| It’s been a rocky couple of weeks for the
Buffalo Bills as the regular season looms on the horizon. Not only did the Bills lose
starting QB Rob Johnson for a week of practice due to an injured finger on his throwing
hand, but they lost OG Jerry Ostroski, their most experienced offensive lineman, to a
broken leg. In addition, the Bills cut loose another starter from last season, OT Robert
Hicks, who was promptly picked up by the Detroit Lions.
The released Hicks became the 32nd player, and 16th starter, to
leave the team in the last two years. That’s an incredibly high number, even in this
era of free agency and the salary cap. At some point, a team has to feel the effects of
that many player defections, and all signs point to this year being the year that the
Bills suffer.
The Bills have been admired throughout the NFL for years for managing to shuffle their
personnel and find a way to win despite being hit hard by free agency. In fact, the roster
of the Bills’ first Super Bowl team was quite a bit different from the roster of the
Bills’ fourth Super Bowl team, although the same core of players remained on board to
lead the way.
Now, the new salary-cap economics have basically stripped the Bills of the top players
off their highly ranked defense and forced them to go with young, inexperienced players
along the offensive line.
Bruce Smith, Ted Washington, Marcellus Wiley, Kurt Schulz, John Holecek, Thomas Smith
and Sam Rogers each played a key role in helping the Bills have one of the top defenses in
the NFL. A defense that produced an 11-5 record in 1999 and, before injuries decimated it,
was on the way to a similar record in 2000 before settling at 8-8.
The offensive line is a bigger concern to Bills players, coaches and fans. The line has
struggled in recent years but, thanks to the mobility of QB Doug Flutie, managed to be
adequate. However, with Johnson behind center, the line’s holes were more pronounced,
and the pocket-passing Johnson was sacked 48 times last season.
Johnson has also proved to be injury-prone, and his latest incident with an injured
finger, which he banged on a teammate’s helmet on the follow-through of a pass, just
furthers that perception.
Ostroski’s loss is a devastating one for the Bills since they are left with young
players who have never played a down in the NFL to replace him. A rookie, Jonas Jennings,
was already slated to start at right tackle, and the potential is there for one of two
other rookies or free agents to play significant minutes along the O-line this season.
That spells trouble for Johnson, Alex Van Pelt and Jack Hawley, the Bills’
less-than-stellar quarterbacking trio. And with two of the top defenses in the NFL —
New Orleans and Miami — looming in Weeks One and Two, Johnson may not last long this
season.
I’m confident that Bills president/general manager Tom Donahoe and new coach Gregg
Williams have the Bills headed in the right direction. Buffalo’s organization has
been strong for years, from Bill Polian to John Butler to Donahoe, and this new regime is
obviously building for the long haul.
There were severe salary-cap consequences to carrying two high-priced quarterbacks, and
once those get sorted out, the Bills will be fine. Donahue is stocking the team with
talented young players at most positions, but they need experience and time to grow. To
expect them to step in and produce right away is asking a lot.
The Bills catch a break with a relatively soft schedule. However, with huge holes along
the offensive line, the brittleness of starting QB Rob Johnson and the vast turnover of
players on defense, the Bills will do well to break even this season. |
