I’m late getting this out and Buffalo has already beaten the Jets but I
want to look at the 2017 Bills before the season gets too far along. Last year was another lost year for the Bills
when they went 7-9. Tyrod Taylor started
15 games and by default was forced to resign him in a convoluted messy affair
after he was released. So he returns
along with stud LeSean McCoy but there isn’t much else to get excited about.
Taylor while capable doesn’t exactly exude franchise quarterback in his
play. He’s better than many out there
and I can’t fault him too much but he doesn’t move the excitement meter either
direction. LeSean McCoy returns after
another excellent season and anchors the backfield though top backup Mike
Gillislee left for New England in the offseason via free agency. With Sammy Watkins traded to the Rams the
receiving corps will be led by former Eagle Jordan Matthews and also includes
Zay Jones, Andre Holmes and TE Charles Clay.
It sounds like the offensive line won’t be too bad so that bodes well
for McCoy and Taylor. We’ll see how that
translates when it comes to scoring – in which the Bills ranked 10th
in 2016.
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| Lorenzo Alexander - 12 1/2 sacks (2016) |
The defense has to get better.
The defensive line is pretty solid but from there I’m not sure. Linebacker is also solid though the loss of
Reggie Ragland doesn’t help. The losses
of top corner Stephen Gilmore (free agency – NE) and Ronald Darby (trade – Phi)
hurt a lot. E.J. Gaines (acquired in
trade – LAR) and first round pick Tre’Davious White will likely start in the
defensive backfield. Hard to tell how
they will do but it seems like the secondary will definitely take a step
back. Add to that two new safeties and
the backend of the defense is a very big unknown.
Though they have one win under their belt I’m thinking they can maybe win
six games but in the back of my mind I think five games is more doable when I
look at the schedule. I think most folks
would argue that with me but I see a bunch of good teams they’ll have to play and
I’m not sure Buffalo has a good enough team to compete. Hopefully there are some nice surprises as
the season progresses but the Jets game did not make me think we’ll see
many. With the offseason trades they
made for picks the Bills are definitely looking towards the future. Hopefully that means a franchise quarterback
can be found somewhere in that rebuilding process as they reboot the
team…again. We’ll know soon what this
team really looks like as they face Carolina, Denver, Atlanta, Cincy, Tampa and
Oakland in the next six games. Hopefully
they can play these teams tough and get a couple of wins. This stretch will definitely show me if this
team is made to compete or not.
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