I realize that I am younger (soon to be 22) than the vast majority of the readers that frequent this site. I realize that most of you have far more experience at being a Bills fan than I do, so your opinions may be a bit different than mine. But I've been a Bills fan since I developed cognitive thought. Being a Bills fan has taught me two things: optimism and realism. Yes, you can have both at the same time.
Let's apply this to the Bills - the realist in me says the Bills could be going quite a while longer without picking up a victory. That much is obvious to pretty much anyone. But the optimist in me sees five players that despite the Bills' poor record have been performing very well. These are the "Bright Spots", and yes - the Bills do have bright spots. Stay optimistic, Bills fans, because these five players are very good:
RB Marshawn Lynch We're not exactly breaking new ground here, but Lynch's first three NFL games have been pretty close to spectacular. Despite a defunct passing attack, Lynch has amassed 228 yards on 57 carries (4.0 YPC), good for the 17th highest total in the league and better than names such as Tomlinson, Portis, Gore, Dunn and Larry Johnson. What's more, Lynch has emerged as the best offensive threat on a team that, as of 2006, had one of the game's premiere deep threats in Lee Evans. That says more about Evans' downfall than anything, but it shows just how quickly Lynch has adapted to the NFL game as well. This kid is a stud.
DT John McCargo None of Buffalo's defensive linemen have been good by any stretch of the imagination, but it would have been hard to predict that McCargo would have emerged already as the most consistent. That includes defensive ends Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay, by the way - McCargo has outperformed both thus far. No lineman is as consistent as Big John in getting into the backfield or tying up blockers on run downs; McCargo is also one of two Bills to amass a full sack this season (A. Schobel 1.5, McCargo 1, J. DiGiorgio .5). Keep in mind that this Sunday against the Jets will be McCargo's ninth regular season NFL contest. The future is bright for this kid.
WR Roscoe Parrish The diminutive Parrish, in his third NFL season, is currently the Bills' leading receiver (10 catches, 108 yards). The stats aren't impressive, but they don't lie, either - Parrish has been the most reliable target for Bills quarterbacks these first three weeks. Couple that with his punt return TD in Week One, and Parrish is currently responsible for, literally, a quarter (6 out of 24) of the Bills' scoring this season. He's not the best receiver on the team by any stretch of the imagination, but it's crystal clear that Roscoe needs to get more looks in this offense.
P Brian Moorman Again, not breaking new ground here, because Moorman is a perpetual bright spot for this team. Our little punter is currently 9th in the league in average (45.9), 7th in net average (40.3) and his 75-yard rocket this past Sunday in New England is currently the longest punt of the NFL season. That 75-yard punt came from his own one yard-line, by the way - to blast a punt that deep on a short snap and a huge rush is phenomenal. Simply put, Moorman is one of the best ever and is one of the few punters in the NFL who can consider themselves a true weapon for their ball club.
OT Langston Walker Walker gets the nod here, but the entire offensive line has, at least in my estimation, performed above my early-season expectations thus far. But Walker came into Buffalo with a lot of question marks and playing second fiddle to Derrick Dockery. Yet of Marshawn Lynch's most explosive runs this year - including his first touchdown against Denver - the majority of them are coming off the right side. That explains why the Bills are running right more than left, even with our supposedly excellent left side of the line. Protection issues have come from the blind side or up the middle, as a general rule, as well - and notice it's Jason Peters, and not Walker, who is being flagged for at least one false start or hold per game. Walker is clearly outperforming Peters at this point - he's playing very well.