Stroud helping to shore up run D early (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills spent the early portion of their 2008 off-season attempting to remedy a porous run defense.  After finishing 25th in the league in that category in 2007 - surrendering 124.6 yards per game on the ground - the Bills tried to fix the problem by signing beefy linebacker Kawika Mitchell and trading for beefier defensive tackle Marcus Stroud.

So far, the remedy is working wonders.

Though the first-unit defense has only seen a few series' worth of action through two pre-season games, Buffalo's revamped rushing defense has done a great job thwarting two solid rushing attacks in Washington and Pittsburgh.  In their pre-season opening loss to the Redskins, Clinton Portis was held to just 18 yards on 7 rushes (though he did score a touchdown against Buffalo's second unit defense).  Likewise, the Bills held the duo of Willie Parker and rookie Rashard Mendenhall to 44 yards on 16 carries - though, again, the second unit defense allowed a touchdown, this time to Mendenhall.

The improved stiffness up front has been noticeable.  The 2.7 yards per carry average that the first team is currently surrendering is light years better than the 4.4 YPC average they gave up a year ago.  It's just the pre-season, but it's been quite the pre-season to date.

Make no mistake about it - the difference has been Stroud.  Though only credited with one solitary tackle in his first two (unofficial) games as a Bill, Stroud has faced constant double-teams on run plays - allowing players such as Paul Posluszny, Bryan Scott, Mitchell and even Keith Ellison to make plays near, at or behind the line of scrimmage.  In other words, he's doing exactly what he was brought in to do - make his teammates better.  It's even more impressive considering the fact that the team has already lost man-hours from LB Angelo Crowell, SS Donte Whitner and CB Terrence McGee.

As impressive as the top unit has been, there are still concerns.  Buffalo's reserves have been wildly inconsistent stopping the run; they were shredded by the Redskins, but performed relatively well against the Steelers last night.  That inconsistency is a product of youth, and it emphasizes just how crucial Stroud's health is to Buffalo's defensive success this season.  Without him, they deteriorate from a consistently tough defense to an inconsistent, sometimes tough defense.

Buffalo's off-season run defense remedy is working wonders so far, and Stroud is already proving that he might just be the most important player to Buffalo's '08 playoff push.  This is just one of the few encouraging signs the team has shown this early in the 2008 campaign; the quick improvement, should it be sustained into the regular season, should keep the Bills in games, regardless of how the team's inconsistent offense performs.  That's invaluable to this young team.

Can Whitner increase productivity in Year 3? (Photo Source)

Prior to the 2008 NFL Draft - in fact, prior to the free agent signing period of this past March - we took a look at the Buffalo Bills' roster position by position, breaking down then-current personnel, finding holes, and building our community needs list.

Now that free agency and the Draft have been completed, and the Bills have infused their roster with new talent, it's time to repeat our process.  Where has Buffalo gotten better?  Where have they gotten worse?  How will additions impact which Bills veterans remain on the roster?  These are questions that we've been attempting to answer for the past week or so, and will continue to do so.

We continue those discussions today with an examination of Buffalo's strong safeties.  To view our previous discussions on Buffalo's SS situation (pre-off-season), bang it here.

Donte Whitner: Entering his third year in the league - and his third as the Bills' starting strong safety - Donte Whitner, at least from your humble narrator, is facing lofty expectations.  Whitner is regarded as one of the best young safeties in the NFL (and that very well may be true), but on a weak Bills defense, Whitner's production has been anything but elite.  In '07, Whitner notched 89 tackles (good for third on the team) and an interception.  He brings a lot to the table in terms of consistency, athleticism and leadership qualities, but with the team making significant defensive improvements this off-season, the pressure is on Whitner to produce like a #8 overall pick should.  I like this kid - but he's still got something to prove.

Bryan Scott: Signed as a street free agent during the '07 campaign, Scott was a pleasant surprise as a reserve safety and situational blitzer and run stuffer.  Scott has bounced around the league a little, but when the Bills re-signed him this off-season, it was an excellent move - they've brought back a player who knows the system, knows his coaches and teammates, and can play an important role in a defense that could still use more diversity.  He's got special teams value as well.  Scott may end up being the top reserve at both safety spots for the Bills - yes, even ahead of George Wilson.

John Wendling: No, I'm not sure what position he plays.  I'm not even sure he'll see the field as a defender outside of the pre-season in 2008.  All I know is this - just like a very similar player named Coy Wire, Wendling is a safety in a linebacker's body, and his specialty will be as... well... a specialist.  Will Wendling ever play defense in any capacity?  That remains to be seen.  What's known is this - Wendling will be a centerpiece of a revamped special teams unit, and therefore his value to this team is underrated by many.

The Additions: None.

The Subtractions: None.

Pre-Season Outlook: Unlike the free safety position, which is largely unsettled, there shouldn't be too many surprises at the strong safety position throughout training camp and the pre-season.  Whitner is the starter, and he's probably going to be the defender who plays more than any other (barring injury, of course).  Scott is the niche player that can make an impact as a reserve, and Wendling is the centerpiece to the team's new-look special teams units.  There's still something to prove for all three players (but especially in Whitner's case), but this position is settled and, by and large, very strong.

Change: None.

As always, your thoughts and opinions are welcome and encouraged in the comments section.  We'll wrap up our State of the Roster II series this afternoon with a general discussion on the team's special teams units.

UDFA Viti a special teams candidate, too (Photo Source)

Feel free to question the strategy. Go ahead, do it. The Buffalo Bills don't care. Why would a team that has not made the NFL's playoffs since 1999 spend half of its most important draft in the Dick Jauron era bolstering special teams, when there are serious questions to be answered offensively and defensively?

Well, special teams are the identity of the Buffalo Bills. They have been since the days when Marv Levy roamed the sidelines as Buffalo's head coach. Those sentiments returned to the team psyche when Levy returned as the Bills' General Manager. The Bills have had one of the most consistent and dominant special teams units this decade, and it's because the team focuses on building the unheralded unit far more closely than most other NFL franchises.

Bills Lose Core of ST Foundation
Imagine Buffalo's defense in the "glory years" without Bruce Smith, Darryl Talley, Cornelius Bennett, Nate Odomes and Henry Jones. Those players were the core of a pretty good unit - a consistent unit. The Bills, in this off-season alone, lost their special teams versions of those five guys when Ryan Neufeld, Sam Aiken, Mario Haggan, Josh Stamer and unit captain Coy Wire were released or allowed to walk. The consistency of the unit was in serious jeopardy when those five guys - central to coordinator Bobby April's plan for the last four years - left the franchise.

Sure, there were still solid players for the unit. The team still has two elite return threats in Terrence McGee and Roscoe Parrish. They have some veteran players, such as Jabari Greer and Bryan Scott, who made their mark early in their careers with stellar special teams play. They have a young quartet of players with promising special teams careers ahead of them in John Wendling, Keith Ellison, George Wilson and Justin Jenkins.

Still, the core was missing. The Bills chose to replace that core through the draft. It may pay big dividends.

What's Been Added
The one player poised to make the biggest difference on special teams as a rookie is, not surprisingly, first-round pick Leodis McKelvin. A star punt returner in college with home run ability on kick returns as well, McKelvin gives the Bills three outstanding return threats - two each at kick and punt returner. Having those options available helps in two ways - it keeps our return men fresher for their regular roles, and it makes it all the more difficult to game plan for Buffalo for opposing special teams coordinators. Buffalo's return game may be scarier than the one that Hester character heads up in Chicago with McKelvin on board.

Additionally, the Bills have drafted three players - CB Reggie Corner, TE Derek Fine and LB Alvin Bowen - who figure to play all four special teams units right out of the gate. These are smart, tough, athletic players with the perfect work ethic and mentality to excel on special teams, and their versatility throughout the kicking game makes them all the more attractive. Add these three rookies to current "ace" specialists Wendling and Jenkins (who will probably make the roster on his special teams abilities alone), and the Bills seem to have replaced their old five-man core with a younger, healthier and more athletic quintet. Even undrafted free agent fullback Mike Viti (pictured above, left), a 5'9", 245-pound bowling ball of a blocker, has a shot at contributing early.

So debate the strategy if you feel you must. Again, the Bills don't care. No NFL team pays closer attention to what has been their most consistent unit of the decade, and after a productive draft that adds explosive talent, the Bills' bread and butter is looking more edible than ever.