The MOTHER of all Stats (Part 4)

Previously, we have examined which statistics were most related to points and wins.

Now, I want use those statistical categories to take a look at how Buffalo did this season. Following that, I want to discuss how the Bills can improve going forward.

Here, first is the chart with the Bills’ stats. You’ll see the top 6 teams for each statistical category on top, and the Bills rank on the bottom…

Ouch! The Buffalo Bills were no higher than 14th in any of the 9 most important statistical categories in football this year. We were remarkably awful in every single category on defense. On offense, we were no better than a middle-of-the-pack team. Based on this, our 6-10 record should have come as no surprise.

What can we build on?

Our rushing offense was excellent. However, as we mentioned in part 1, rushing offense does not correlate with points/wins. We need to use our success on the ground to provide opportunities for success in the air. Freddy and Spiller should cause opposing defenses some worry – and as a result, we may see a good amount of 1-on-1 coverage on the outside. If we can improve our WR corps, especially at the top of the depth chart, we ought to see improvement in our passing game. Resigning Stevie, while adding a receiver like Vincent Jackson or Dwayne Bowe, could turn us into a top-10 offense. Additionally, we could target one of the top WRs in the draft (Floyd, Wright, Jeffery) – although the learning curve for rookie WRs is said to be pretty steep.

Our Oline is passable. We have a solid interior, with some depth. We could use an upgrade at LT, but could survive another season with Bell/Hairston.

Our defense is pathetic. We cannot stop passing yards, rushing yards, or first downs. As a result, we gave up a ridiculous 27.1 points per game. Even with a dominant passing game, we will struggle to win games giving up that many points. The other teams giving up more than 26 pts per game: Carolina, Indy, Oakland, Minnesota, Tampa. Notice a trend here?? We are smack in the middle of some of the worst teams in the NFL.

We do have a few pieces. We should have some improvement with Wanny taking over the defensive play-calling. But we badly need to improve in a few specific areas. Our front 7 really only has 3 legitimate starters: Dareus, Williams, and Barnett. The rest of our players would not start on 90% of the teams in the league. We need to add talent bigtime, starting with an improved pass rush. Mario Williams is the dream pick-up here, but we should seriously look at Avril, Mathis, and Anthony Spencer, as well. In the draft, Coples and Upshaw are possibilities. Also, if we could land another starting caliber LB in the draft (Hightower, Burfict, etc.), it wouldn’t hurt.

Our defensive backfield is not bad. When healthy, our DBs should be able to hang with most NFL offenses. It would be great to add an elite shut-down cornerback, but our situation here is not dire.

I personally don’t us making it to the playoffs unless we do just about everything I mentioned here in this post:

-Re-Sign Stevie;

-Add in free Agency: new starting DE and WR;

-Add in draft Another DE and LB

What do you think Bills Fans…. Can we get into the top 6 in any of these categories by next year and make a push for the playoffs?