2011 Chargers' Opponent Spotlight: Buffalo Bills

It's been a while since I've done one of these, and I need to get back in the groove because there's about 9 left that need to be done.

The Buffalo Bills had a bit of an up-and-down year in Chan Gailey's first season as Head Coach, and now hold the third pick in the 2011 NFL Draft (along with similarly-placed picks in the following rounds). This was a rebuilding effort when he signed on, everyone was aware of that, but the NFL is impatient and he'll need to show some progress with this team in 2011 or risk being replaced.

2010 Record: 4-12, 4th in AFC East

Key Free Agents

Paul Posluszny, ILB
Keith Ellison, ILB
Drayton Florence, CB
Donte Whitner, SS

There's good news and bad news for Buffalo Bills fans.

Good News: This is a young and talented team that is retaining almost everyone on the roster. That's a recipe for growth and improvement. Also, this team was average on offense in 2010. The main weakness was the defense, which was good in 2009 (one of the top teams in terms of turnovers). There's reason to believe that they could be successful if they can find the 2009 defense and pair it with the 2010 offense.

Bad News: To be successful, this team is going to need a pass rush. Right now, that job essentially falls to Shawne Merriman.....who is the Bob Sanders of 3-4 OLBs. Also, Ryan Fitzpatrick is inconsistent enough that the Bills will probably use their #3 overall pick to select a "franchise QB". Any time you're doing that, it's hard to predict success in Year 1.