QB Trent Edwards, DE Chris Kelsay at Bills camp (Courtesy twoeightnine)

The Buffalo Bills held their first night practice of 2008 training camp last night at St. John Fisher College, and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend the festivities.  With pen and pad in hand, I spent the majority of my night frantically taking as many notes as possible.  It was a beautiful night, but unfortunately, I was not overly impressed by what I saw from our team.  Here are some observations, from units to players to coaches, that I hope you'll find useful (this could get long):

Edwards Struggles
For all the good that we've heard from Trent Edwards this early in camp, I saw a guy who struggled a lot last night.  He did mention post-practice that what the team was running last night was a whole bunch of new plays, which may have been the reason he looked so poor.  But he was missing receivers high, he was bouncing throws off the turf, and he was very obviously distraught at last night's misgivings.  He didn't show emotion like J.P. Losman used to, but you could definitely tell he was frustrated.  He did, however, make some very nice throws, including a couple nice deep balls.

Losman did not practice; his right thumb was taped up heavily.  He's also grown a very lovely beard this off-season.  Maybe he thinks Edwards' rookie beard is what caused him to lose his job?

Lynch (and Jackson) Looking Impressive
I absolutely loved what I saw out of Marshawn Lynch last night.  He looks more powerful and more agile than he was as a rookie.  Put aside anything you hear about Lynch's breakaway speed - I'm going to chalk that up to Lynch being beaten down by the rigors of his first NFL season.  The guy looked like a superstar in the making.  He also dove into the end zone for a touchdown (probably unnecessarily), drawing a big cheer from the gigantic crowd.

Interestingly, Turk Schonert had Lynch split out wide in a couple of formations.  He looked good catching the ball, but his understudy, Fred Jackson, looked better.

Jackson won't ever be a guy who can carry a full rushing load, but he's got that Kenneth Davis feel about him - he's above average at everything he does, especially catching the football.  He looked smooth and confident last night, and his style is different from that of Lynch.  They're going to complement each other very well.

Receiver/Tight End Notes
I came away with the impression on James Hardy that I thought I was going to come away with: this kid is going to struggle in a big way between the twenties this year.  He's still not a great route-runner, and looks positively sloth-like getting out of some of his breaks, especially on out routes.  But the dude is just straight up huge.  He'll make plays simply because he's big.  But from the looks of things right now, Josh Reed (who looked good as usual) seems like he's got a lock on the starting spot.  My guess is that Reed will play between the twenties, with Hardy being a mainstay on the field in the red zone.

Out of all of Buffalo's receivers, I came away most impressed by undrafted rookie free agent Jason Jones.  He comes from a very small school (Arkansas Pine-Bluff), but he was making some of Buffalo's corners look silly in one-on-one drills.  He's a smooth route-runner and shows great hands; he even blew past Will James on a beautifully executed deep route at one point.  I'm very interested to see how he performs in pre-season games.

At tight end, Derek Schouman and Robert Royal are light-years ahead of the competition.  They're easily the two most fluid athletes at the position.  Yes, Robert Royal makes Derek Fine and Courtney Anderson look unathletic.  I liked the way that Schouman and Royal played when they were together on the field.  Together, they might be productive enough to make us not hate the fact that they didn't draft a more athletic tight end this past April.

O-Line... well, they just need Jason Peters
Kirk Chambers better not be Buffalo's starting left tackle come opening day; I don't think I saw him successfully block Aaron Schobel in one-on-one drills once.  He's a tough blocker in the running game, but his pass protection is, well, poor.  Here's hoping that Jason Peters is back in camp before long...

The line struggled a bit in pass protection.  In 7-on-7 and 11-on-11, Edwards had the pocket collapse on him a couple times; he was forced to throw the ball away once or twice, and made some bad throws while pressured as well.  There were some holes for the team's running backs, though.

Offensive line coach Sean Kugler was working hard with rookie Demetrius Bell on his stance and pass pro technique.  Langston Walker was chipping in with some advice as well.  Bell looks ultra-athletic, but he was the greenest guy on the field by a long shot.  He's certainly a practice squad player at this point, but he's got big upside if the coaches can harness some of that athleticism.

D-Line Looks Fantastic
Buffalo's revamped defensive line looked outstanding, including the much-maligned (here, at least) starting defensive ends.  The unit was fast, powerful and disruptive - and that included the second unit line as well.

Marcus Stroud can't be blocked by one guy.  He just can't.  He's not a big guy, but his center of gravity is low, and he got a significant push every single play.  He pancaked Brad Butler in a one-on-one drill, and in some double team drills, he was able to slip blocks and get a push in most instances.

I loved the fact that John McCargo was following Stroud around like some sort of gigantic puppy.  Stroud was working with McCargo for a few minutes on block-shedding moves; it's good to see a vet helping out a talented youngster.  Those two looked great working together inside when they got to play together.  (For the record, Edwards and Evans were seen throwing off to the side as well.  They looked rather chummy.)

Copeland Bryan ran with the twos, pushing Chris Ellis to third team end, but I don't expect that to last long.  Ellis is green - he lacks lower body strength, so he certainly won't be playing on early downs - but Bryan was pedestrian.  Ellis should pass him on the depth chart by the end of camp.

Crowell Sits; Young LBs Looking Good
Angelo Crowell missed the practice; he had a wrap on his left knee and came out in shorts.  He watched the entire practice from the sidelines.  Keith Ellison replaced him on the strong side; Marcus Buggs took Ellison's spot with the second unit.

Speaking of Buggs, he has a very realistic shot at making this team.  He made one or two very nice hits in punt coverage drills, and while he's small, he looks like a very good athlete.  He's another young guy to keep your eyes on during pre-season action.

Paul Posluszny looked good.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life, and, to be frank, like he could snap most of the Bills' receivers in half with a good lick.  He and Lynch are easily the team's most popular players.

Defensive Back Notes: Simpson Dinged
Ko Simpson left practice early with an apparent injury to his surgically repaired ankle.  He was walking on it fine on the sidelines, but he clearly was uncomfortable.  We'll see if he practices today.  To no one's surprise, George Wilson took his place with the top unit; he looks far more comfortable back there than he did last season.  He was making a few hits as well.

It was only his second practice, but Leodis McKelvin continued to struggle.  He looked better than what we heard in one-on-one coverage drills, but you can tell his ball skills are lacking.  He'll blanket a receiver, but he's not instinctual in knowing when to turn his head.  He's very good at making plays coming forward, however.  He also looked great returning punts (even earning the very loud praise of Bobby April on one return), and in positional drills, you can tell just how good an athlete the kid is.  He's very technical in his agility (read: amazing footwork), and when that can translate better to covering receivers, he should be outstanding.

Will James struggled.  A lot.  He repeatedly got burned deep covering receivers in single coverage.  He's still probably a lock to be the team's nickel corner on opening weekend.  Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer seem entrenched as the starters, and that shouldn't change any time soon.  Reggie Corner was actually playing ahead of McKelvin in dime packages; McKelvin played outside with the second unit.  I expect McKelvin to take James' nickel spot early in the season, and Corner is a bigger factor in this equation than many people tend to believe.

Ashton Youboty is very clearly the team's sixth corner - and I thought he looked very good.  He blatantly held Jason Jones in single coverage during one drill, but also made a nice break to intercept a pass in front of Felton Huggins.  He's much more physical than some of Buffalo's young guys, as well.  I hope he stays on the team - he's still got a world of talent.

General Observations
I love watching Perry Fewell and Bobby April coach.  They're loud, funny, and they get their guys moving hard.  Their units were easily the two strongest on the field last night.

The offense struggled mightily last night, but you can tell that Turk Schonert's offensive system will be better than Steve Fairchild's.  The tempo is faster, Edwards looks much more comfortable, and more guys are getting involved in the passing game (most notably Roscoe Parrish).

Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of the night practice experience.  Perhaps it was the idea that I had to go to work the next morning.  But it was good seeing the guys in Bills colors, and it was even better to hear the crowd chanting and reacting to what was going on on the field.  It was a good time.

The Bills practice from 1:00 to 3:05 today.  Buffalo Rumblings will recap the day's action later this afternoon.

Bills LB Kawika Mitchell (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills will hold their first night practice of 2008 training camp tonight at 7PM Eastern at St. John Fisher College.  Buffalo Rumblings will be represented by yours truly at the festivities; we're already scheduled to meet up with killascript and the Dukes of Awesome, and if anyone else wants to meet up to chat for a few minutes, I'm game.  Look for the lame-o wearing the Posluszny jersey, holding a digital camera and obsessively writing notes.  Hope to see some of you out there!

Here's what's been making headlines recently in Bills country...

Bills' Defensive Tweaks
Why are the Bills tweaking their defensive system, abandoning specific defensive line techniques and focusing on becoming more physical?  Not just because it makes sense.  They're doing it to take full advantage of the talents of DT Marcus Stroud.

The Bills will be milking this guy's talent for all its worth.  They'll be using the alignments that Stroud is most comfortable with - also known as the alignments that the Jacksonville Jaguars have employed during Stroud's time there - in an effort to get as much statistical production out of their new defensive star as possible.  Not a bad strategy at all.

“Obviously we’re hoping he’s going to end up being a big player for us, whether it’s versus the run or the pass,” Kollar said. “He’s obviously a little better in the run than in the pass. He played mainly on the left side in Jacksonville. So for us to say, ‘No, you’re not going to do that; we’re going to play you on the shade (the nose) all the time and you’re going to play a different side than you played on,’ that didn’t make sense to us.”

April Employing New Techniques
Bills Special Teams Coordinator Bobby April has long been known as an innovative, creative and energetic coach.  He's continued that tradition this season, reports The Buffalo News:

This summer, on occasion, he has punt returners working on a way to be more sure-handed at catching punts. The returners hold a football in their hands, a punt is boomed into the air. Before the ball comes to them, they must toss the ball they’re holding up, catch the ball that’s been punted, then catch the ball they originally held.

Players Liking Pads
Buffalo's first pads practice was yesterday, and as was mentioned throughout post-practice reports, the level of physicality was good.  Running back Marshawn Lynch made one of the better hits on the day, and the fans in attendance loved it.

Fred Jackson, the Bills’ other promising young runner, said players are eager for the first opportunity to practice in pads — even though it hurts later.

“That’s the process we need to take to get ready,” he said. “It’s good to get back to it. We’ll be taking those hits during the season.”

Losman Nicked
Chris Brown reports that backup QB J.P. Losman injured the thumb and index finger on his throwing hand yesterday after hitting his hand on the helmet of one of his linemen.  It's never good news to hear that your backup QB is dinged this early in camp, especially when your starter hasn't proven to be overly durable either.  We'll monitor Losman tonight at camp, but all indications are that he'll be fine (he continued to practice yesterday, after all).

Open competition for DT slot next to Stroud (Photo Source)

Note: As Buffalo Rumblings counts down the days until the start of the Buffalo Bills' 2008 training camp (current count: 3), we'll be breaking down some of the bigger battles we're sure to witness during summer practices.  We continue our Battles series by looking at the battle for the (supposedly) vacant starting DT position.  Previous installments: Backup TE, Backup LT, Starting CB, Returners

As the Buffalo Bills' big-name import from the 2008 NFL off-season, defensive tackle Marcus Stroud will not only be an immediate starter, he'll be counted on as a leader from the moment he dons his new red, white and blue uniform.  Who will Stroud's running mate be inside?  That's the real question, and ultimately, it's a question that probably doesn't need to have a clear answer (and might not when push comes to shove).  Meet the candidates for Buffalo's remaining starting DT slot...

The Slight Favorite: Kyle Williams (95)
After signing a 5-year, $14.5 million contract extension with $5.7 million guaranteed earlier this month, Williams - Buffalo's most consistent interior performer last season - seems to have the inside track at earning the honorary role of "starter" next to Stroud.  An underwhelming (yet underrated) athlete, Williams has steadily improved over his first two seasons, and his aggressiveness and motor make him a disruptive force up front.  A fifth-round pick in 2006, Williams has proven to be an excellent value for the Bills to this point in his career.

The One Guy Who'll Play a Lot: John McCargo (97)
Perhaps the most athletically gifted of Buffalo's interior linemen (notice I didn't say physically gifted; that honor belongs to Stroud), McCargo performed admirably in the second half of the 2007 season and seems poised to become a sparkplug for an exciting young defense this season.  Entering his third season as a former first-round draft pick, McCargo - who had to watch the Bills hand out new or revamped contracts to all three interior linemen on this list besides him - might just be the most motivated guy of the bunch.

That Other Guy Who'll Play a Lot: Spencer Johnson (91)
Buffalo's other off-season import at the DT position, Johnson seems the least likely of the three candidates to start simply because he's unique from the group.  The smallest and quickest of the four tackles, Johnson will likely be the most specialized; sure, he's been asked to learn both the one-tech and three-tech positions during spring practices, but if there's one tackle who should be playing mostly on passing downs, it's Johnson.  He'll play a lot, and he'll even play a lot on run downs.  But Johnson, unlike Stroud, Williams and McCargo, is far better suited to playing one phase of the game - which makes him last on this list.

Predicting the Winner
Ultimately, the answer to this question doesn't mean a lot.  All three of these players will see significant amounts of playing time this season and are being counted on to play crucial roles in a deep, revamped front four rotation.  But one of these guys will be playing more than the others, especially early in games and on early downs.  For now, the answer appears to be Williams.  However, ideally it will be difficult for Williams to hold off McCargo at some point this season.  McCargo has elite ability, and with just a season and five games' worth of experience, it seems likely that he'll really come into his own at some point this season.  When (if?) that happens, it will be impossible to deny McCargo a starting role - no matter how much the coaching staff may like Williams or Johnson.

Fewell tweaking original defensive scheme (Photo Source)

In two seasons as part of the Buffalo Bills' coaching staff, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell - under the tutelage of long-time defensive coach Dick Jauron - has completely revamped the Bills' defense, both in terms of philosophy and personnel.  Gone are the days where big, lumbering defensive linemen paved the way for a group of excellent linebackers to make plays - the essence of the 3-4 defense used from the Super Bowl era right up through the early years of this decade.  Lighter, quicker, and faster is the motto that Fewell and Jauron have preached for the past two seasons.

In 2008, however, that motto has been altered to a more appropriate and idealistic phrase: bigger, faster and stronger.

Earlier this off-season, we took a look at how 2008 personnel changes have left this defense bigger and stronger, especially in the front seven.  Those were the obvious changes.  But even prior to this off-season - in fact, even as far back as 2006 - Fewell has made some changes schematically that will likely carry over to his "new" defensive philosophy of 2008.  Let's examine...

2006: Coverage Shifting
Back in the early portions of 2006, when the Tampa 2 defense was installed in Buffalo (Fewell brought it with him from Chicago, where he coached it under Lovie Smith), the Bills employed a scheme in which their two starting cornerbacks - at that time, Nate Clements and Terrence McGee - would line up on specific sides of the field, play in and play out.  That scheming was exploited quickly by opposing offenses; by the end of the '06 season, Clements was matching up with the opposition's top receiver.

In 2007, Fewell reverted back to the cemented corner philosophy, as Clements' departure left the team without a clear-cut top cornerback.  After giving up plenty of big plays in the season opening loss to Denver, however, that philosophy quickly reverted - Fewell then employed a mix of cementing and matching for the remainder of the season.  Without a true "lock down" cornerback, Fewell didn't have the personnel to switch to a match-up secondary exclusively; it explains, in part, why Jabari Greer was left to cover Randy Moss so frequently.

The Front Seven and the blitz
Fewell's biggest changes in the front seven (again, aside from the size changes) will actually come in 2008; we'll get to those in a moment.  For two seasons, the Bills had a rotation of defensive tackles that would play exclusively the one-technique or exclusively the three-technique; linebackers were meant to be light and speed-focused solely in the zone defense's gap-control run scheme.

After injuries decimated Buffalo's defensive end corps in 2007 - and it didn't help that the defensive ends who did play suffered a steep drop in production - Fewell started using the blitz far more frequently to attain the much-needed pass rush a Tampa 2 needs than he did in 2006.  The blitzes were creative, too - the Bills offered some of their most exotic post-3-4 looks in a 25-24 Monday Night loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

What's Changing in 2008
Now, Buffalo's defense will likely function a bit differently for the start of the 2008 season.  Gone are the exclusive one-tech and three-tech defensive tackles; Marcus Stroud, Kyle Williams, Spencer Johnson and John McCargo will each be asked to play both positions, and which they'll be playing will be decided by a given offensive play.  Fewell is now asking his tackles to line up according to how the offense lines up, switching between one-tech and three-tech at will.

The blitz will likely remain a more prominent staple of the scheme as well.  Clearly, Fewell prefers not to blitz (see: the entire 2006 season), but Buffalo's defensive line won't be able to generate pressure every play, and the team's three linebackers - especially Angelo Crowell - are very solid blitzers.  Don't expect to see a lot of it, but the Bills will be blitzing more often than they would have when Fewell first took the job.

Since the blitz should be featured more, expect the match-up corner philosophy to gain prominence as well.  That should become the main defensive back philosophy once top draft pick Leodis McKelvin emerges as a starting cornerback - he's by far the most talented corner on the roster, and with time, he should be able to match up with an opponent's top receiver each week.

The changes that Fewell are employing are pretty major tweaks that will help Buffalo's defense become much more flexible and effective, but the basic philosophies remain - penetration and speed are still the main focuses of this defense.  It's still predominantly a zone defense.  You'll still see every player flocking to the ball on every play.  With added size and the proper tweaks, that speed/flocking philosophy should be much more effective in 2008.

Stroud being counted on to shore up interior (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'll attempt to answer over the next week or so.

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

John McCargo: After a rookie season that was severely limited by injury, McCargo was healthy for all 16 games last season and made strides in his second year - despite rather limited playing time.  His 2.5 sacks were good for second on the team (hear that, Chris Kelsay?), and amongst last year's Bills defensive tackles, McCargo was easily the most explosive.  He has the ability to penetrate a line quickly and make explosive tackles behind the line of scrimmage; he didn't do it often last year, however, because of the lack of talent surrounding him.  That's expected to change in 2008, as McCargo elevates to the starting lineup.

Kyle Williams: The most underwhelming talent of Buffalo's top four tackles - a group that will be rotated heavily this season - Williams is yet another hard-working tackle that isn't a strong athlete, but never quits.  He's got some power and a nasty streak up front, but he'll need to play much more consistently if he still wants to receive substantial playing time.  You can't go wrong having a guy like this on your team, but Williams is very clearly the fourth tackle on this roster.

Jason Jefferson: He's stuck with the Bills for about two and a half years at this point, and it's hard to figure out why.  Injuries have kept Jefferson on the roster, and while he's very clearly not a playmaker, he rarely makes mistakes.  Jefferson has an uphill battle to make this year's roster with four guys ahead of him on the depth chart, but hey - he did it last year, too.  I wouldn't be shocked to see him stick as a fifth tackle, especially considering the injury histories of McCargo and Marcus Stroud.

Corey Mace: Entering his second year, Mace spent 16 weeks on the practice squad as a rookie, was elevated to the active roster for Week 17, but was inactive.  He'll likely compete with undrafted rookie free agent Teraz McCray for a spot on the practice squad once again.

The Additions: Marcus Stroud, Spencer Johnson, Teraz McCray
For the first time in a very long time, the Bills' significant off-season move was to pick up a legitimate, NFL starting-caliber defensive tackle.  The last time the team did that was when they acquired Ted Washington.  Stroud hasn't been the "Stroud of old" for a couple of seasons now as he's dealt with injuries, but he still represents a significant upgrade over Larry Tripplett for this team.  Stroud adds a dimension of power to Buffalo's interior line with the ability to play either the 1-technique or the 3-technique, but the trick for him will be to stay healthy in '08.  If that happens, he'll have a good season.

Johnson, who appears to be strictly a 3-technique tackle and possibly a swing end on run downs, is a stellar athlete who is looking to emerge from the shadows of Pat and Kevin Williams in Minnesota.  He is quick and explosive, and figures to see most of his time on pass downs.  He'll factor into the rotation heavily, and he'll definitely give McCargo a run at the starting job next to Stroud as well.  This was an excellent signing.

The Subtractions: Larry Tripplett
Signed in the off-season of 2006, Tripplett never evolved into the playmaking tackle that the team signed him to be.  Granted, he wasn't awful (well, he was pretty awful against the run), but the occasional QB pressure and gift play (see: INT vs. Washington) does not a starting defensive tackle make.  As a new member of the Seattle Seahawks, Tripplett will return to Buffalo in Week 1 of the '08 NFL season.

Pre-Season Outlook: Of any position on the Bills roster, defensive tackle has easily seen the biggest changes this off-season, both in terms of personnel and talent variety.  By shedding Tripplett and adding Stroud and Johnson, the Bills now have four defensive tackles who can play either the 1-tech or 3-tech spots, get after the passer, and (hopefully) stop the run.  This group is more athletic, more powerful, and better gifted at penetration.  There's a lot riding on this group.  If they're not up to the task, the team may be forced to go back to the drawing board once again.  But as it stands now, a failure from this group isn't very likely.  I'm excited to see this unit get on the field this fall.

Change: Power and depth.

As always, your thoughts and opinions on this analysis are welcome and encouraged in the comments section.

Stroud will be counted on as leader in '08 (Photo Source)

Leadership may be a bit of a cliche when it comes to discussing NFL rosters, but the fact of the matter is that good NFL teams have good leaders.  Whether that leadership comes in the form of coaching, star quarterbacks or even punters, NFL rosters these days are so full of young players that it takes a certain type of leadership structure to get the most out of that inexperienced talent.  Just look at how the leadership of the 2007 New York Giants milked outstanding play out of several rookies en route to their Super Bowl championship.

With one of the youngest rosters in the league, where does Buffalo's leadership come from?  That's the question we'll attempt to answer this morning.  Due to the youth of the roster, especially at key positions, Buffalo's roster leadership structure is slightly different than those of teams like the Patriots and Colts, who have natural leaders at the quarterback position.  The Bills have players that they rely on, but each goes about his leadership duties in different manners.

Locker Room Leaders
Being a team built on high-character standards, the Bills have a locker room full of hard workers that are relentless on the football field (even if those types of players aren't routinely spectacular on the field).  But even amongst this group, there are players that stick out.  OT Jason Peters is a former undrafted free agent who has worked himself into a Pro Bowl left tackle (hear that, Marshall Faulk?).  That fact, coupled with his work ethic, make him a role model for Buffalo's younger players.

Punter Brian Moorman and defensive end Chris Kelsay were both team captains last year and figure to serve in that capacity again.  Moorman has been one of the NFL's elite punters for multiple seasons at this point, making him a leader by example (though he could stand to regain some consistency in '08).  Kelsay is a classic blue-collar worker who is on the field simply because of his hustle.  Sure, we as Bills fans would like to see more statistical production out of him, but those types of players earn the admiration of their teammates.  Kelsay is looked up to.

Models of Consistency
Any player that performs well week in and week out, especially statistically, becomes a leader by default.  Last year, then-rookie running back Marshawn Lynch became that player for Buffalo's offense.  Despite having to play in games where he was literally the only source of offensive yardage for his team, Lynch never rushed for fewer than 63 yards in a game - and that came in a Week 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Lynch will need to be as consistent in '08 as he was in '07, all the while increasing statistical production.  That's a tall task.

Defensively, Buffalo's model of consistency is linebacker Angelo Crowell.  He's not the league's best linebacker, and he has off days, but in general, Crowell was Buffalo's best defender last year.  Entering the final year of his contract, Crowell's production is expected to increase and become even more consistent as he plays for a new deal.  That may sound selfish on the surface, but if he plays well, it helps out young Bills defenders, specifically Paul Posluszny.

Energizer Bunnies
These types of players are the guys who are either the "big play" guys, or the guys you see romping up and down the sidelines and on the field, jawing at opponents and teammates alike and getting the crowd fired up.  The prior, in Buffalo's arsenal, is wide receiver Lee Evans.  The Bills need more out of their top receiver production-wise, but if the team is looking for a big play, they're targeting Evans.  Defensively, the "ra ra" guy is strong safety Donte Whitner, another player that needs to up his production in '08.  Both Evans and Whitner are elite talents, but neither made many big plays last season.  When these guys are on - both in the leadership department as well as making plays on the field - the Bills are going to be very difficult to beat.  Evans and Whitner hold the keys to Buffalo's offense and defense, respectively.

Buffalo's return specialists will be counted on to provide big plays and team energy this season as well.  Terrence McGee and Roscoe Parrish have done that for the better part of three seasons as one of the elite return duos in the league.  Adding a third explosive returner in top draft pick Leodis McKelvin only adds to the big-play potential of Buffalo's return units; this unit will be incredibly difficult for opposing teams to game plan against, and these three guys have to make big plays to help out the team's developing offense.

Clutch Performers
Ultimately, considering the style of football the Bills play offensively and defensively, the Bills are going to have to rely on guys in the clutch.  The Bills will be playing a lot of close games - just like they did in '07 - and they'll need excellent play from two players in particular to win those tight games.  Defensively, that player is Marcus Stroud - as the "big-name" addition being billed as the guy who will save Buffalo's defense, he'll ultimately shoulder the glory or the blame in tight situations.

You didn't think I'd go an entire leadership post without mentioning quarterback, right?  Trent Edwards, as a second-year starting quarterback, likely won't be asked to shoulder all of the leadership responsibilities of this team - yet.  He needs to concentrate on scoring touchdowns first.  But in those close games, no matter if your quarterback's name is Brady or Rob Johnson, quarterbacks must perform.  Edwards showed flashes of an ability to perform in the clutch last season in a win at Washington and a near-miss on a desperate final drive in Cleveland.  He needs to improve by leaps and bounds in this area.  But like Stroud, he'll ultimately shoulder the responsibility in late-game situations.

Buffalo has a wide-spread and varied leadership tree on their roster.  Whether that structure leads to more wins, however, remains to be seen.

Mitchell adds size, versatility to LB corps (Photo Source)

Last season, despite a rash of injuries, rookies at quarterback and running back, and incredibly long odds, the Buffalo Bills were playing for their playoff lives in Week 15.  In that game, which took place in Cleveland, the Bills were shut out in a winter storm.  That day, the rather large Browns pushed the Bills around the field of play like blocking sleds.

The following week, history repeated itself.  After taking a 14-0 lead on the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, the aptly named champions used their size and toughness to overpower the Bills after heavy rains and wind infiltrated Ralph Wilson Stadium.  Take away those 14 points - which were scored before the harsh weather hit Buffalo that day - and in two successive weeks, the tiny Bills had been outscored 46-7 in weather that was supposed to be to their advantage, not their undoing.

Simply put, the Bills weren't big enough.  Playing a Cover 2 defense, the Bills for two years focused on bringing in small, quick athletes.  This off-season, that changed.  For two years, Buffalo watched opposing defensive coordinators blanket Lee Evans and dare one of the team's other sub-6'0" receivers to beat them.  This off-season, that changed.  The Bills have gotten bigger in five key areas this off-season:

WIDE RECEIVER
At no other position was it as important for the Bills to get bigger than it was at wideout.  Gone is veteran Peerless Price, whose 5'11" frame made no one consider him on game day.  Enter rookie James Hardy, an imposing 6'5" red zone threat whose mere presence will need to be game-planned for.  Seventh-round draft pick Steve Johnson (6'2") also has nice size, which could allow him to stick even considering his low draft status.

TIGHT END
Last season, the Bills' biggest tight end was current starter Robert Royal (6'4", 255).  Royal is very average-sized when it comes to NFL tight ends, and he's not an ideal red zone threat.  6'4", 245 pound Ryan Neufeld and 6'3", 277 pound Michael Gaines are gone; they've been replaced by two 6'6" giants in Courtney Anderson and Teyo Johnson.  Neither of the two imports are world-beaters as receivers, but they do give the Bills taller red zone options than they had last year.  They will be assets in the red zone if one or both makes the team.  Rookie TE Derek Fine (6'3", 255) will be the between-the-twenties receiving tight end.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Buffalo's biggest off-season addition - literally and figuratively - came at defensive tackle, where 6'6", 310-pound Marcus Stroud replaces Larry Tripplett, whose 6'2", 293-pound frame made him a great liability defending the run.  Buffalo's top three defensive tackles now average 308 pounds between them (as opposed to 302 last year), and the fact that Stroud is a much more stout defender that plays with outstanding leverage increases the effects of the size gain up front.

LINEBACKER
We'll set aside the fact that the Bills will be gaining 10 pounds at inside linebacker when Paul Posluszny re-takes his starting job from the very active John DiGiorgio.  The big change comes at weak side linebacker, where 6'1", 253-pound free agent signing Kawika Mitchell replaces the passive, 229-pound Keith Ellison.  Last season, Buffalo's starting linebackers weighed in at an average of 238 pounds.  They've added 7 to that number this off-season.  Weighing in at 245 across the board, Buffalo's linebackers are now much more equipped to shed blocks in this Cover 2 scheme.

CORNERBACK
After watching the New England Patriots score nine aerial touchdowns in just two meeting last year, the Bills needed bigger corners to match up with the likes of Randy Moss.  First-round draft pick Leodis McKelvin isn't huge, but at a shade under 5'11", he's already taller than Buffalo's two starting corners from last year.  Free agent addition William James gives the Bills a large, physical slot presence as well, as his 6'0", 200-pound frame is ideal for redirecting small slot receivers (like New England's Wes Welker) from their intended course.  These size changes are subtle, but should help.