Could the Bills be the surprise team of 2019?

Could the Bills be the surprise team of 2019?

    There are many who feel that the Bills could be the surprise team of 2019. Thus far, it appears things are heading in the right direction. The Bills have made the most amount of noise in the free agent market and many in both Buffalo and around the league are leaning forward to see whom the Bills will be taking in this years draft.

    So, can the Bills be the surprise team of this season? Could they be the Chiefs of 2018? The Eagles of 2017? The Falcons or 2016 or the Cardinals of 2015?  Well, hopefully, the Bills can end up like one those teams and not the other three. The 2017 Eagles remain one of the greatest surprises in the history of the sport. A team bogged down by injuries that refused to cave in.

    There are many around the league that feel the Bills could do some serious damage this upcoming season. Looking at the schedule, the inconsistency between “easy” and “hard” teams means the Bills should do all they can to make sure they’re consistent from one game to the next. To do this will surely make them the surprise of the year, as well as several awards that will come shortly after.

    It will be easier for me to put my two cents in after the draft is over and I get to see these guys perform in the preseason but we can’t really get a feel for a team until weeks 5-7 of the NFL schedule and even then, streaks of hot and cold can come and go. The Bills are a team that’s difficult to read and maybe even tougher to read as week one draws closer.

    What must happen for Buffalo to be the sleeper team of the season?

    First and foremost, Josh Allen must help his team and the team must help Josh Allen. The NFL is a league which forces teams to live and die with their quarterback, to which the Bills may just have the rawest talent in the NFL. The linemen need to block, the running backs need to average more than three yards a carry and the receiving corp must be better.

    With that said Josh Allen, your decision-making and accuracy must improve from last year. I have no doubt that it will. You can run all over the NFL as long as you want to but they will catch on and it will make you more prone to injuries. You gave us quite the scare this season and anything you can do to keep down on those will only enhance your development, experience, and value to the team.

    The defense remains stacked with talent but they’re now without their leader, who played a big role in their dominance. That’s part of the reason why I’m so hellbent on wanting Ed Oliver. It drives me crazy when people say it’s a risky pick, you’ll go much further with him than you would anyone else. Defense wins championships so help the defense.

    As always, Specials teams must hang in there too. The Bills were a tad rocky in this department last year but it appeared things were settling down as the season progressed. What I just described is the generic formula for success in this league but only the best can get it done week in and week out. I feel the Bills can do this but can and will are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

We’ll talk more once the draft is complete.

-By: Thomas P.  Braun Jr.