Redemption song
Rob Longley says Bledsoe and offence must be in tune if Bills are to rock and roll once again
By ROB LONGLEY, TORONTO SUN
Working closely with former CFL star Tom Clements, Drew Bledsoe may have been given the tools to snap out of his funk. The Buffalo Bills running game may be as deep as any other team in the AFC East.
The defence should be as strong, if not stronger than a year ago.
Yes, the template is in place for a revival of a team that seemed to fall apart on its way to a 6-10 record.
As they kick off against the Jacksonville Jaguars this afternoon at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Bills now must lift those plans from the paper and onto the field.
It's the dawn of a new NFL season and hope once again runs high in Western New York, though perhaps a little more muted than in past years.
A mediocre season will do that to even the most rabid of fans, especially one in which Bledsoe and the offence struggled so miserably.
Those woes cost defensive specialist Gregg Williams his head-coaching job and brought offensive guru Mike Mularkey in from Pittsburgh.
Much of the off-season work may sound good, but success or failure may come down to one of the tenets of football -- the big boys on the offensive line must pull their considerable weight for the Bills to win.
Mularkey himself has been up front about the importance of a unit which was flattened too often in 2003.
Sacked 103 times
"It doesn't really matter who you have running or throwing if you can't protect or you can't open up holes," Mularkey told reporters in Buffalo this week.
Bledsoe was sacked 103 times in his two seasons as a Bill and at times has looked a little like sad sack Rob Johnson did not so long ago. By last December, Bledsoe's confidence seemed to be destroyed.
In the pre-season, Bledsoe has shown signs of recovery, however. It would appear that Clements, whom Mularkey brought in as offensive co-ordinator, has injected a little CFL into a guy that has carved a successful career as a pocket -- and less than mobile -- passer.
The emphasis will be on getting rid of the ball quicker and don't be shocked if there's more short-dump passes much like the system Tom Brady employs in New England.
If the run game headed by Travis Henry and supported by Willis McGahee works -- and it should -- that ought to buy Bledsoe some more time as well.
Again, it all sounds good but it is still difficult to get a read on these Bills heading into the season.
Their pre-season was miserable with just one offensive touchdown and a 1-3 record. But witness the New England Patriots' 31-0 loss to Jacksonville in their final scrimmage and you realize how easy it is to toss those numbers.
The Jags -- who won't be the pushover you might expect -- are a stern first test especially for that O-line.
Marcus Stroud and John Henderson anchor a Jags defence that surrendered an average of just 88 rushing yards per game last season.
But if there is anyone more anxious than those in the sold-out crowd at the Ralph to get off to a fresh start, he'll be wearing No. 11 for the Bills.
"Last year was one of the hardest for me to shake during the off-season," Bledsoe said.
"I can't claim that I've worked any harder than I have in past years, but during the off-season, I spent a lot more time thinking about football because I was so frustrated by what happened last year.
"I do have a sense this year is an opportunity for us."
