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| David Duprey / Associated Press |
| The sooner the Bills name Trent Edwards the starting quarterback, the better off their offense will be. |
PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- There always seems to be changes in Buffalo, and it is now Chan Gailey's turn to fix an offense that ranked 30th in the NFL last year.
Just a few issues, though: He'll have to do it with the same group of quarterbacks, a receiving corps without last season's top wideout, Terrell Owens, question marks at the tackle position, and the top draft pick holding out.
As for the defense, it's not in much better shape. The Bills are moving from the 4-3 to a 3-4 system and have consistently struggled against the run in recent years. There is much work to be done in trianing camp on both sides of the ball to get ready for a season in which three of the first four games are against division opponents.
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The fate of the season could already be set by Oct. 3, making a fast start imperative.
OBSERVATION DECK
Trent Edwards is in control of this offense and for the sake of stability, the Bills should declare him the starter soon. I sat down with Edwards at camp, and he is ready to be Buffalo's franchise quarterback. In order to reach that status, however, he needs more weapons. Third-year receiver James Hardy has to develop into a red-zone threat.
The Bills just released their best pass rusher, Aaron Schobel, and that puts a tremendous amount of pressure on second-year linebacker Aaron Maybin -- last year's first-round pick -- and Chris Kelsay to deliver around 20 sacks this season. To expect such production seems highly unlikely.
The Bills have been out in pads more than the other teams I have visited so far, and according to running back Fred Jackson, have already had three live goal line drills in the first week. Jackson said the team needs the work, specifically an offense that has struggled every day to move the ball.
SURPRISE, SURPRISE
» It's not a shock for all of the quarterbacks to be having a tough time. What is a pleasant surprise, though, is how much the offense, especially Edwards, appreciates working against the new 3-4 defense. All three division opponents play the 3-4, so it gives the Bills' offense more preparation for their division slate.
» Player wise, the most pleasent surprise is wide receiver Steve Johnson, who is becoming a favorite target for all the quarterbacks. Another player making a name for himself is rookie outside linebacker Arthur Moats.
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Moats was a sixth-round pick who recorded 29 sacks in college, and he has already flashed impressive skills in full team drills.
» The biggest surprise of all may be the outright release of Schobel. Granted there was a $2 million dollar roster bonus due, and a $6 million dollar salary on the line, but he had to be worth something on the open market in a trade.
ROOKIE REPORT
» At this time, C.J. Spiller is one of just two first-round picks still unsigned (Seattle's Russell Okung is the other). The Bills have installed 65 percent of their offense, and Spiller is far behind on a team that really needs him.
» Second-rounder Torell Troup is rotating in at nose tackle and holding up well. He struggles to pass rush but clogs up the middle in the run game, which makes him the perfect complement to Kyle Davis, who is more of a one-gap penetrator. It's possible Troup will play on early downs, before giving way to Davis in passing situations.
» Third-round defensive end Alex Carrington is the perfect five-technique player with long arms. According to one Bills coach, he should find his way into the rotation before long.
» Fifth-round offensive tackle Ed Wang just had hand surgery that will sideline him indefinitely, but when healthy he will compete for playing time.
LASTING IMAGE
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» The more I study this defense, the more impressed I am with it and the players' effort. Last year the Bills gave up just 20.4 points a game and had the second-ranked pass defense (184.2 yards per game). They may have to be even better this year. When you consider the Bills had one of the worst third-down offenses in 20 years and forced the defense to go back on the field after three0and-out series constantly, it was not praised enough.
» After sitting down with Gailey, I'm convinced he will make this offense tougher and better than it was last season. Gailey told me he has a team full of guys who are hungry and practicing like mad since no one is giving them a chance.
» Marcus Stroud came over for a chat, and he was so happy there was lots of contact at camp, becuase he said something had to be done to change the team's losing mindset.
EXTRA POINTS
Unless Maybin starts to pick it up in the run situations, he is going to wind up as a situational pass rusher. Gailey is excited about building special teams with the extra linebackers the 3-4 defense will provide.
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