Courtesy Spoksemanreview.com

Analyzing the Buffalo Bills

When you are tenth in the AFC in scoring, you need some offense and, in most cases, the fastest way to get it is to draft an impact player at running back.

The Buffalo Bills, who averaged less than 19 points per game in 2006, despite having one of the NFL's most efficient quarterbacks in J.P. Losman and an explosive crop of young receivers, did exactly this, when they selected Cal's Marshawn Lynch.

Finishing 7-9 and just two wins shy of the playoffs, Buffalo has a very strong defense and a field general in Losman, who appears ready to step into the realm of elite NFL passers.

The most glaring problem heading into the 2007 was at running back. Oft-injured starting tailback Willis McGahee finished with just 990 rushing yards, with a yards-per-carry average of only 3.8.

The Bills decided they'd seen enough in March, trading McGahee to Baltimore. One month later, Buffalo fixed its most glaring weakness, selecting Lynch, a 5-11, 217-pound all-purpose runner with quick-strike ability, in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft.

Not only is Lynch a strong, downhill runner (he averaged 6.6 yards per carry in nearly 500 attempts in his college career), he is, unlike McGahee, a very good pass-catcher, with great vision and explosiveness after the catch.

The Bills bring back a veteran offensive line and a group of wide receivers that includes Peerless Price and fourth-year speedster Lee Evans, coming off his best season with 82 catches, nearly 1,300 yards and 8 touchdowns. Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish give Buffalo very nice depth at the position.

The key to the Bills season, though, is Marshawn Lynch, who should be a gigantic upgrade over McGahee. If Lynch bursts into the NFL, as he has everywhere else he's played, Buffalo's offense will be vastly improved.

Assuming the defense is at least as good as it was in 2006, the Bills should improve to 10 or 11 wins and make the playoffs in 2007.

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