Published: September 06, 2008 11:31 pm            

BILLS: Team believes it’ll end playoff drought

There’s been a lot of positive talk about the Buffalo Bills the past few months, and the general consensus among media and fans seems to be that this team is finally going to be a legitimate playoff contender in 2008.

As a matter of fact, there are some folks who firmly believe that not only are the Bills going to contend, they are indeed going to end their franchise-record eight-year playoff drought.

And much of the hyperbole was kick-started by one of the Bills best and most vocal players, strong safety Donte Whitner, who back in the spring boldly guaranteed that Buffalo would qualify for the postseason.

“We feel even stronger about that,” Whitner said the other day, reiterating his belief in this team that has been upgraded on both sides of the ball through trades, free agency and the draft.

“When the pads came on and the team really started to form, you could see that guys were really physically flying around and knowing what to do at the same time. If you have guys that know what to do, they’re athletically gifted, and fearless, then you can win football games, and I do think that we have that in this locker room.”

The trek toward January begins Sunday afternoon for the Bills when they kick it off against the Seattle Seahawks at sold-out and sure-to-be-rocking Ralph Wilson Stadium.

“It’s early, but on paper we look good,” said new defensive tackle Marcus Stroud. “We’ve got talent everywhere. The thing is going out there and performing and doing it. And we’ll see Sunday at one o’clock.”

The cloud hovering above that was Jason Peters’ holdout has lifted, but he won’t play Sunday, may not be ready to go next week in Jacksonville, and may not return to his Pro Bowl form for several weeks, which weakens the offensive line.

There is also some concern over whether second-year quarterback Trent Edwards can excel despite his lack of experience. And now the defense has to get along without its leading tackler from a year ago, linebacker Angelo Crowell, who will miss the entire season due to a knee injury.

Still, with newcomers such as Stroud and fellow defensive tackle Spencer Johnson, linebacker Kawika Mitchell, cornerback/returner Leodis McKelvin, wide receiver James Hardy, a new offensive coordinator in Turk Schonert, and stability throughout Dick Jauron’s three-year-old program, expectations are soaring for the Bills.

”I’m confident,“ said Jauron. ”I’ve always been confident, I’ve always been optimistic. I’m not a predictor. I don’t predict anything, but I like our guys. I like how hard they work.

“I think we certainly have a chance. A lot of things have to happen for us to get where we want to be, but that’s probably true of every team.”

First and foremost, the Bills must be fortunate enough to avoid the types of injuries that sabotaged the 2007 season when a league-high 17 players wound up on the injured reserve list. The Crowell development is not a good start.

The team’s depth has been improved, but it needs its first-string players to stay healthy and contribute all season if it has that “chance” Jauron speaks of, earning a playoff berth in the rugged AFC.

Then there is Edwards, the latest quarterback of the future in Buffalo who shows great promise, but needs to deliver on that promise right away.

“I am confident in him going into this season and taking control of this offense; this is his offense,” Schonert said. “Coming into this season, players see it in his eyes and the coaches see it in his eyes. He is expecting big things and we are expecting big things from him as well.”

Just by the nature of the position he plays, Edwards is the key to Buffalo’s success. If he plays like a second-year quarterback with nine career starts, the Bills will struggle on offense. If he plays average to good, the Bills should be vastly improved with running back Marshawn Lynch churning for yardage, and wide receivers Lee Evans, Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish and Hardy making plays in the passing game.

But here’s the thing: If the offense struggles, the revamped defense could be good enough to carry the Bills.

Last year the offense ranked 30th in yards gained, and the defense was even worse at 31st. That was a lethal combination and it was rather amazing that the Bills finished 7-9 and were in the playoff chase into the 14th week of the season.

No one expects the offense to blow up scoreboards, but they do expect this defense to blow up some opposing offenses.

“We’re prepared to do what we have to do to get wins and if that means we’re playing 60-70 snaps, so be it,” said defensive end Chris Kelsay. “It’s our job and that’s what we’re preparing to do.”

The Crowell injury is a setback, but Whitner is undeterred in his belief that the Bills will make a quantum leap in the defensive rankings this season.

“We now have the players that we need here at every position,” Whitner said.

The addition of Stroud solidifies what had been the soft belly of the Buffalo defense and teams will find it tougher to run against the Bills. And if Stroud can clog the middle, plus push the pocket, it should enable ends Kelsay and Aaron Schobel to ring up more sacks.

Mitchell brings experience, size and a wallop at outside linebacker, and the return to health of linebacker Paul Posluszny and free safety Ko Simpson is an added bonus, almost like adding two free agents.

As for the kicking game, there isn’t a team that can match Buffalo. Brian Moorman is a top-notch punter, Rian Lindell is a reliable and accurate kicker, and the return combination of Terrence McGee, Parrish and McKelvin is simply dynamic.

Posluszny heard about Whitner’s comment in the spring. He thought about it then, continued to ponder it throughout training camp, and came to the conclusion that his teammate is right.

“We put it upon ourselves,” he said. “We’ve been saying this is a playoff year for us. What other people say, we don’t get into that. But we think this is going to be a great year for us, and we definitely know a lot of people are excited.”

        

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