The Buffalo Bills certainly were the talk of the NFL in 2011. After a 5-2 start, many experts called for them to not only make the playoffs, but to be a true “dark horse” in the AFC. Who could have blamed them? They had beaten the New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles. Their defense was leading the league in turnovers, their quarterback and running back were at the top of the offensive leader statistics. The mood on the local Buffalo radio call in shows was not as enthusiastic as the Los Angeles based studio NFL television shows. Why?

Buffalo Bills fans have seen this show before. Off to a great start only to implode midway through the year. 2011 would be no different.

What about 2012? Will they build off that great start? Injuries for sure contributed to the Bills’ collapse in 2011. So Bills fans should be optimistic for 2012, right? Not so fast. The injuries to Bills on offense and defense exposed, once again, that the Bills do not have depth to make it a full season. The NFL is a brutal sport that takes its toll on every team. Only those teams that have quality backups will be left standing at the playoff door at the end of the year. The team’s executive staff got so caught up in the team’s early success they gave Ryan Fitzpatrick a contract extension early in the season. Many a Bills fan is voting to have that extension nullified. The Bills may just heed that call and if they do, they have to draft a quarterback in 2012. Thus, spending a top pick early and not addressing their obvious needs on defense.

The defense may be top of mind for shoring up, but the offense has its issues just the same. The starting running back, Fred Jackson, was off to a career year before he was placed on injured reserve (IR). Jackson is no spring chicken and past the prime of an average running back’s life cycle. The offensive line, after the starting line-up, is in real need of depth. It was apparent after the center, Eric Wood, went down that there was no planned replacement. After Wood went on IR the team’s deep descent began. What about when the players on IR return?

Prediction for 2012: Bills fans will be in the same place they have been for 10+ years, rebuilding with at best a 5-11 record next year. The team just doesn’t have the depth to compete for a 16-game season. There are too many holes to fill in the draft to address them all with the 2012 picks. Having to address the QB position should have been the last of their worries, now it’s becoming the number one concern; again. One thing is for sure, the Bills fans continue to support their team fanatically, but how long that lasts could be another concern the Bills main office will have to deal with.

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By Joel Thorman

– NFL Editor

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Jan 2, 2012 – The Buffalo Bills have fired George Edwards as defensive coordinator, head coach Chan Gailey confirmed. He will be replaced by Dave Wannstedt. This move shouldn’t come as a major surprise considering how porous the Bills defense has been this season.

Buffalo’s defense finished the year ranked 30th in the NFL in scoring. They routinely gave up a lot of points as the team lost eight of its last nine games. The Bills had a 21-point lead over the New England Patriots on Sunday but ended up losing 49-21.

SB Nation’s Buffalo Rumblings has GM Buddy Nix’s schedule over the next week for the end-of-season meetings:

To summarize: today, he’ll be meeting individually with players, who are cleaning out their lockers and taking a post-season break. Tomorrow, he’ll meet with head coach Chan Gailey and his coaching staff. Wednesday and Thursday will be dedicated to personnel meetings with his pro and college scouting staffs, and on Friday, he’ll sit down with team owner Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.

Apparently he didn’t need to wait to talk to Gailey about Edwards’ future.

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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP)—Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix would
rather wait a week before providing a detailed assessment on what went wrong
this season, and how he intends to fix it.

When it comes to sharing a general thought, Nix says there was “no excuse”
for the team’s seven-game skid.

After a surprising 5-2 start, the Bills (6-10) closed with a familiar thud
by losing eight of nine to miss the playoffs for a 12th straight year.

If that’s not enough cause for concern, leading receiver Stevie Johnson
further clouded his future in Buffalo.

Eligible to become a free agent, Johnson was benched Sunday following his
latest questionable touchdown celebration during a 49-21 loss at New England.
Johnson did not make himself available to reporters Monday, when players cleaned
out their lockers.