I’ve seen the Bills three times now. Not sure I want to see them again. That’s an offense that seems to be headed in the wrong direction.
Tyrod Taylor is a starter-caliber quarterback. He’s one of the 32 best quarterbacks on the planet. But I don’t know that they’re using him right. In this new offense, I fear they might not use his mobility enough, and when he’s kept in the pocket and asked to turn into more of a decision maker and surgeon, it doesn’t seem to suit him. I’m not sure they won’t turn to fifth-rounder Nathan Peterman at some point. He seems more decisive about letting it rip and driving it downfield.
The Bills don’t have good wide receivers. Jordan Matthews and Andre Holmes will be two of their top 3, and those are guys that other teams didn’t want. Zay Jones looks OK, but he’s just a second-round rookie.
LeSean McCoy is still a top back, but he’s 29. Will he be interested in continuing to run hard as the losses pile up and it all becomes a lost cause?
Remarkably, Buffalo’s offense has scored 42 and 46 touchdowns the last two years. Only six teams have scored more. So that positions them as the clear favorite, I think, to be the offense that takes the biggest step back this year. Wouldn’t surprise me if they move down to about 30 touchdowns.
OFFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS, 2015-16 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Team | 2015 | 2016 | Total |
New Orleans | 48 | 55 | 103 |
New England | 50 | 51 | 101 |
Arizona | 51 | 48 | 99 |
Atlanta | 34 | 58 | 92 |
Carolina | 54 | 37 | 91 |
Green Bay | 39 | 51 | 90 |
Buffalo | 42 | 46 | 88 |
Pittsburgh | 42 | 46 | 88 |
Oakland | 41 | 46 | 87 |
Cincinnati | 49 | 35 | 84 |
Washington | 39 | 42 | 81 |
Tennessee | 35 | 45 | 80 |
Seattle | 44 | 36 | 80 |
Indianapolis | 32 | 45 | 77 |
LA Chargers | 34 | 43 | 77 |
Miami | 35 | 41 | 76 |
Dallas | 24 | 49 | 73 |
Kansas City | 39 | 34 | 73 |
Detroit | 40 | 33 | 73 |
NY Giants | 41 | 32 | 73 |
Jacksonville | 40 | 32 | 72 |
Tampa Bay | 34 | 37 | 71 |
Philadelphia | 38 | 32 | 70 |
NY Jets | 44 | 26 | 70 |
Denver | 32 | 31 | 63 |
Chicago | 34 | 29 | 63 |
Minnesota | 32 | 29 | 61 |
San Francisco | 23 | 36 | 59 |
Baltimore | 29 | 30 | 59 |
Houston | 36 | 23 | 59 |
Cleveland | 25 | 28 | 53 |
LA Rams | 27 | 23 | 50 |
—Ian Allan