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We finally made it, everyone.  Here's the final installment of the History of the Buffalo Bills Series.  For the other parts of the series, follow the link. Let's see how the Bills arrived at where they are right now.

2004 - The Mularkey Era Begins
9-7 record, 3 of 4 in AFC East, 8 of 16 in AFC, 10 of 32 in NFL
After finishing the previous season 6-10, Bills coach Gregg Williams was not retained.  Then-Bills GM and former Steelers GM Tom Donahoe went back to his former team to find Williams' replacement, hiring Steelers Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularkey as the team's new head coach.  Because of the defense's success, most coaches on that side of the ball were retained, including coordinator Jerry Gray. Mularkey brought in seasoned league minds Sam Wyche (QB coach), Jim McNally (offensive line), and Tom Clements (offensive coordinator) to coach the offense.

The Bills lost Pro Bowl Guard Ruben Brown in free agency as well as cornerback Antoine Winfield.  With their first pick in the draft, the Bills picked speedy WR Lee Evans as a compliment to Eric Moulds.  The team then traded back into the first round to get Tulane quarterback J.P. Losman, costing them second and fifth round picks along with 2005's first rounder.  After the draft, Buffalo signed several undrafted free agents as well, including CB Jabari Greer, RB Shaud Williams, and TE Jason Peters.  The Bills also were finally able to see what Willis McGahee could do after he spent a year on injured reserve. After long-term injuries to Losman (broken leg) and Travis Brown, the Bills signed QB Shane Matthews to back up Drew Bledsoe.

In week one Buffalo lost on a last-second touchdown pass from Byron Leftwich, 13-10.  After a loss in Oakland behind an anemic offensive output the Bills hosted New England.  Buffalo jumped out to an early 17-10 lead in the second quarter on a Terrence McGee kickoff return touchdown and a Bledsoe to Moulds touchdown pass.  The Bills then allowed 21 unanswered points on two Brady touchdown passes and a fumble return touchdown to lose 31-17.  A week 5 loss to the Jets dropped the Bills to 0-4 and it looked like another 6-10 season might even be hard to reach.  But in his first career start McGahee, in relief of injured Travis Henry, rushed for 111 yards and Aaron Schobel had 2.5 sacks in a 20-13 win over Miami.  Five turnovers and no touchdowns helped the Ravens beat the Bills for the team's fifth loss of the year. Buffalo's offense came alive the next week behind McGahee's 102 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Terrence McGee also returned a kick for a score in this game and Buffalo hung 38 on Arizona in a big win.  The momentum carried over and McGahee once again set the tone running around and through Jets defenders all day in a 22-17 win over New York.  And then the Patriots came and ruined everything.  Buffalo fell behind 23-0 and lost by the score of 29-6, the only points coming on a Jonathan Smith punt return touchdown.  The Bills were outgained 428 yards to 125 and trailed in time of possession 41:22 to 18:38.  The Bills sat at 3-6 and a longshot for a winning record let alone a playoff birth.  But that's when Buffalo turned it on winning six straight games to get to 9-6 and on the verge of the playoffs.  A 37-7 win against the Rams (thanks to Mark Campbell's three TD receptions) was followed by a 38-9 win over the Seahawks (four McGahee touchdowns) and Buffalo's offense was finally humming along.  The following week the Bills played Miami in South Florida. The offense was at it again and Bledsoe threw four touchdown passes in a 42-32 win.  Cleveland came to town the next week and Buffalo put their Lake Erie neighbors in their place.  The Bills allowed only 17 offensive yards.  Let's repeat that stat.  The Bills defense allowed 17 yards of Browns offense all game.  It was the fifth-lowest number in NFL history.  To get there the team allowed negative 12 yards passing.  How's that? The Bills registered 8 sacks and forced five turnovers.  Thanks to the turnovers the Bills scored 37 points and in doing so set a franchise record for points in a four game stretch (154 or 38.5 points per game).  The Bills fell short of that average the next week managing only 33 points in a 16 point win over the Bengals.  Buffalo scored in all three phases of the game on a Lee Evans TD reception, a Takeo Spikes interception return, and a Jason Peters punt block recovery.  The team was now 8-6 and riding a five game win streak on the back of a high-scoring offense.  In week 16 the Bills pushed the streak to six games with a 41-7 demolition of the Niners.  The Bills scored 30+ points in their sixth straight game, a new team record, and were now one win away from the most improbable playoff birth in team history.  The Bills, 9-6, hosted the Steelers in Week 17 with Pittsburgh having secured the number one seed in the playoffs.  They literally had nothing to play for where Buffalo would make the playoffs with a win.  Playing a roster of backups the Steelers shut down the Bills offense, holding them to just 267 yards, and Buffalo lost the game - and a chance at the playoffs - by the final of 29-24. 

The Bills offense led by Willis McGahee and Drew Bledsoe ranked seventh in the league in scoring with 395 points but ranked only 25 in yards. This discrepancy can be largely attributed to excellent field position from Buffalo's special teams units led be returners Terrence McGee and Nate Clements.  Bledsoe barely missed throwing for 3000 yards and fired 20 TDs while McGahee rushed for 1128 yards and 13 TDs (4th in the NFL) in only 11 starts.  Eric Moulds was once again solid eclipsing 1000 yards receiving (1043) for the fourth and last time of his career.  Rookie Lee Evans contributed right away with 48 catches and 843 yards, a remarkable 17.6 yards a reception.  London Fletcher led the second-ranked defense (for the second year in a row) with 94 solo tackles, Schobel recorded eight sacks, and Clements recorded 6 INTs (good for third in the league).  Even Brian Moorman had something to brag about, booting an 80-yard punt in 2004.  Terrence McGee made the Pro Bowl on the strength of his 3 TD returns.  Joining him in Hawaii were members of that excellent defense; DT Sam Adams, LB Takeo Spikes, and CB Nate Clements.  Spikes and McGee were both named All-Pros as well.  In 2004, Guard Jim Ritcher joined the Bills Wall of Fame.  Ritcher was a first round pick for Buffalo in 1980 and played 14 seasons for Buffalo, earning two trips to the Pro Bowl.

2005 - Three steps back
5-11 record, 3 of 4 in AFC East, 12 of 16 in AFC, 23 of 32 in NFL
The team rode a wave of optimism into Mike Mularkey's second season as Bills coach.  The team had done well towards the end of 2004 and expectations were that they would take the next step and finally rejoin the playoff race in 2005.  The Bills lost two key defensive contributors when CB Antoine Winfield and DT Pat Williams signed with the VIkings.  The Bills also lost OT Jonas Jennings and starting QB Drew Bledsoe was released when Buffalo decided to go with J.P. Losman at quarterback and asked Bledsoe to take a pay cut he would refuse.  Travis Henry was also disgruntled due to his loss of playing time to Willis McGahee and the Bills traded the running back to the Titans for a 2006 third round pick.  To replace Bledsoe on the roster the Bills signed journeyman QB Kelly Holcomb and also signed OT Mike Gandy to replace the departed Jennings.  As a result of the Losman trade the Bills were without a first round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.  In the second round the Bills selected WR/KR Roscoe Parrish and in the third added TE Kevin Everett.  In the fourth round the Bills took OL Duke Preston. The Bills also signed undrafted free agent safety Jim Leonhard.

J.P. Losman started for the first time in his career against the Houston Texans.  Rian Lindell kicked five field goals and Jason Peters caught a touchdown pass in a 22-7 Buffalo win.  The Bills defense held the Texans to 120 total yards and Texans QB David Carr to a lowly 12.8 QB rating.  The next week the Bills once again had problems finding the end zone managing a single field goal in a 19-3 loss to Tampa.  Buffalo's offense gained only 77 yards prior to the final meaningless drive.  In a 24-16 loss to the Falcons, Losman threw for only 75 yards and the Bills lost LB Takeo Spikes for the year to an Achilles injury.  The Bills fell to 1-3 after a loss to the homeless New Orelans Saints.  The game was played in the Alamodome in San Antonio following Hurricane Katrina and J.P Losman once again passed for 75 yards.  The offense that had clicked so well for Drew Bledsoe was falling apart in the hands of Losman.  After two horrendous outings Losman was benched in favor of Holcomb.  Holcomb completed 11 of his first 15 attempts and engineered scoring drives on Buffalo's first three possessions, jumping to a 17-0 lead they would not relinquish in a 20-14 win over the Dolphins.  In the next game Buffalo scored 27 points and Holcomb was 18-of-26 for 172 yards with two touchdowns and two INTs. The Bills managed to beat the Jets 27-17 and move into a tie for first in the AFC East at 3-3 but losses to the Raiders and Patriots moved the Bills back to 3-5.  In the Patriots game, Holcomb was knocked out from a concussion and Losman came in engineering two scoring drives and making a case to be the starter once more.  After the bye the Bills welcomed the Chiefs to Buffalo and Holcomb started the game at QB but was once again knocked out with a concussion.  Losman came in and engineered the two Buffalo scoring drives in a 14-3 win over the Chiefs in a game the Bills defense held firm.  The next week the Bills defense surrender 48 points to the Chargers in a blowout loss.  With that the Bills were 4-6 for the second time in two years.  This year, though, the Bills would not make a run at the playoffs.  The following week Buffalo scored a measly 9 points in a loss to Carolina despite Losman throwing for a career-high 197 yards.  In week 12 Losman and Lee Evans hooked up for three touchdowns in the first quarter before Miami came back in a game that will live in infamy.  Miami, led by backup QB Sage Rosenfels, came back and won the game on a last-second touchdown catch by Chris Chambers on fourth and goal, 24-23, scoring three touchdowns in the final quarter.  The Bills continued a free fall the next week and got creamed by the Patriots 35-7 in a game without Eric Moulds who was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team.  The Bills then lost to Denver to fall to 4-10 before playing their most inspired game of the year.  The preceeding week Cincinnatti had clinched their first division championship since 1990 and were in position to get a first round bye with a win over the struggling Bills.  Terrence McGee returned an interception and a kickoff for scores and Kelly Holcomb accounted for two touchdowns in an important 37-27 win in Cincinnati.  In the final week of the season, Buffalo was playing for pride.  The special teams lost some that day when the top kick coverage unit in the league allowed a Leon Washington return score to determine the outcome of the game in a 30-26 loss to the Jets.  Right after the season, team owner Ralph Wilson fired General Manager Tom Donahoe.  The Bills went 31-49 during Donahoe's tenure -- the 31 wins tied with Cleveland for the third fewest in the NFL during that span.

The biggest change from 2004 to 2005 was the drop in the defense.  The unit that had surrendered the second-fewest yards in the league the previous twoi seasons fell to 29 in that category in 2005.  The losses of Winfield and Williams in the offseason and Spikes during the season were too much to overcome.  The Bills rushing defense ranked 31 in the league and gave up just under 138 yards rushing per game.  London Fletcher led the squad with 104 solo tackles and Aaron Schobel sacked opposing QBs 12 times. The Bills offense fell from the top ten in scoring to 24 as a result of the loss of Bledsoe and the lackluster QB play.  The team was just 29 in pasing yards.  Holcomb and Losman each started 8 games.  Holcomb won 4 and lost 4 with a 37% completion percentage aand 10 to 8 TD to INT ratio.  Losman was 1-7 as a starter, completed under 50% of his passes, and threw 8 picks and 8 TDs.  McGahee was once again solid, rushing for 1247 yards.  Moulds and Evans proved to be a formidable duo once again combining for 129 receptions, 1559 yards, and 12 TDs. The only Bill selected to the Pro Bowl was punter Brian Moorman who averaged 45.7 yards per punt and was also named to the All-Pro team.  Long snapper Mike Schneck accompanied Moorman to Hawaii as a coach's selection.

In 2005 the Bills added the team's all-time leading rusher to the Wall of Fame when running back Thurman Thomas saw his name honored at Ralph Wilson Stadium.  Thomas was the league most valuable player in 1991 and led the league in yards from scrimmage four straight seasons.  He rushed for 11,938 yards and 65 TDs as a member of the Bills and caught 456 passes for 4341 yards and 23 more scores.  Thomas was a five time Pro Bowl selection, three time All-Pro and was named Offensive Player of the Year in 1992.

2006 - Familiar Old Face Returns
7-9 record, 3 of 4 in AFC East, 12 of 16 in AFC, 21 of 32 in NFL
To replace Tom Donahoe Ralph Wilson turned to a familiar face - 82-year old Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy.  Once Levy arrived he decided to keep Mularkey on as head coach but one week later Mularkey resigned.  With the GM who hired him gone, Mularkey did not feel comfortable reporting to Levy and felt his control would be affected.  Levy turned to former Bills coaching assistant and 1999 NFL Coach of the Year Dick Jauron.  Special teams coach Bobby April and O Line coach Jim McNally, both highly respected throughout the league, were the only coaches that stayed over the regime change.  In the offseason, the Bills lost DT Sam Adams, TE Mark Campbell, DB Lawyer Milloy, WR Eric Moulds, LB Jeff Posey, OL Trey Teague, RB Anthony Thomas and OL Mike Williams in a rebuilding effort that featured 21 new players on Buffalo's roster come the season opener.  To replace the losses, Buffalo signed WR Peerless Price, TE Robert Royal, OL Melvin Fowler, and DT Larry Triplett.  In the first round of the draft Buffalo selected safety Donte Whitner at 8 overall.  The Bills then traded second and third round picks to move back into the first round and select DT John McCargo.  In the third they selected CB Ashton Youboty and in the fourth S Ko Simpson.  In the fifth round Buffalo added DT Kyle Williams and OL Brad Butler and in the sixth LB Keith Ellison.  After the draft the Bills continued their streak of undrafted free agent finds by signing LB John Digiorgio.

The Bills began the year with a close loss to New England.  On the first play of the game Takeo Spikes roared back from his Achilles injury with a vengeance, striping Tom Brady of the ball that London Fletcher took if for a quick score.  Buffalo jumped out to a 17-7 lead in the second quarter but couldn't score again, falling 19-17 on a Losman safety in the fourth quarter.  In week two Buffalo hounded rusty QB Daunte Culpepper, sacking him 7 times - 3 from Ryan Denney alone - in a 16-6 win over Miami.  In week 3, despite 328 passing yards from J.P. Losman and 150 rushing yards from McGahee, Buffalo lost to the Jets in large part to three turnovers.  A win over Minnesota the next week even Buffalo's record at 2-2 but in week 5 the Bills allowed the Bears to score 41 unanswered points to start the game in a 40-7 annihilation.  The next week Losman was sacked five times and the Bills lost to Detroit 20-17, dropping the team to 2-4.  After a 28-6 drubbing at the hands of the Patriots Dick Jauron made a dramatic move during the bye week, reshuffling his offensive line.

Mike Gandy moved from left tackle to left guard. Jason Peters flipped from right tackle to left tackle - a position at which he would earn two Pro Bowl berths in later seasons. Rookie seventh-round draft pick Terrance Pennington took over at right tackle; while starting C Melvin Fowler and RG Chris Villarrial (with Duke Preston as an injury fill-in) remained, Tutan Reyes found himself on the bench.

With the new offensive line in place, Jauron hoped J.P. Losman wouldn't be running for his life or getting sacked as much.  Buffalo beat the Packers 24-10 but Losman was still sacked 5 times on just 20 pass attempts.  The 8-0 Colts hosted Buffalo the next week and Buffalo came within a points of pulling the upset, 17-16.  Anthony Thomas topped one hundred yards rushing in the start for Buffalo and Losman was again sacked on 25% of his drop backs going down 4 times in 16 attempts.  Against the Texans the next week, Buffalo's offensive line would hold it together.  Late in the fourth quarter, Buffalo's defense held the Texans offense allowing them to take only 33 seconds off the clock.  Buffalo got the ball back with 1:44 remaining and J.P. Losman drove the team down the field.  With 8 seconds left, Losman hit Peerless Price in the back of the end zone for the winning score.  (Personally, I remember thinking this was Losman's watershed moment and he was finally gonna step up and be the QB of the future.)  On the day Losman dropped back 40 times and was sacked only twice - a huge improvement for the reshuffled O Line.  The next week the Bills won another game in the final seconds when Rian Lindell kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired to give Buffalo the 27-24 win.  For the first time all season, Losman was not sacked once in the game and Roscoe Parrish returned a punt for a score to help the cause.  The Bills were 5-6 and surging now, having won 3 of 4 since the bye and narrowly losing to the still-undefeated Colts.  The high powered Chargers offense came to Orchard Park and had its way with the Bills defense.  Ladanian Tomlinson rushed for 178 yards and 2 TDs, one a 51-yard rush to put SD up 10-0 early.   Antonio Gates caught 7 balls for 90 yards and a score.  The Bills offense looked shaky, losing four turnovers, in a game Buffalo was never really in. A week 14 win in New York featuring a 77-yard bomb from J.P. to Lee and a 21-0 shutout of Miami featuring three TD passes by Losman evened the Bills record at 7-7.  The Bills hosted the Titans in Week 16 holding slim playoff hopes and led 29-20 heading into the fourth quarter.  Vince Young led the Titans to 10 fourth quarter points and former Bill Travis Henry ground the clock in a Tennessee win that eliminated the Bills from the playoff chase.  In the last week of the season the offense could muster only a 44-yard TD pass from Losman to Evans.  Losman became the first Bills QB to start every game since Bledsoe did in 2002 and became just the fifth Bills QB to pass for 3000 yards (Bledsoe, Flutie, Kelly, Ferguson). 

The Bills offense was anemic, ranking 30 in yards gained and 23 in points.  The passing and rushing offense were 28 and 27 respectively under offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild.  McGahee came up 10 yards short of a thousand and started only 14 games due to injury.  In his first year without wing man Moulds, Lee Evans caught 82 passes and 1292 yards (5th in franchise history) as the unquestioned #1 receiver and Losman buddy.  No other receiver topped 50 catches.  London Fletcher once again recorded one hundred tackles and led the 18 ranked defense.  The Bills were stout against the pass finishing 7 overall but the rush defense was poor allowing the 28th most rushing yards.  Schobel once again led the team in sacks registering 14, the highest number for a Bills' defender since Bryce Paup's 17.5 in 1995.  Schobel was rewarded with his first trip to the Pro Bowl.  Joining him was punter Brian Moorman who was also named an All-Pro for the second consecutive year. Andre Reed joined the Bill's Wall of Fame in 2006.  Reed is the franchise leader in every major receiving category and played for Buffalo from 1985-1999.

2007 - Missed Opportunities
7-9 record, 2 of 4 in AFC East, 9 of 16 in AFC, 18 of 32 in NFL
In a rebuilding year in 2006 many thought the Bills overachieved.  In 2007 they expected to take the next step and challenge for a playoff spot for the first time since Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson was the hot debate on sports radio. Entering 2007 J.P. Losman was the clear-cut starter at QB after throwing for over 3000 yards in 2006 and starting all 16 games.  The Bills parted ways with the only other QB on the roster with starting experience, dealing Kelly Holcomb to the Eagles.  Holcomb did not take a single snap in 2006.  Another key cog of past Bills teams, LB Takeo Spikes, was also traded to the Eagles.  In return the Bills received DT Darwin Walker to help bolster their running defense.  Walker failed to report to the Bills and they traded his rights to the Bears for a 5th round draft pick in 2008.  The Bills also lost CB Nate Clements to an $80M contract, aging LB London Fletcher, OT Mike Gandy, OL Chris Valarrial, DB Troy Vincent, RB Schaud Williams, and  DB Matt Bowen.  Unhappy in Buffalo, Willis McGahee requested a trade.  The Bills acquired the Ravens' third and fifth round picks in the 2007 draft and a third round pick in the 2008 draft.  During the first few hours of free agency the Bills signed OG Derrick Dockery and OT Langston Walker  to solidify the unruly offensive line.  They also signed OL Kirk Chambers in the effort and bolstered their secondary by signing Dustin Fox.  In the draft Buffalo selected RB Marshawn Lynch to replace McGahee.  The Bills traded up in the second round to select Penn State LB Paul Posluszny.  In the third round the team took QB Trent Edwards.  DB John Wendling and TE Derek Schouman were also selected later in the draft along with RB Dwayne Wright.  The Bills also added RB Fred Jackson and LB Blake Costanzo to the active roster. To chronicle the Bills every move, a website was started in April of 2007.  Since then Buffalo Rumblings has grown into the go to place for everything Bills related.

Buffalo opened the season with three straight losses.  The first came at home to Denver on a last-second field goal.  Buffalo gained only 184 total yards to Denver's 470 but a Roscoe Parrish punt return gave the Bills a chance to win that they ultimately failed to convert.  The next two games were blowout losses to the Steelers and Patriots.  In the loss to the Patriots, starting QB J.P. Losman was injured when Patriot DT Vince Wilfork's elbow hyper-extended Losman's knee. In week 4 the Bills and Jets played a scoreless first half in QB Trent Edward's first career start.  In the second half Marshawn Lynch put the Bills up 7-0 and the Bills pushed the lead to 17-7 when Edwards hit Michael Gaines for his first touchdown in the NFL.  On the day Edwards was 22 of 28 for 234 yards, a TD, and an INT in his inaugural run.  The next week Monday Night Football returned to Orchard Park and Ralph Wilson Stadium was electric.  In the first quarter DB George Wilson, playing for injured Ko SImpson, returned a Tony Romo interception for a touchdown to take the lead.  After a Romo pass tied the score and Rian Lindell kicked a field goal, Chris Kelsay made the play of his life tipping a pass in the end zone and catching the interception for a touchdown. Buffalo  was up 17-7 and the offense hadn't scored.  But at the end of the first half the Cowboys, led by former Bills coach Wade Phillips, kicked a 47-yard field goal to pull within one score of the Bills.  After another Cowboys field goal, Terrence McGee returned the kickoff 103 yards for the score - the third Bills' non-offensive touchdown of the game - to take a 24-13 lead.  Dallas kicked a field goal to pull within one score at the beginning of the fourth quarter.  Getting the ball back late in the fourth quarter, Romo led a long drive scoring a touchdown with 20 seconds left.  On the two-point conversion, CB Jabari Greer shielded WR Terrell Owens from the ball and Buffalo remained up by 2 points.  But on the ensuing onside kick the Cowboys recovered and the game wasn't over.  With three seconds left the Cowboys kicked a 53-yard field goal to apparently win the game.  The kick had to be remade, however, when Dick Jauron called timeout prior to the kick.  Nick Folk lined up one more time and drilled it through the uprights to score Dallas' ninth point in 20 seconds to win the game.  After a long bye week the Bills beat the Ravens and Willis McGahee and began a run beating the Jets, Bengals, and Dolphins in the next three weeks to run their record to 5-4.  In the Jets game QB Trent Edwards was knocked from the game and J.P. Losman returned to the field.  Then they faced the undefeated Patriots.  New England whomped the Bills 56-10 and the Patriots gained over 500 yards of offense and Tom Brady threw three TD passes to Randy Moss.  Trent Edwards replaced the ineffective Losman the next week in Washington on the heels of a tragedy in the Redskins organization.  During the previous week, safety Sean Taylor was shot and killed.  The Bills were down 16-14 late in the game when Edwards led a comeback firing the ball down the field and setting up kicker Rian Lindell for the winning kick.  The following week the Bills hosted the 0-12 Dolphins at Ralph Wilson Stadium.  Trent Edwards threw a career-high four touchdown passes and both Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson topped 100 yards in a 38-17 rout of Miami.  Buffalo was 7-6 and on a three-game winning streak facing a team that stood in their way of making the playoffs - the 8-5 Cleveland Browns.  The Bills and Browns played in a blizzard with winds gusting uncontrollably and snow flying in every direction including up.  The Browns managed only two field goals on offense and a safety when Ryan Neill's snap to Brian Moorman went over his head and was kicked from the end zone in an 8-0 Browns win, all but eliminating Buffalo from the tight AFC playoff race.  A home loss to the Giants and a loss to the Eagles left the Bills 7-9 for the second straight year. 

The Bills offense was terrible for the second year in a row finishing 30 of 32 teams in yards and points.  Edwards was 5-4 as a starter and threw for a 56% completion percentage, 1630 yards, and 7 TDs to his 8 INTs.  Losman went 2-5 as a starter, threw for a 63% competition percentage, 1204 yards, and 4 TDs to 6 INTs.  The rookie Lynch topped 1000 yards, logging 1115 yards and 7 TDs plus another passing touchdown.  Lee Evans led the team in receiving with 55 catches for 849 yards.  Angelo Crowell and John Digiorgio (who replaced Posluszny early in the year when Poz was injured) led the team with 86 tackles each.  The defense ranked 31 in yards given up but a hallmark of the bend-not-break aspect of the Tampa 2 defense is not to allow points.  The Bills were 18 in points allowed.  Tackle Jason Peters and DE Aaron Schobel were the only Bills players selected to the Pro Bowl.  Special teams demon Steve Tasker was added to the Wall of Fame during the 2007 season.  Tasker was a seven-time Pro Bowl players and was named the MVP of the game in 1993.  Prior to the 2007 season, Bills running back Thurman Thomas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame joining teammates Jim Kelly and James Lofton and former Bills O.J. Simpson, Billy Shaw, and Joe DeLaimelleure.

2008 - Hot Start, Cold Finish
7-9 record, 4 of 4 in AFC East, 11 of 16 in AFC, 22 of 32 in NFL
During the 2007 season a deal was announced between the Bills and Rogers Communications in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for the Bills to play a total of 8 games across the border.  The Bills in Toronto Series began in the preseason when the Steelers and Bills tussled on the Rogers Center turf. The Bills earned nearly $80M for the games and will s[ans a five year period beginning in 2008. 

The Bills were on unsure ground when Tom Donahoe was here and Ralph Wilson brought Marv Levy in to solidify the team moving forward.  Feeling as if Marv had set his team on the right path, he retired following the 2007 season.  A new power structure emerged where many different voices would be heard instead of one.  This new oligarchy ensured Wilson that no person would hold too much power, as he thought Donahoe had, and gave many voices on a subject with Wilson and coach Dick Jauron having final say over personnel.  Wilson promoted several people internally to create this small group.  Eventually Russ Brandon, the Bills marketing executive, would be given the term General Manager. (Honestly we're not quite sure when Chief Operating Officer became Chief Operating Officer/General Manager.) Steve Fairchild, Buffalo's offensive coordinator for two of the worst years in franchise history, left the team to take a job at his alma mater and was replaced by Turk Schonert.  The first offseason under the new regime the Bills sought to bolster their defense signing DE Copeland Bryan, DT Spencer Johnson, and LB Kawika Mitchell. In the draft the Bills pulled off a surprising trade dealing a third-round pick acquired for Willis McGahee and a fifth-round selection to the Jaguars in exchange for big defensive tackle Marcus Stroud.  In the first round the team selected CB/KR Leodis McKelvin from Troy University.  In the second round WR James Hardy was added.  The Bills also added DE Chris Ellis, CB Reggie Corner, TE Derek Fine, LB Alvin Bowen, RB Xavier Omon, OT Demetrius Bell, and WR Steve Johnson. Just prior to the season, Buffalo placed leading-tackler Angelo Crowell on Injured Reserve when he had surgery.  The injury was not considered serious and the timing irked Bills staff members.  Keith Ellison would start in his place.  Another bad omen prior to the season was LT Jason Peters' protracted hold out.  Peters wanted more money and missed all of training camp and the preseason sitting and waiting.  When he did report to the Bills on the eve of the first week of the regular season he was not ready to go at this Pro Bowl level.

The Bills began the season in impressive fashion, running away against the Seattle Seahawks.  Optimism ran rampant since the Seahawks were a playoff team the year before.  The Bills caused two turnovers, sacked Matt Hasselback five times, the offense clicked, and Roscoe Parrish returned a punt for a score in complete win.  The next week wasn't as easy when the Bills traveled to Jacksonville. The teams traded blows but the Jaguars took control in the second half grinding out yardage and time while taking a 16-10 lead.  Late in the fourth quarter Trent Edwards led the team down the field throwing two strikes in a row - the first a 37-yard pass to Lee EVans on third down.  On the next play rookie WR James Hardy caught a lobbed pass in the corner of the end zone for the go-ahead score.  The Bills were 2-0 for the first time since 2003.  The next week Buffalo had to come back again.  After giving up a long touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter, Buffalo found themselves down by 9 late.  Edwards again marched his team down the field and fired a TD pass to get closer.  After a defensive stand and punt he led another scoring drive and Rian Lindell booted the game-winner through as time expired.  After three quarters against the Rams, the Bills were in a dogfight in week 4 but a Jabari Greer INT return for a TD blew the game open in another Bills win.  In week 5, the Bills traveled to Arizona.  Early in the game Bills QB's Trent Edwards dropped back to pass and Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson got up close and personal, knocking Edwards from the game win a concussion.  A highlight reel TD throw from backup J.P. Losman to Lee Evans pulled Buffalo within a score of the Cardinals but four turnovers doomed the Bills and they were blown out, 41-17.  After the bye Edwards returned to have one of the best games of his career going 25 of  30 for 261 yards and a TD in a win over dangerous San Diego.  The Bills defense held the potent Charger offense in check allowing only 263 yards.  The Bills were at 5-1 and looking at a playoff run but had finally entered divisional play.  In week 8 they lost to the Dolphins and gave up four turnovers. In week 9 it was a loss to the Jets and three turnovers.  In week 10 the Patriots and backup QB Matt Cassell came to Orchard Park and beat the Bills using two turnovers.  In week 11 the Bills once again played on Monday Night Football - this time the Browns came into town.  Despite losing three straight to divisional opponents a win would put the Bills back into the playoff race.  Trent Edwards threw three early interceptions but the Browns could only mount a 13-0 lead in the second quarter before the Bills offense awoke to close the gap to 13-10 by the end of the half.  After the Browns seemingly broke it open with a 72-yard touchdown run, Leodis McKelvin took the kickoff back making the score 23-20 in a game the offense struggled to get momentum.  Later in the fourth quarter the Bills finally took the lead on a Trent Edwards touchdown plunge but the Browns nabbed it back with a field goal.  The Bills had won games in the final minute and now would have to again.  Trent Edwards led the team down the field throwing some nice passes but they got into field goal range too early.  Turk Schonert dialed back the offense handing the ball off three times.  Rian Lindell would not be the hero on this night pushing the attempt wide right and the Bills lost a sloppy game.  The Bills rebounded the next week causing five turnovers and racking up 444 yards of offense in a 54-31 win over the Chiefs.  The Bills should have saved some points for the next week where they lost 10-3 at home to the Niners.  Trent Edwards left the game at halftime with a groin injury.  The Bills gained 350 yards of offense but failed to score more than a field goal.  All but eliminated from the playoffs and with J.P. Losman starting the team looked lackluster in the first regular season Toronto Series game.  The Bills managed only 163 yards, turned the ball over twice including an end zone interception on a massively underthrown ball, and lost to fall to 6-7.  Following two truly disappointing games the Bills were in New York to take on the Brett Favre-led Jets.  The Bills were up 27-24 with just over two minutes to play.  A first down would allow the Bills to run the clock to almost nothing when Schonert and Jauron call a pass to catch the Jets off guard.  Losman rolls out to his right and is supposed to throw it away or run for the first down if nobody is wide open.  Instead, Jason Peters and Derrick Dockery have problems closing off the back side rush and Losman holds onto the ball too long and is strip-sacked.  The Jets pick it up and run the ball back for the score and a 31-27 win.  With little to play for the Bills headed to Denver to face the Broncos who could clinch their division with a win.  After falling behind 12-0 the resilient Bills did not pack it in, instead scoring 16 unanswered points to take a 16-13 lead.  After alternating touchdowns the Bills held the lead in the fourth quarter.  Denver tied it on a long field goal and Buffalo ground the clock on a drive that culminated in a Fred Jackson touchdown run.  Then the Bills defense held in the final minutes preserving a 30-23 victory.  The final game of the year was against the Patriots in Buffalo.  With wind so bad the goal posts had to constantly be reshaped the Patriots were able to kick two field goals and score a touchdown while Rian Lindell's kicks were pushed aside like tumbleweed.  The Patriots beat the Bills again 13-0.  The Bills finished the once-promising season 7-9 for the third straight year.

Edwards finished the year 7-7 as a starter, though he only played a few minutes in the Cardinal loss.  He passed for 2699 yards going for a 65.5 completion percentage and 11 touchdowns.  Marshawn Lynch went over 1000 yards in only 15 games rushing for 8 touchdowns along the way.  Fred Jackson emerged as a major threat gaining 571 yards on the ground as well.  Lee Evans led the team with 63 catches and 1017 yards followed closely by Josh Reed's 56 receptions.  The next leading receivers were Lynch (47) and Jackson (37) in Schonert's new offense featuring more passes to the running backs.  Overall Buffalo's offensive production improved to 23 in points and 25 in yards.  The defense took a bigger step forward ending the year 14 in points and yards.  Linebacker Paul Posluszny led the team in his first full season with 87 solo tackles.  Left tackle Jason Peters and RB Marshawn Lynch were named to the Pro Bowl squad.  During the season, defensive end Bruce Smith was added to the Bills Wall of Fame.  Smith has the most sacks in NFL history and played on some of the most dominating defenses the team has ever seen.

Looking Ahead
Prior to the 2009 season, coach Dick Jauron was retained following three straight 7-9 seasons.  It was announced during Super Bowl weekend that both Bruce Smith and Bills' founder and owner Ralph Wilson, Jr. would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  The Bills signed Terrell Owens, one of the best receivers and biggest lightning rods in the game.  The Bills traded perennial holdout Jason Peters and also finally got rid of J.P. Losman.  See you in the 50th season of Bills football.