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| Christopher Reina. 28th January, 2009 - 8:47 pm
 Record: 7-9
Trench Counter: -3.1 (24th)
Point differential per game: -0.4 (20th)
Payroll: $113.4M (16th)
Cost Per Win: $16.19M (21st)
Passing offense: 190.0 (22nd)
Rushing offense: 115.1 (14th)
Passing defense: 203.3 (13th)
Rushing defense: 121.6 (22nd)
Turnover differential: -0.5 (27th)
Strength of schedule: 27th
If their season were a song: How To Disappear Completely - Radiohead
Game-by-Game (Score, Trench Counter)
Week 1: SEA, 34-10 Win, 11.3
Week 2: at JAX, 20-16 Win, 7.0
Week 3: OAK, 24-23 Win, 1.5
Week 4: at STL, 31-14 Win, -1.2
Week 5: at ARI, 17-41 Loss, -11.5
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: SD, 23-14 Win, 13.6
Week 8: at MIA, 16-25 Loss, -11.6
Week 9: NYJ, 17-26 Loss, -8.5
Week 10: at NE, 10-20 Loss, -14.0
Week 11: CLE, 27-29 Loss, -11.6
Week 12: at KC, 54-31 Win, 4.5
Week 13: SF, 3-10 Loss, 9.0
Week 14: MIA, 3-16 Loss, -11.2
Week 15: at NYJ, 27-31, -13.1
Week 16: at DEN, 30-23 Win, -2.3
Week 17: NE, 0-13 Loss, -11.0
Bills Season Recap
The narrow wins against Oakland and Jacksonville early in the season were far more telling than the victories over the Rams and Seahawks, and they eventually became one of three teams in NFL history to begin the season 5-1 and then go on to have a losing record.
Dick Jauron is now 21-37 as head coach of the Bills and 57-76 overall. His agent deserves an additional percentage point or two commission on the timing of when Jauron was extended, because I am certain he would be in the Herm Edwards, Mike Nolan, Mike Shanahan, etc., etc., coaching line if he hadn't re-upped. The AFC East is a difficult division, but with a 5-1 start and the kind of talent they have on both sides of the ball, this team clearly underachieved and disappointed.
Reina Value and FIC Rank
- Click here for information on the Reina Value and Field Impact Counter
(Rank at position, season FIC, Reina Value)
Quarterbacks
- Trent Edwards (23rd, 596, +421%)
An 85.4 rating in a quarterback's second NFL season, let alone for a QB drafted in the third round, can't really be considered too massive of a disappointment.
Other notable second seasons
Jay Cuter: 88.1
Ben Roethlisberger: 98.6
Eli Manning: 75.9
J.P Losman: 64.9
Carson Palmer: 77.3
Drew Brees: 76.9
Tom Brady: 86.5
Daunte Culpepper: 98.0
Donovan McNabb: 77.8
Peyton Manning: 90.7
Jake Plummer: 75.0
Kerry Collins: 79.4
Drew Bledsoe: 73.6
Edwards began the season strong and then had a brutal stretch in Weeks 8-11, which turned a 5-1 team into a 5-5 team going in the wrong direction. He has a 14-10 record in his career, and he's in rarefied company in terms of accuracy and poise in the pocket. When evaluating Edwards, one must remember that his wide receiver corps is certainly below average in talent and playmaking abilities.
Teams like Kansas City, Detroit, San Francisco, and Minnesota would be greatly blessed to have a young QB of Edwards' ilk to build around.
- J.P. Losman (40th, 144, -35%)
Losman was given some time under center due to Edwards' injury, and he proved yet again that the Bills wasted a first round pick on a quarterback that will not meet expectations. Chris Snee, who was selected 34th that year and had an awesome year at guard with the Giants, would look very good on that line.
Running Backs
- Marshawn Lynch (15th, 567 [351 rushing, 216 receiving], +109%)
Lynch's second season was incredibly similar to his first in yards per carry (4.0 to 4.1), total yards (1,115 down to 1,036), touchdowns (7 to 8) and attempts (280 down to 250), but because Lynch played in 15 games this season, his per game averages were down and you could also say his impact was as well. He had just three 100-yard games and all were in losses. During Buffalo's 5-1 start, he did not have a single game in which he had over 4.2 yards per carry. His best performance of the season came on Monday night against Cleveland when he touched the ball 33 total times for 177 total yards.
- Fred Jackson (28th, 401 [200 rushing, 202 receiving], +548%)
After looking very good in 2007 as a 26-year-old rookie, averaging 5.2 yards per carry in 58 attempts, Jackson turned in a very solid 4.4 mark in 130 attempts. He also was excellent as a receiver, catching 37 balls for 317 yards. Buffalo will need to find more ways to utilize Jackson in 2009.
Wide Receivers
- Lee Evans (23rd, 623, -55%)
Evans faded as each month went by, just like the Bills, posting a 23.7 yards per catch average in September, 17.9 in October, 14.1 in November and 9.1 in December. Nevertheless, his 63 catches and 1,017 yards were the second highest totals in his five-year career.
- Josh Reed (49th, 396, -20%)
Reed posted a career high in total yards with 597, but his Week 8 injury coincided with Buffalo's unraveling.
- Roscoe Parrish (91st, 161, -78%)
Parrish was once again one of the most dynamic punt returners in the game, but his presence as a pure receiver was limited. He caught 24 balls for 232 yards, which represented a drop from his 2007 when he caught 35 balls for 352 yards.
Tight End
- Robert Royal (28th, 218, -36%)
In his third season with the Bills, Royal had a career best in receptions (33), yards (351) and yards per catch (10.6).
Defensive Summary
The Bills improved in points allowed from 18th to 14th, as well as a huge bump in yards allowed. Marcus Stroud improved Buffalo up front, but he surely wasn't the Pro Bowler he once was in Jacksonville and the injury to Aaron Schobel complicated life for him, as well as the entire defense. They were clearly vulnerable against the run, which was the main reason why the said improvement was more gradual than it really could have been.
The fact that Paul Posluszny stayed on the field for all 16 games and had 87 tackles was very promising, as was the exceptional play of corner Terrence McGee, who continues to be one of the most underrated defensive backs in the NFL.
Biggest draft needs
Buffalo hopes to walk away form the 2009 draft with upgrades at defensive end, tight end and on the offensive line. Brandon Pettigrew, the tight end from Oklahoma State, is one of the finest prospects to come into the NFL at the position in quite sometime. Pettigrew doubles as an excellent receiver and blocker and could make an immediate impact while easing the burden on everyone from Edwards to Evans.
Everette Brown and Brian Orakpo are probably surer picks at 11, but I have a stronger belief in the evolution of Buffalo's defense than their offense, though that inability to rush the quarterback is something that the secondary won't be able to override forever.
Previous Audits
32. Detroit Lions
31. St. Louis Rams
30. Oakland Raiders
29. Cleveland Browns
28. Seattle Seahawks
27. Cincinnati Bengals
26. Kansas City Chiefs
25. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Chris Reina is the executive editor of RealGM |
