I agree with the pessimistic fans....

That's just the way building a team the right way works. It is so unbelievably easier to throw together a defense than it is an offense, so Marv Levy is taking the right approach in building a young, potentially star-studded offense in these early years and then letting the defense play catch-up.

Keep in mind this is only the second year of Levy's re-building phase. He's doing things the right way. We likely aren't a playoff team yet, but there's time for us to grow. We've got 16 games to get these guys seasoned. We'll make our serious run in '08.

Plus, the talent we have shouldn't make us a bad defense. Maybe not what we're used to seeing in Buffalo. But the talent is there.

I expect plenty of growing pains for the numerous young guys we'll have out there.  I am worried that our DT rotation is still subpar and will leave our young LB's out to dry more often than we'd like.  

But the main worry I have is that I don't see this D as a playmaking bunch, AT ALL.  McGee is probably our best playmaker in the secondary and he's coming off a zero INT season.  I do expect him to step it up this year as he'll be more comfortable in the scheme.  Thomas has zero career INT's, so enough said there.  Webster has shown a decent ability to get picks, but I'm not sure he's the answer at starter, especially since he'll be here for a year only.  Youboty is a complete unknown and from everything I've read is still a work in progress.  Whitner and Simpson have given no indication of being playmakers and that's where I'm really worried, especially with Whitner.  After drafting him in the top 10, he showed me very little last year.  Unlike many, I think he needs to show he deserved being such a lofty pick as he didn't prove it to me last year.

Our LB's should be decent in this regard.  Crowell has a nose for the ball, Ellison had a few flashes last year and seems to be a good fit for our D, Poz is an impact player though maybe not so much in the passing game and DiGiorgio has been making things happen all spring.  I'm not worried about them, YET.

The DL really needs to step up their pressure this year.  Schobel needs to add a touch of consistency as I still feel a good portion of his sacks come from his hustle as opposed to pure pass rush ability.  Kelsay and Denney are what they are, average.  It'd be nice if they showed up in the pass rush more than 2-3 games a year.  And Hargrove has all the physical attributes, energy and ability to be an impact.  Now it's time for him to make his move and earn a new contract from us.

I expect we'll have a poor run D again and a pass D that will slip a bit from last year.  But a lot of that can be masked with turnovers and big plays.  I'm just worried the guys we have don't fit that mantra all that well.  A cover 2 needs speed and playmakers and the Colts proved you can get by giving up large chunks of yards.  We've added some speed, but is the playmaking ability there?  I'm not sure.