2010 Buffalo Bills Season Preview

The Buffalo Bills enter the 2010 NFL season featuring a completely new look from an organizational perspective. The philosophy for the 2010 Buffalo Bills Team Preview could be "change from the top-down", as the team has instituted a new general manager in Buddy Nix, and head coach Chan Gailey.

Buffalo strung together five wins last season and found themselves on the bottom of the AFC East division looking up at their rivals. The Bills completed the first decade in the 2000's failing to make the playoffs, as the 2009 season marked the 10th-straight time Buffalo failed to clinch a post-season berth. It has been a string of one failure after another and one bad move followed by another bad move.

Offensively, the Bills were inept last season, ranking 30th in the NFL in total offense. The most visible position on the field was where the Bills struggled the most, as Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick combined to form the league's third-to-last passing tandem, at just 157 yards per game. Though the coaching staff was completely overhauled, many players on the field wearing a Buffalo uniform in 2009 will be there for the Buffalo Bills' 2010 NFL Season. The Bills averaged just 16.1 points per game on offense and were last in the league in red-zone efficiency at 31.6 percent.

As poor as the Bills were passing on offense, that is as good as they were against the pass on defense, marking one of the bright spots on the team. Buffalo ranked 2nd in the NFL against the pass, allowing just 184.2 yards per game through the air. However, they were at the opposite end of the spectrum against the run, ranking 30th, surrendering 156.3 yards per game.

Looking ahead for the 2010 Buffalo Bills Preview, there is no shortage of improvements to be made, but the Bills have made what they feel are the necessary organizational and coaching staff changes to turn around the longest playoff drought in the 50-year history of the franchise.
2010 Buffalo Bills Coaching Staff & ChangesChan Gailey enters his first season with the Bills, as do a myriad of other coaches. It was a complete overhaul during the off-season for Buffalo, as the players will have to learn and adopt a completely new scheme for 2010. Gailey was probably not the Bills first coach, but Mike Shanahan went to Washington and Bill Cowher elected to stay away from the game. Gailey's only previous stop in the NFL was a two-year stint in Dallas that did not pan out.

Gailey will be his own offensive coordinator as well, as he will call the plays for the 2010 season. In addition to Gailey, new coordinators, and position coaches were brought in, like George Edwards who will run the defense and implement a new 3-4 base system.
2010 Buffalo Bills Key Free Agency Acquisitions & LossesAcquistions
LB - Andra Davis from Denver Broncos
DT - Dwan Edwards from Baltimore Ravens
OT - Cornell Green from Oakland Raiders

Losses
WR - Terrell Owens to Cincinnati Bengals
DE - Aaron Schobel to Retirement
WR - Josh Reed to Free Agency
OT - Brad Butler to Retirement
OT - Jonathan Scott to Pittburgh Steelers
LB - Chris Draft to Washington Redskins2010 Buffalo Bills NFL DraftRound 1: Pick 9 - RB, CJ Spiller (Clemson)
Round 2: Pick 41 - DT, Torell Troup (Central Florida)
Round 3: Pick 72 - DE, Alex Carrington (Arkansas State)
Round 4: Pick 107 - WR Marcus Easley (Connecticut)
Round 5: Pick 140 - OT, Ed Wang (Virginia Tech)
Round 6: Pick 178 - DE, Arthur Moats (James Madison)
Round 6: Pick 192 - DE, Danny Batten (South Dakota State)
Round 7: Pick 209 - QB, Levi Brown (Troy)
Round 7: Pick 216 - OT, Kyle Calloway (Iowa)
2010 Buffalo Bills QuarterbacksRather than go with Jimmy Clausen or Colt McCoy this year in the NFL Draft, the Bills opted to stay with their current quarterback slate in Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Edwards began the 2009 season but was pulled and Fitzpatrick took over. Fitzpatrick led the way in passing, throwing for 1,422 and nine touchdowns. He threw 10 interceptions however and his mistakes will have to come down if they are to improve in the passing department. Edwards threw for 1,169, six touchdowns and seven interceptions. Combined, there were more interceptions thrown between the two than touchdowns.

Expectations were high after Edwards began to come on at the end of the 2008 season, but he moved backwards in 2009. Heading into 2010, Edwards will likely be the starter, but the competition will be open in training camp and Gailey won't hesitate to make a change during the regular season if things are not looking good.

2010 Buffalo Bills Quarterback Depth Chart
QB - Trent Edwards
QB - Ryan Fitzpatrick2010 Buffalo Bills Running BacksThe Bills drafted C.J Spiller out of Clemson in the first round with the ninth overall selecting in the 2010 Buffalo Bills NFL Draft. It was considered a rather surprising move by some, seeing as the Bills seemed to have a good tandem of running backs in Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. However, the Bill lacked a big-play maker and speed that Spiller possess. Spiller was perhaps the best athlete in the entire crop of the draft and Buffalo felt that they could not pass him up. Spiller will add to a productive unit in the offensive backfield. Jackson led the team in rushing, with 1,062 yards 2 touchdowns. Spiller should come in and make an instant impact and try and give Buffalo a spark that they desperately need on offense.

Projected 2010 Buffalo Bills Running Back Depth Chart
RB - C.J. Spiller
RB - Fred Jackson
RB - Marshawn Lynch2010 Buffalo Bills Wide ReceiversThe Bills went out on a limb last season and grabbed free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens for a one-year contract. While Owens led the team in receiving last season, he did not produce the way that the bills had hoped. Lee Evans will lead the corps of receivers. Evans is a great receiver, but has had the misfortune of being in the Bills offensive system. He had only 44 catches last season, but looks to get more involved. Gailey will have to get Evans the ball as he is a play-maker.

Spiller will also line up in the slot position, along with Roscoe Parrish and Steve Johnson. The Bills also drafted Marcus Easley in the fourth round. Easley ran a 4.39 at the NFL combine and has the potential to be explosive.

Projected 2010 Buffalo Bills Wide Receiver Depth Chart
WR - Lee Evans
WR - James Hardy
WR - Roscoe Parrish
WR - Steve Johnson

Projected 2010 Buffalo Bills Tight End Depth Chart
TE - Shawn Nelson
TE - Derek Schouman2010 Buffalo Bills Offensive LineThe reason that the Bills' drafting of Spiller in the first round was surprising was because of the lack of production that the team had on the offensive line last season. The organization passed up both Anthony Davis and Bryan Bulaga for the left tackle position, for which the team was not good at all in that position.

Edwards was sacked 23 times while Fitzpatrick was sacked 21 times for a grand total of 43 sacks in 16 games. The team was last in the NFL in sacks allowed. Yet, they only addressed the issue with a fifth and seventh round selection of offensive lineman. The Bills did bring in Cornell Green who will take over a right tackle and will be an improvement from a year ago. Still, if Edwards or Fitzpatrick keep going to the ground, the offense will continue to not produce.

Projected 2010 Buffalo Bills Starting Offensive Line
LT - Demetrius Bell
LG - Andy Levitre
C - Geoff Hangartner
RG - Eric Wood
RT - Cornell Green2010 Buffalo Bills Defensive LineThe Bills were 30th in the NFL against the run last season. The 2010 Buffalo Bills are reverting to a 3-4 base in hopes to contain that problem area. The team will have a new look on defense up at the line. Marcus Stroud will move from tackle to on the end and Kyle Williams will handle the nose tackle. They will have depth at the position and be able to rotate in the players that fit the system, but this does not appear to be a strength on defense. In fact, the the Bills run defense ranked in the bottom 11 of the NFL the last five season.

Projected 2010 Buffalo Bills Starting Defensive Line
DE - Dwan Edwards
NT - Kyle Williams
DE - Marcus Stroud2010 Buffalo Bills LinebackersThe new 3-4 base defense will be a good fit for the linebacker corp for the Bills. They spent their first round draft pick in 2009 on Aaron Maybin, who will be implemented into this system, after not being utilized much in the 4-3 defense. Additionally, Chris Kelsay will switch position and move to the outside rush linebacker position. Inside linebacker Paul Posluszny is one of the veterans on the unit and will lead the group into 2010.

Projected 2010 Buffalo Bills Starting Linebackers
OLB - Reggie Torbor
ILB - Paul Posluszny
ILB - Andra Davis
OLB - Chris Kelsay
2010 Buffalo Bills SecondaryThe secondary is the strength of the defense looking at the 2010 Buffalo Bills Season Preview. Terrence McGee and Leodis McKelvin are the two starters at the position, both of which have shown promise. The secondary ranked 2nd in the NFL against the pass, which was the highlight of the 2009 team. In total, the Bills can use as many as six at the corner position and have plenty of depth. Jarius Byrd will continue to play the Free Safety position and has plenty of talent and is a big hitter. He had nine interceptions last year.

Projected 2010 Buffalo Bills Starting Seconday
CB - Terrence McGee
CB - Leodis McKelvin
SS - Bryan Scott
FS - Jairus Byrd

2010 Buffalo Bills Preview