Upon reviewing the Bills' 53 man roster and having the chance to actually watch every snap of the preseason for the first time in my life (God bless the DVR and NFL Network), a few things stand out to this paying customer as the Seattle game looms.  The debates of the offseason are finally over and now I can't wait for next week when I get to unwrap a whole new season of Bills football...A few honest exit thoughts on the Bills offseason before I set myself up for being disappointed by making a public prediction on where the Bills will be in January 2009:

TE:  So much for addressing the putrid TE position this offseason.  All the Teyo Johnson/ Courtney Anderson kool-aid will ultimately net 0 games played for the Bills.  Frankly, there was a reason neither player caught a pass in the NFL last season and Buffalo was really grasping to think either player could make a difference.  Even the two most promising options at the position, Schouman and Fine, will start the season injured, making it less and less likely that they can make a significant contribution in 2008.  I'll say this again: Buffalo cheaped out at the TE position and it's unacceptable.  Adding two street free agents and banking on a late 4th round pick and a former 7th round pick who started last season on the practice squad to upgrade the position is a joke considering how poorly the TEs produced the last two seasons.  John Guy basically admitted that TE was a priority position for the Bills this offseason and yet another year has passed without the position being properly addressed.  My guess is that Buffalo will add a veteran (Justin Peelle?  Kris Wilson?) in the next few days to play Michael Gaines' useful, but somewhat pedestrian role in 2008, but when is the team going to make an actual attempt to find a difference maker at this position?  This position is really unacceptable as it currently stands.

WR: The good news is that I think the team got a steal in Steve Johnson.  With the injuries and lack of depth at WR throughout the league, there was no way Johnson was going to make it through the year on Buffalo's practice squad.  My hope is that by midseason, Johnson is one of the top 4 players on the depth chart.  Schonert showed more 4 wide this preseason than Fairchild ever used, so I think WR depth will be more important for the Bills going forward.  I'm not optimistic that Hardy will make the impact that Buffalo's awful WR position called for heading into the offseason.  He's a great prospect (if he stays out of trouble with the law going forward), but he's raw.  The routes he ran at Indiana were hardly evolved and he relied mostly on his superior athleticism as a collegiate receiver.  My hope is that Hardy is the next Eric Moulds who took 3 years to contribute.  If that's the case, he's a great pick because Moulds was a Pro Bowl talent once he finally developed.  The bad news is that we're staring at another year of Josh Reed and his putrid production opposite Evans in the starting lineup.  That's beyond unacceptable for a team that looks to be playoff contenders in 2008. 

CB: This position was addressed urgently by the Bills front office this offseason and I applaud them for it.  Drafting prospects like McKelvin and Corner was necessary and Youboty's remarkable preseason made a decent veteran like Will James expendable.  McKelvin was taken so high that I'd expect his playing time to increase steadily as the season goes on, ultimately taking over for Jabari Greer in the starting lineup.  I know Greer is a polarizing player for Bills' fans; I personally like him for depth, but not as a starter, but in any event, Buffalo properly gave themselves options in three young players if Greer can't hold down his job.  Buffalo did well here and Jauron, Modrak, and Fewell deserve credit.

DL: I truly believe the Marcus Stroud trade was a stroke of genius by the Bills front office.  Every Bills' fan and their mother knew that Buffalo needed a massive run stuffing DT since Jauron's regime took power prior to 2006, and for two years Buffalo pretended their defense didn't require one.  I personally believe that Jauron knew all along that this was a need, but Buffalo's front office was unable to find one to their failure.  If Buffalo contends this year, my guess is that Stroud and Edwards will be the two biggest reasons.  Both players are gambles, and hopefully, they'll pay off (I honestly believe Stoud will, whereas I can only "bill-ieve" Edwards will)...also, I buy that Kelsay and Denney were not healthy last season and believe that the DEs will produce at their 2006 level this season and hope that youngsters like Bryan and Ellis can contribute too.  I like what Buffalo did at this position.

Ultimately, this team is close.  Edwards remains a mystery.  Buffalo refused to challenge him after his historically inept production in 2007.  He proceeded to get just 4 series in the preseason heading into 2008 and even the biggest OBD homers out there (you know who you guys are), have to admit that this is a scary prospect.  I don't see a bigger gamble in the NFL than what Buffalo is doing at QB.  For now, I'll join the optimistic bunch of you that I read each day and dream about raking in the chips this season even if my personal experiences with big bets generally have lead to high interest loans.  The good news about Edwards is that he doesn't appear to get flustered.  You look around the league and many successful QBs (Romo, McNabb, Eli, etc.) still struggle sometimes in this regard.  There's something that Buffalo sees in Edwards that transcends his awful production.  The cynic in me says it's his modest salary, but the August optimist in me wants to say its his unusual cool for an inexperienced QB.  If the rest of his game develops as quickly, the production will come and Buffalo will have a top 12 QB.  Let's say he does because I like mostly everything else.  The defense will be solid thanks to the Stroud trade, improved DL health, linebackers with pro size (what an unusual concept!), and a secondary that's going to take the leap to extraordinary in 2008 (that means you, Donte Whitner)...I predict the 10-6 Bills will grab the #6 seed, head into San Diego to play the banged up Chargers (when aren't the Chargers decimated by injury?) and surprise the NFL with a 20-16 victory on the road.  While the Bills will come up short against eventual Super Bowl champion, Jacksonville in the divisionals (Jags-24, Seahawks-20: final guess here too), Buffalo will be legitimate Super Bowl contenders heading into 2009...I see it unfolding nicely, but it needs to start this Sunday.  Excuse time is over for Jauron's regime in Buffalo.  This team can produce this season, so let's see it; I cautiously believe we're about to be rewarded for our patience with Buffalo's rebuilding project following the Donahoe disaster...cross your fingers and wake up, Jason Peters- losing game checks won't help anyone.