Hopes were raised that better days were ahead for the Bills. However, hopes have been raised before. The Bills have had a rollercoaster existence ever since 2002, with great one season of promisefollowed by a season of disappointment. Unfortunately, there is as muchuncertainty about 2007 as there was heading into the 2006 season.That being said, there is quite a bit of young talent on the rosterwith wide receiver Lee Evans who is coming off from a breakout season.There is always quarterback J.P. Losman who has come a long way as well asstrong safety Donte Whitner who headed last season's rookie class.Losman, with his 10 completions of 40 plus yards last season shows, canmake every throw with his incredibly strong right arm. He is a verytalented athlete who usually avoids the pass rush, throws accurately onthe move and scrambles for yards. Losman has also made greatimprovement in his technique and footwork and also is developing into a respectedleader among the team. However, with all things considered, Losman isstill a work in progress. He must learn to better recognize coveragesand be careful not to lock on to one receiver.?He has been known to rushthrough his progressions at times and sometimes forces passes intocoverage. Losman also must improve on short passes. Last year he completed5-of-24 attempts on third-and-3 or less.Another player to watch is running back Marshawn Lynch. In the pastfive years the Bills have not ranked in the top half in rushing. Hopefullythis could change with the addition of Lynch considering his speed,power, and size. He rarely goes down on the first contact and can be veryelusive in the open field. Compared to McGahee, Lynch has moreversatility because he is effective in pass protection and can split outsideas a receiver. Sharing carries with Lynch will be veteran player AnthonyThomas, how when given playing time last year was very productive.There is also Larry Tripplett. The Bills lack size on the inside and asa result they struggle to stop power runs. However, the Bills hope tofix this with a deeper rotation. Triplett has proven to be the best ofthe group last season because he uses quickness and his hands to shedblocks.And one cannot forget offensive line backer Paul Posluszny. Poslusznywas a second round pick in 2007 and will hopefully soften the blow oflosing Spikes and Flether-Baker. Posluszny works great for the Billsbecause of his quickness and athletic talents. He definitley has the rangeto make plays from all over the field. However, Posluszny covergaesskills will be quickly tested because the Bills need the middle backer todrop into the deep middle in their own Cover 2. Also, with Posluszny,last years weak side backer Angelo Crowell will now replace Spikes onthe left side.Despite the new talent on the team, the Bills have suffered a huge lossfrom their veteran core. Nate Clements, cornerback, and LondonFletcher, middle linebacker, left as free agents in the off season. Runningback Willis McGahee and strong-side linebacker Takeo Spikes were tradedas well.One must remember that the Buffalo Bills have failed to make theplayoffs for seven?years in a row. It will be very difficult for them to endthat losing streak in 2007. The offense could be quite explosive,however, if Losman continues to improve and Lynch proves himself and theline gets better. If anything, the offense must improve for the mere factthat it has to take some pressure off a defense that has gotten youngerbut not necessarily better. Despite some good building blocks for thefuture, the team needs more time to grow and mature.
By Rich Stephenson [ 24/07/2007 ][ viewed 61 times ]
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
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