Buffalo Bills Training Camp: 5 things to watch

Jul 21, 2014; Pittsford, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterbacks Jeff Tuel (7, left), EJ Manuel (3) and Thad Lewis (9) participate in a drill during training camp at St John Fisher College. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

As the month of July comes to a close, that can only mean one thing: Football is back. The Buffalo Bills are back for their 16th season for training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, NY and this season is as high of anticipation as any of the previous that have been held in the suburb of Rochester.

As many newcomers with names like McCoy, Clay and Harvin make their way to Western New York for the first time in a summer, there are many familiar names who are coming back as well. EJ Manuel will be back in his third year, fighting for a quarterback job, Fred Jackson will be back to prove that he still has it at the young age of 34, and Mario Williams is back in the fourth year of his six-year deal to anchor a Bills defense that is looking to put up even better numbers than last season.

That being said, here are five things to look forward to heading into Buffalo Bills Training Camp:

January 23, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Buffalo Bills players Team Carter defensive tackle

(95), Team Carter defensive tackle

(99), and Team Carter defensive end Mario Williams (94) during photo day at The Arizona Biltmore. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

5) Can this defense really be better than last year’s?

Fourth in yards per game allowed and points per game allowed. Tied for first in opposing third down conversion percentage. First in total sacks (a franchise record of 54). Numerically, it is a very tough defense to beat. But somehow, in 2015, there is an expectation for this team to be even better, and why not?

Jim Schwartz did a terrific job with the Bills defense in 2014, leading them to a feared status throughout the season and it was this reason that the Bills won most of their games last season. Now as Schwartz is out and Dennis Thurman steps in, the expectation is to be as good or even better, but it is not because Thurman was hired. It is because of the man who hired him, head coach Rex Ryan.

Ryan has been known throughout his career to be an aggressive coach that likes to throw exotic blitzes and coverages at opposing offenses, confusing them and creating pressure while doing so.

Schwartz’s scheme last season was aggressive, but plain. Man on the outsides with pressure from his line. That is where it all starts, the defensive line. The Bills do not need to bring extra pressure that often because of the fact they have one of the best, if not the best, defensive lines in the NFL.

Already confusing offenses, Ryan now has a better defensive line than he had in New York when he took that team to two straight AFC Championship Games. It will be very interesting to see what he has up his sleeve for already one of the best defenses in football.

Nov 24, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; The New York Jets defense lines up against the Buffalo Bills offense during the second half at Ford Field. Bills beat the Jets 38-3. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

4) How will the offensive line hold up?

From the biggest strength of this Bills team, to arguably its biggest weakness. The offensive line was really bad last season, especially in the run game. The run blocking was rated a second-to-last by Pro Football Focus at a grade of -50.8, while the rush offense’s grade of a -6.6 ranked them 29th in the league.

Another stat for the Bills faithful: Nobody ran for 100 yards on the roster for the first time since 1979. Enter Greg Roman and LeSean McCoy. Roman took a somewhat dismantled offense in San Francisco and turned them into an NFC Champion behind Alex Smith and a very inconsistent Colin Kaepernick. McCoy was the lightning spark for the Philadelphia Eagles, averaging 4.6 yards per carry over his six season there, while toppling the 1300-yard mark his final two years in the City of Brotherly Love.

Buffalo did not just stop there to shore up its rushing attack, but they also added two veteran linemen. John Miller and Richie Incognito will dress up in the trenches for Buffalo next season, Incognito for his second stint with the Bills after playing three games in 2009 before heading to South Beach for a four-year go with the Dolphins.

Miller was drafted in the third round by the Bills in 2015 out of Louisville.

Here’s more on the offensive needs with the Bills, especially the line, from our friends at the 120 Football Focus:

Nov 30, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver

(10) catches the ball as Cleveland Browns cornerback

(22) defends during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills won 26-10. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

3) Who’s going to be opposite Sammy Watkins?

This was covered earlier in the summer, whether it would be Robert Woods or Percy Harvin in the number two slot, and deservedly so. There is no clear answer as to who will be opposite the No. 4 overall pick in 2014 this season and it will be an interesting battle to look out for.

Woods, a No. 2 ever since he stepped foot in Buffalo, caught 65 balls (tied for second with Watkins) last season for 699 yards and five touchdowns. He’s also showed the hands and explosiveness to be able to get by defenders and get those extra couple of yards when he catches it two or three yards before the first down mark.

Harvin, however, has never been a No. 2 receiver. He was a number one for his four seasons in Minnesota, and then the top target in Seattle and then New York. But in Harvin’s last full season, he made 87 receptions, accounting for 967 yards and six touchdowns. Since then, he has been injury-prone and has not played more than 13 games in a season. Not to mention the locker room troubles in Seattle that forced him out of there.

Dec 14, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson (22) jumps to avoid a tackle during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo beat Green Bay 21-13. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

2) What will Fred Jackson’s role be in 2015?

Mr. Buffalo Bill some have called him. Either way, he has called Orchard Park home since he stepped foot into the league in 2007, trucking through defenders and pushing piles the extra two yards to get his offense a new set of downs. But with young blood in the face of LeSean McCoy, it will be interesting to see how much of a back seat Jackson is going to take.

He had a mostly 50/50 split with CJ Spiller last season, with a good contrast of Spiller’s speed and Jackson’s toughness and durability in the backfield. But with McCoy providing both and star potential, how much will Jackson really run?

Will he be that guy they go to on 3rd and 1 when they need a first down? Or how about when the Bills are inside the 5-yard line and are looking for six? Jackson has proved that he still has the strength to push piles forward, maybe not as much as he used to, but maybe enough that he will still prove useful in 2015.

Jun 16, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel (3) throws the ball during minicamp at Ralph Wilson Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

1) Who’s the quarterback going to be? 

Ah yes. The golden question of the 2015 Training Camp. Who’s going to be the starting quarterback Week 1 when the Bills host the Indianapolis Colts? There is a lot we don’t know, as in what Matt Cassel will bring, how much EJ Manuel has improved and how good the wild-card of Tyrod Taylor actually is. Here is what we do know:

Cassel led a very similar New England Patriots team to an 11-5 record in 2008, throwing 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 63.4% of his passes. Very game-manager like numbers, this is what Rex Ryan would look for. The only downside is he took 47 sacks, the highest number of his career.

He also started 15 games in 2010 with the Kansas City Chiefs, again going 10-5 as a starter and leading his team to the postseason. He completed 58.2% of his passes, tossing 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. These would be the numbers Ryan would look for again, but word out of Buffalo is he has not done really well.

Manuel shows the same type of numbers as Cassel, but with a running ability. In 14 starts, EJ has completed 58.6% of his passes, while throwing 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He has also taken 34 sacks. So similar stats, but again, that running ability may come in handy to provide another thing for defenses to be aware of.

Taylor brings the same type of running threat, but the experience under center is next-to-none. The 2011 sixth-round pick by Baltimore played in 14 total games with the Ravens over his four seasons there, but only four in the past two season, with no starts. He is 19-f0r-35 with three interceptions and no touchdowns, but again a very small sample size.

Who it will be is anybody’s guess, but this is the position that needs steady play in order to lead the Bills to the playoffs for the first time in this millennium.

Here’s more on the quarterback battle from our friends at 120 Sports: