figurehead GM.

- Free Agency

The Bills came into free agency a much better team than they ended the regular season. They got Paul Posluszny and Ko Simpson from the IR, which was in itself like having an extra two draft picks on the first day of the draft. They also were slated to lose mostly role players and Special Teams standouts via FA. They entered FA in great shape and two goals in mind: fix the run defense, and get a big bodied WR. As the cloke struck midnight on the eve of free agency, the Bills new front office moved swiftly to address one of the two main needs. They immediately signed FA linebacker Kawika Mitchell from the 2007 Superbowl Champion NY Giants, to man the weak-side LB spot. They also signed rotational DL Spencer Johnson who helped the Vikings’ defense behind Pat and Kevin Williams. But the biggest addition, in size and in importance, was the trade to acquire DT Marcus Stroud, who immediately upgrades the interior DL. The Bills gave up a 3rd and 5th rounder in the 2008 draft to acquire Stroud, which could end up being a steal, much like the Patriots’ trade of Randy Moss last year.

There is obvious concern about his ankle injuries last year, but even a 90% Stroud is better than a 100% Larry Tripplet. Stroud and McCargo, who showed us flashes of his playmaking ability last year, are slated to start at DT with Kyle Williams and the aforementioned Johnson to come off the bench to spell them. The Bills are hoping that the extra muscle in the middle of the defense, along with the return of Poz, and the signing of Mitchell will help shore up the run defense, and free up Kelsay and Schobel to get to the QB.

The Bills failed to acquire a big wideout via FA. There was buzz about former Jacksonville underachiever – Ernest Wilford. But he was signed by Miami in the early stages of FA. And they did have former Arizona Cardinal – Bryant Johnson – in for a vist, but he too left without a contract and signed for a one year deal with San Francisco. The Bills front office certainly liked Johnson as a WR, but they were reluctant to give out a one year contract to a young player, and end up in the same predicament next year as this one, especially since this is also a contract year for Lee Evans.

The Bills also acquired some role players like Courtney Anderson and Teyo Johnson at TE, and FB Darien Barnes via Free Agency.

- Draft

The Bills entered the draft with a few needs to fill out the rest of the roster. They were still looking for that #2 WR and red-zone threat. Jabari Greer is a serviceable starter, and Will James is a solid addition at CB, but they entered the draft still missing that #1 CB to shut down one side of the field since the departure of Nate Clements two years ago. They were also looking to upgrade the TE position, and acquire a 4th rotational DE to take over for Anthony Hargrove. But their day 2 needs, which are often overlooked by most, also consisted of revamping the roster with players that can come in and contribute immediately to Bobby April’s ST unit.

The draft philosophy was simple: Stay true to the board. Nobody outside the Bills’ draft room brass – Tom Modrak, John Guy, Russ Brandon, and Dick Jauron – truly know how the board was compiled so it’s hard to say whether the Bills ranked players strictly based on ability or if need was factored into the rankings. So the phrase “stay true to the board” had to be taken with a grain of salt.

Either way after staying put at #11 in the first, the best CB on the board – Leodis McKelvin – fell right into their laps and they were happy to scoop him up. McKelvin is heralded for his athletic ability, man coverage, quick feet, and outstanding return ability. At the very least he’s expected to grab the nickel role and contribute on KR/PR duties. The Bills are hoping, however, that he grabs the starting role early this year.

In round two, the Bills landed possibly the best WR in this year’s draft, James Hardy. No WR was as productive in the last three years as Hardy – 36 TD’s. And he was the only offensive weapon playing for the Indiana Hoosiers. At 6’6” he was recruited as a basketball player, but started focusing strictly on football starting his sophomore year. His biggest strengths are his jumping ability – especially in the red zone, and he’s shown flashes of deep speed. His weaknesses are known to be route running, but most rookie WRs have this issue coming out of college. He will immediately be in competition for the #2 spot behind Lee Evans, and will certainly contribute to the Bills’ red-zone offense woes.

On Day Two it was clear that the Bills switched to a more traditional Best-Player-Available strategy. They picked up DE Chris Ellis from Virginia Tech who is known for his pass-rushing skills as a rotational player. The rest of their Day Two was spent on re-tooling the Special Teams unit with players that can come in and contribute from day one.

4th rd (114 overall): CB Reggie Corner, Akron

4th rd (132 overall): TE Derek Fine, Kansas

5th rd (147 overall): LB Alvin Bowen, Iowa State

6th rd (179 overall): RB Xavier Omon, NW Miss. State

7th rd (219 overall): OT Demetrius Bell, Northwestern State

7th rd (224 overall): WR Steve Johnson, Kentucky

7th rd (251 overall): CB Kennard Cox, Pittsburgh

The Bills also signed ten UDFAs:

FB Mike Vitti

OL Robert Felton

RB Bruce Hall

WR Jason Jones

DT Teraz McCray

LB Jon Banks

LB Joe Brockington

LB Marcus Briggs

QB Luke Drone

QB Matt Baker

It’s very hard to give teams a draft grade any sooner than 2-3 years after the draft so I’m not going to try. But the Bills got at least two starters in this draft, and acquired some solid rotational players that can also contribute on ST on day 2. Look for Hardy and McKelvin to push for playing time right away. Hardy will get plenty of opportunity to contribute as the Bills don’t have much competition for the #2 WR spot. McKelvin will have more competition, namely Greer and possibly James, but he could end up starting at Nickel and contributing to the return game. Of the day two draftees, keep an eye out for Derek Fine - who could end up as the #2 TE, and Chris Ellis – who will get a chance to contribute immediately at DE and on ST. Of the undrafted signees, keep an eye out for Mike Viti who could be the starter at FB come September. Many scouts have graded Viti as the best run-blocking FB in this year’s draft, tied maybe only with Owen Schmitt.

Another important draft weekend development was that QB J.P. Losman is still on the team. Although COO Russ Brandon had downplayed the possibility of trading the former starter, it was clear that they were waiting for an offer they simply couldn’t refuse and didn’t get it. In today’s NFL, it’s rare that a team has a solid #1 guy who will finish the season without missing a start. So Losman still has value on the bench for the Bills. There also could be a possibility of a trade before week 6 in case another team loses a QB and is desperate.

All-in-all, the new front office has proven to be much like the old one under Levy – steady, calculating, and moving forward with long term growth in mind. Let’s see if this approach pans out as the Bills enter a “critical year”, and will certainly be making a bid for the playoffs late in the season. The next step is to get through training camp healthy. Let’s cross our fingers.