Bills Look To Turn The Page On Inadequate Past

Posted on by Michael John Loffredo

BUFFALO, N.Y.– Tomorrow night kicks off the highly anticipated 2015 NFL season as the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers take the field at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

If your a fan of drama, then this NFL off-season was one to enjoy. From another cheating scandal in New England with Deflategate, to numerous players being fined, to Rex Ryan landing in Buffalo– this off-season was one for the history books.

Speaking of books: The Buffalo Bills look to turn the page on their 15-year playoff drought. With new Bills head coach Rex Ryan at the helm, the Bills are poised for success.

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This off-season the Bills lost Safety Da’Norris Searcy to Tennessee, Linebacker Kiko Alonso to Philadelphia, Tight End Scott Chandler to AFC-East rival New England, Quarterback Kyle Orton hung up the cleats for good as he decided to retire, and Head Coach Doug Marrone took his staff and walked out the door like a coward.

Hey, Doug. Thanks for leaving us in the hands of Rex Ryan. We appreciate it! Have fun with the laughing stock of the NFL in Jacksonville!

The most shocking news of the Buffalo Bills off-season came just last week when General Manager Doug Whaley released future Bills Wall of Famer Fred Jackson due to age and money limitations. Jackson wasn’t a free agent for long as Pete Carroll convinced the 34-year-old running back to hustle on down to Seattle, where he will be a 2nd-tier back behind “Beast Mode” founder and Skittles lover, Marshawn Lynch.

According to Jackson, “he still has some left in the tank.”

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Sadly no “Freddie, Freddie” chants will resonate from the Ralph this season, or as it appears, anytime soon.

These players, and surprisingly the conservative coaching staff behind Doug Marrone, were in large part huge factors in Buffalo’s 9-7 campaign last season; The Bills’ first winning record since 2004.

Fans in Buffalo are excited about their Bills and they have every right to be. With Rex Ryan’s hiring this past winter, the Bills look to build off of the success of last season under Doug Marrone.

Rex Ryan wasn’t the only “big name” to be shipped on over to Buffalo. The Bills went out and filled every void needed this off-season as General Manager Doug Whaley made a statement throughout the entire league with numerous signings that filled all the headlines. The Bills went out and traded Linebacker Kiko Alonso to Philadelphia for stud running back, LeSean McCoy, and just like that, it became a little shady in Buffalo.

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The signings didn’t stop there. There were plenty more to come.

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Whaley and the Bills signed Tight End Charles Clay to a multi-year deal as he left South Beach for Wintry Buffalo. Jerry Hughes looks to continue his recent success and build off of last years 9.5 sack season as he re-signed with the Bills. With the Hughes re-signing, the “Cold Front” in Buffalo remains intact with Defensive End Mario Williams, and Defensive Linemen Kyle WIlliams, and Marcell Dareus at the fore front of the Bills defense.

Opposing offenses throughout the NFL will not look forward to Buffalo’s punishing defense.

On top of the Hughes and Clay signings, the Bills also brought in Wide Receiver and kickoff return specialist Percy Harvin, Quarterback Matt Cassel, Fullback Jerome Felton, and the bully himself, Richie Incognito, who will start at Guard for the Bills when they take the field this coming Sunday versus Indianapolis.

Oh, and yeah. Tyrod Taylor will have his first career start this Sunday as he served as backup to Joe Flacco in Baltimore since he was drafted with the 180th overall pick in 2011.

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Tyrod Taylor brings one key component to the table, and that is excitement. Taylor’s mobile play making ability makes it hard for teams to get a grasp on the offense. Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman was brought in by Rex Ryan for a reason. He built Colin Kaepernick into a pretty good Quarterback in San Francisco and he knows how to construct a mobile offense behind a mobile Quarterback. Watch out for Tyrod Taylor this season. He could be the feel good story of the year coming out of the NFL and lead the Bills to the playoffs for the first time in 15-years.

All these signings and headlines bring one question: What will the Bills do in 2015?

Every year I am very high on the Bills, and guess what? I am going to be high on them again this season. But this year I have a reason to my prediction.

In the words of late Bills play-by-play broadcaster Van Miller, “Fasten your seat belts. It’s playoff time.”

The Bills will finish first in the AFC East at 11-5 this season with losses to Cincinnati, Kansas City, Washington, Dallas, and New England (hopefully the balls are inflated to the proper PSI…)

The Bills will be led by their defensive unit, as they were last year, but this year the offensive side of the ball will be much improved compared to years past. If Tyrod Taylor can run a balanced, turnover free offense, I see nothing but success this season. GM Doug Whaley filled all the voids where the Bills struggled on offense last year and with a depleted offense for much of the season, the Bills still finished 9-7.

To no one’s surprise, the Bills will run a very rush heavy offense this season with LeSean McCoy at the forefront of the backfield. With this knowledge, I believe Shady McCoy will rush for about 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns, if injury free. The Bills will lead a rushing attack and when their offense gets taken off the field, their defense will be right there to keep opponents from scoring.

Last but not least, lets talk Super Bowl?

For the Bills, no. Do I wish they would be in the big game come February? Absolutely. But this year, I have the Seahawks taking down the Colts at San Francisco’s Levi Stadium. This year will be a stepping stone for the Bills to get to the big dance, but first they need to establish themselves in the playoffs.

Happy Game week, football fans! Feel the Rush.

As always, Billieve.

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Published by Michael John Loffredo

Emmy Award winning Journalist Michael Loffredo joined the WIVB/WNLO team in April of 2018 as a news producer. Before joining News 4, Michael spent a year living in Watertown, New York working for WWNY-TV. Prior to that, he lived in Charlotte, North Carolina where he worked as a reporter/producer/anchor for CN2 News in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Michael grew up an avid Buffalo Bills and Sabres fan. Throughout his childhood, he watched numerous television productions for his favorite teams. In watching these sporting events, the then 8-year old realized that he wanted to work toward the dream of being a broadcast journalist. Now that childhood dream has become a reality. Michael attended St. Bonaventure University (Olean, NY) where he had the easy decision of becoming a Journalism and Mass Communication major; and he is a very proud Bonnie alum. While at St. Bonaventure, Michael took advantage of applying for internships. This included acting as the public address announcer for Canisius High School and the St. Bonaventure Bonnies Division-1 baseball team’s home games. During college, Michael worked in the public relations department for the Buffalo Bisons, AAA-affiliate for the MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays. He worked on everything from media guides, game notes, and game statistics on the scoreboard. He also had the opportunity to intern with the Buffalo Bills Broadcast Media Department. Throughout the internship, Michael produced videos for BuffaloBills.com, NFL network, and edited players and coaches press conferences. He says this was a dream come true to be up close working for his favorite team. Michael graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications. When Michael is not working, he enjoys spending time watching and partaking in sporting activities, going to concerts, traveling, hanging out with family and friends, and following his beloved Buffalo Bills that went to four straight Super Bowls without winning a single one. Thank you for visiting the website of Michael John Loffredo. My contact information may be found under the "resume" tab. Go Bills.

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