Ask about building off last year, and the Buffalo Bills are quick to downplay the idea. What outsiders might view as picking up where they left off, they view as a restart.
“I think our guys understand – and we've stressed that all year and all offseason – is what we did last year was really good, but it means nothing,” general manager Brandon Beane said on the first day of training camp. “We're 0-0. One of the coaches, I heard him talking to a couple players yesterday, talking about re-climbing the mountain. We don't get a start up here, we're starting at the bottom.
“Everybody's at the start line and we have to re-establish the things that we did well last year because people have tape, they're going to watch how we did some of the things that we did offensively.”
Everyone, from Beane to coach Sean McDermott to players, hits on a similar theme. They say it’s a totally new slate, and last year is all the way behind them. That’s a lot easier to say when you’re coming off a 13-3 season. Sure, things can change quickly in the NFL, but it’s much harder to start from scratch than to keep the wheels from falling off. Still, the idea of a restart is pervasive around Orchard Park.
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"Everybody I’ve talked to has that same mindset," quarterback Josh Allen said in July. "I know it’s a talking point. Everybody understands it’s a brand new season. Whatever we did doesn’t translate to what we’re going to do this year."
The Bills checked off their goal of winning the division last season and getting the home playoff game that comes with it. But even that and the AFC championship game appearance don’t mean much now to Beane unless they become the beginning of a streak.
“I think our guys understand that doing something once doesn't make you a great team. Once, you're lucky. Twice, you're good,” Beane said. “If you want to be a consistent contender, you got to back it up. And so, we talked here last year about a wanting to win the division, so we can host games here. And not only did we get to host one, we hosted two. I would have loved to have been hosting that last game that we lost, but we still have a lot of things that we haven't accomplished.
“As good as last year was, we still didn't meet some standards that we want to get to. So, until you win it, in my mind, we're still hunting.”
Top strengths
Reloading the offense: A massive contract extension during training camp reiterated the obvious: The Bills are all in on Allen. He threw for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns last season, adding another 421 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. In the postseason, he had 962 all-purpose yards, throwing for five touchdowns and running for one. He took the step the front office believed he would, and enters this season as a top MVP candidate after finishing second last season.
The fourth-year quarterback is coming off a record-setting season, as is his top target. Stefon Diggs already set franchise single-season records in his first year with the Bills – not a bad place to start for a year that had a fractured offseason because of Covid-19. Diggs, 27, and Allen, 25, have plenty of time to keep building. With Cole Beasley, Gabriel Davis and veteran Emmanuel Sanders, the receiving corps is deep, giving Allen plenty to work with. The offensive line is all back, after left guard Jon Feliciano and right tackle Daryl Williams were re-signed.
Deeper D-Line: The Bills took defensive ends in the first and second rounds of the 2021 draft with Greg Rousseau and Boogie Basham, and they’ll have defensive tackle Star Lotulelei back this season. Defensive end A.J. Epenesa, a second-round pick in 2020, showed signs in the preseason of being able to contribute more than he did as a rookie. The Bills kept 11 defensive linemen for the initial roster, which Beane says is as deep as they could go. The emphasis on increasing pressure on opposing quarterbacks kept Beane and company comfortable with trimming elsewhere.
Continuity: Continuity was listed among the team's strengths before last season, and the Bills kept it going. They retained 20 of 22 starters, and notably, all their coordinators again. The Bills know with each year of success, it can be harder and harder to retain the same coaching staff. Allen has noted how glad he’s been to have all this time with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, whom Allen says could soon be a head coach elsewhere. Until then, the Bills get to once again reap the benefits of having coaches and players who are all bought in on the same system.
Biggest worries
DNP: It is critical that the Bills have their best players on the field each game, and that is why Covid-19 protocols are still relevant here, especially for a team that is believed to have one of the lowest vaccination rates in the league. Players who are not vaccinated might miss up to five days if exposed, even if they do not test positive. McDermott and Beane have both emphasized that it is a personal decision, but there is a ripple effect if a player is missing a game. Vaccination rates can be a competitive advantage in that sense. As long as the pandemic is ongoing, it will intersect with football.
Upping the run game: The offense was not unsuccessful, but still, the run game could improve. The 1,723 team rushing yards ranked 20th in the NFL, even though the Bills were tied for second in total offense (6,343 yards) with Tennessee, just behind Kansas City. The more multi-faceted this offense can be, the bigger the problems for opposing defenses.
Offensive emphasis
Stay creative. The Bills certainly found plenty of things that worked last year. Opposing defensive coordinators have had plenty of time to break that down. Those coordinators will need more than just a good scheme to slow Allen’s abilities, but the Bills can get ahead by throwing in their own wrinkles, and creativity is among Daboll's strongest traits.
Defensive emphasis
Get that d-line going. The Bills’ intent on bettering their defensive line was clear, and now it’s time to see how successful they were. If they can pressure the quarterback and make the job of the secondary easier, they can consider that goal met.
Looming question
How far can they go? Even if the team wants to be coy and downplay expectations, it’s clear how big the opportunity is for the Bills. Can they make it to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1993? Can they satiate a tormented fan base? They’ll get a shot at the Chiefs in October, likely their biggest road block in the AFC. The Bills are talented and last year’s playoff experience was valuable. They won’t be satisfied with just experience again.
Outlook
So many of the focal points this year are about fine-tuning instead of rebuilding. That’s a strong spot to be in, and the Bills are poised to again make a lengthy postseason run. Sweeping the AFC East again is lofty, but the Bills are in a good position to defend the divisional title. All their NFC South meetings come packaged in the final seven games, when they also face the Patriots twice. They’ll be far past their 0-0 restart by then. What matters is where this year's climb ends.
Projected record: 12-5
