Buffalo Bills Mid-Season Report (Part II)

By Connor Byrne  |   Thursday, November 03, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

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In the first part of my report, I passed out awards and named my most disappointing Buffalo Bills of the 2005 season. In the second and final part of my mid-season extravaganza, I will grade every starter on the Bills and analyze why they received that grade. Class is now in session...

Offense:

Quarterback... Kelly Holcomb = B-. In his four games as the starter for the Bills, Holcomb led the Bills to a 2-2 record and has posted an impressive quarterback rating of 92.0. However, he's made some bad decisions and hasn't looked like a guy capable of leading a team to great places. He's been a backup for nearly a decade and there's a reason for that. He doesn't have a good enough arm or good enough mobility to make up for it. He is among the best backups in the NFL and is certainly capable of stepping in for a few games.

J.P. Losman = D-. The former starting quarterback isn't necessarily to blame for his struggles. The coaching staff never put him in a position to succeed as their play calling was horrible and the general manager didn't build a good offensive line around him. Young quarterbacks need those things to be successful. Look for Losman to be reinstated as the QB of this team soon enough.

Running Back... Willis McGahee = A-. The former University of Miami standout is now turning into the elite back that Buffalo drafted back in 2003. He has rushed for 790 yards in his first full season as the Bills' starter and looks like he has a great future ahead of him. He needs to get better in the opposing red zone.

Fullback... Daimon Shelton = C-. Shelton's a nice blocker and he's established a nice rapport with McGahee but he drops a lot of passes and takes too many penalties. His backup, Joe Burns, should get a look in the second half of the season.

Wide Receiver... Eric Moulds = C. Moulds currently has 37 catches and 3 touchdowns so far this season but he hasn't made enough big plays. He finally broke a deep touchdown the other night against the Patriots but he is only averaging 9.8 yards per catch. He loses points for complaining about J.P. Losman a few weeks ago. He should know better than to criticize a young player and possibly shatter their confidence.

Wide Receiver... Lee Evans = Incomplete. I can't give Evans a grade because the Bills' offense hasn't even included him this year. Last year, he led all rookies with 9 touchdown catches and looked like the next great NFL receiver. This year he's caught just 18 passes and has scored just one touchdown. It's not Evans' fault. The coaching staff hasn't called enough plays for him to stretch the field. It's like having a Lamborghini and not taking it out of the garage.

Tight End... Mark Campbell = D. Campbell hasn't shown any ability to get open and should not be a starter in this league. He's a useful blocker but isn't a reliable receiver. If rookie Kevin Everett hadn't gotten hurt in mini-camp, Campbell would be the backup by now.

Left Tackle... Mike Gandy = C-. Like Campbell, Gandy has no business starting in the NFL. Gandy's position is arguably the most important on the field because it protects the quarterback's blind side. However, Gandy is an average player at best who should be an adequate backup. The Bills better address the position in the off-season, or give impressive second-year man Jason Peters a shot.

Left Guard... Bennie Anderson = F. Anderson is one of the worst starting linemen in the NFL. He's a human turnstile and he takes way too many penalties. He's not even good enough to be a backup in this league.

Center... Trey Teague = C. It's been another average season for Teague. He just doesn't have what it takes to be a great lineman in the NFL. Look for him to sign elsewhere during the off-season.

Right Guard... Chris Villarial = B-. Villarial is a solid run-blocker and a pretty good pass-blocker. He doesn't take too many penalties and certainly deserves to be a starter.

Right Tackle... Mike Williams = B. Williams misses far too many games because of injury but his skills can't be denied. Occasionally, he'll get beat badly by a defensive end on an assignment but more often than not, he holds his own. Williams has shown an ability to dominate numerous times this year.

Defense:

Left Defensive End... Chris Kelsay = C. It's been a really disappointing year for a guy who was supposed to break out and turn into an above-average pass-rusher. He has only 2.5 sacks and hasn't shown an ability to pressure the opposing quarterback on a regular basis. Kelsay hasn't exactly been great against the run either.

Left Defensive Tackle... Sam Adams = C-. Adams' incredible weight problem and age have finally caught up to him. He only plays when he wants to and that's not very often. He was benched during Sunday's game against the New England Patriots and will more than likely be released at season's end.

Right Defensive Tackle... Ron Edwards, Justin Bannan, Lauvale Sape = D. Edwards was bad before he got hurt back in September. Bannan finally played well on Sunday but has been dominated by the opposing offensive line far too much. Sape really doesn't have much business being on an NFL roster let along platooning at defensive tackle.

Right Defensive End... Aaron Schobel = B. Schobel was struggling this year before he broke out on Sunday night. He sacked Tom Brady twice and forced a fumble. As of now, Schobel is on pace to amass 10 sacks. He's not a real good run-defender, but he is certainly the most impressive pass-rusher on the Bills.

Weak Side Linebacker... Angelo Crowell = B. In week three, two-time Pro-Bowler Takeo Spikes went down and many Bills fans panicked. Crowell has done a really good job filling in for Spikes and has been the team's best linebacker this year. He's a skilled tackler but still needs to work on his play against the run. He's getting better every week.

Middle Linebacker... London Fletcher = C. Fletcher is among the most overrated defenders in the game. Every year he makes a lot of tackles but they usually come after a solid gain or a big gain. He hasn't made a big play since the opener and should be released in the off-season.

Strong Side Linebacker... Jeff Posey = D. Ever since he became a Bill, the coaches are always have talked up Posey because he never makes a mistake. When does he ever make a play? He was solid in 2003 and 2004 but has had a terrible year in 2005. He should also go at the end of the season.

Cornerback... Nate Clements = B-. Before the season began, Clements was clamoring about becoming the highest paid corner in the league at season's end. Well Nate, you won't get money anywhere near that. A Pro-Bowler in 2004, Clements has made just one interception so far this year and has been burned the last two weeks by opposing receivers. If he still wants to be the highest paid corner in the NFL at season's end, the Bills should wave goodbye to him. Clements has proven to be a "me" player who doesn't care about the team.

Cornerback... Terrence McGee = B+. McGee has come up with 2 big interceptions this year and has held his own more often than not. At just 5'9, McGee is an underdog but has a nose for the football in key situations. He recently signed an extension through 2009, so Bills fans can expect more solid play from #24 for years to come.

Free Safety... Troy Vincent = B. Vincent leads the team with 3 picks and has been a good influence on the rest of his teammates. He's 34 years old though and may not be around in Buffalo next year, depending on the type of cap hit that he would have on the team.

Strong Safety... Lawyer Milloy = C-. In fairness to Milloy, he's had a broken thumb for most of the season. However, that still doesn't excuse his inability to make plays. He gets faked out of his shoes on a week to week basis. It's hard to watch a former great player lose his game, but Milloy certainly has.

Special Teams:

Kicker... Rian Lindell = A-. Lindell has been terrific this year as he's converted on 17 of 19 field goal attempts. On Sunday, he missed a kick and his kick-offs were poor so that dropped his grade a tad. This has been the best season for a Bills' kicker since the days of Steve Christie in the mid-90s.

Punter... Brian Moorman = B+. Moorman hasn't been as great this year as he was in 2003 and 2004 but he's still elite for his position.

Kick Returner... Terrence McGee = A. McGee leads the league as he's averaged 32.0 yards per return. He's yet to find the end zone but with eight games to go, it seems likely that he will at some point.

Punt Returner... Nate Clements = C. Clements hasn't been nearly as explosive as last year but not to worry, he's lost his job. Newly healthy Roscoe Parrish took over last week and showed some ability.

Those are my grades for the starters of the Buffalo Bills so far this season. That concludes my Bills mid-season report. Many of the starters probably won't be back next year as they are either free agents that are making too much money or just can't play anymore. It should be a much different Bills team in 2006. For now, they need to concentrate on the rest of the 2005 season.

Any comments on this article? E-mail Connor Byrne at byrnecj@sbu.edu
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