The 21st century has not been kind to the Buffalo Bills, but things may be turning around.in-depth

A solid defense powered Buffalo to a 9-7 record in 2014, good for just the second better-than-.500 season the Bills have had since 1999.

But change is again in the air. Doug Marrone exited his job as head coach, leaving room for the large personality of Rex Ryan, whose bravado sometimes overshadows the fact that he’s coached in two AFC Championship games, to take over the top job. And the Bills traded for Matt Cassel to push EJ Manuel and provide options at QB, and for star RB LeSean McCoy, who should lead the team’s ground attack.

Can the new leadership get Sammy Watkins, McCoy and the offense to gel enough to match the team’s defensive prowess? Or is the hope of a turnaround premature? Matt Warren, an editor with Buffalo Rumblings, shares his thoughts.

Zoneblitz: Buffalo didn’t break the playoff drought, but did finish above .500 for the first time since 2004. How would you assess the 2014 season?

Warren: It was exciting but we all knew it was largely done with smoke and mirrors on offense. In my opinion, Doug Marrone put his job security ahead of EJ Manuel’s development and then bolted anyway, leaving Buffalo with a first round pick that has only started 14 NFL games.

Zoneblitz: What were your thoughts on Doug Marrone leaving after the season?

Warren: I think it was a good business decision on his part even though he’s not a head coach right now and probably overestimated his worth.

Zoneblitz: What do you think of hiring Rex Ryan as his replacement and can he maintain the progress made on the defensive side of the ball? What needs to happen to take the unit to the next level?

Warren: I think he’s an upgrade over Marrone in a lot of ways. Players are going to prefer playing for Rex. They both make some bad in-game decisions but Rex has made the AFC Championship game and Marrone was never able to get his teams over the hump.

Zoneblitz: The Bills made headlines with the LeSean McCoy trade, but Kiko Alonso was also a very good player – what are your thoughts on the trade?

Warren: I think they really like their other two linebackers (Nigel Bradham and Preston Brown) and saw an opportunity to upgrade at one position with a minimal drop-off at linebacker.

Zoneblitz: Percy Harvin joins McCoy and Sammy Watkins. There’s firepower there, but how will the QB position shake out? Is Cassel serviceable enough? Does EJ Manual have a future in Buffalo?

Warren: I have no idea. I think Cassel has the edge because Rex Ryan will want to limit his mistakes but EJ Manuel certainly has talent. It’s going to boil down to whether EJ learned how to take chances while he was on the bench last year. Is he going to play scared or with reckless abandon. When he’s tentative, it costs him. I’m not saying it fixes all his problems, but that’s a major one. If it’s not EJ, Cassel can keep the seat warm for a while. He led the Chiefs to the playoffs with a talented team around him and the hope is he can do that in Buffalo.

Zoneblitz: The Bills have not addressed the O-line in free agency. Will that be a top priority in the draft?

Warren: They will certainly add someone in the draft, but they also signed Richie Incognito this offseason. Cordy Glenn is a good, young left tackle. Eric Wood is a solid piece inside. Everywhere else they hover from below average to average so they could consider upgrading at three spots. It’s more likely they add a guard in this deep class to fill the spot opposite Incognito and if a tackle falls to them in the second that they like on the right side, that guy might end up starting.

Zoneblitz: What Bills players have a chance to break out in 2015?

Warren: Duke Williams is probably going to get the first shot to replace Da’Norris Searcy at safety and is a good candidate for this. Despite an almost-1000 yard season, you might see Sammy Watkins have a great year and “break out” with different playcalling and QB play. The last trio of names are guys who could start on the o-line, where 2014 rookies Cyrus Kouandjio, Cyril Richardson, and Seantrel Henderson could all have a chance to start.

Zoneblitz: It’s been 16 years since the Bills made the playoffs – how far are they from making another run to and through the postseason?

Warren: “Making a run” is what they did last year. Rex Ryan has done it before with a team built much like this so I won’t rule out a 2015 “team of destiny” run into the playoffs. Their defense is that good, especially if an upgraded offensive line can block a little better.

Zoneblitz: What is your reaction to the offseason moves at this point and what would you like to see the team do through the rest of free agency and in the draft?

Warren: They probably overspent on their big acquisition, Charles Clay, but it solidifies a position and hurts a divisional opponent. The rest of their free agency was very good and they go into the draft without any major, gaping holes. The safety position is very young, so if they don’t draft a safety I’d expect them to sign Dawan Landry who played for Ryan in New York and the team had in for a visit a couple weeks ago. Draft best player available and don’t look back.

Zoneblitz: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Warren: Rex Ryan has been a blast to cover as a blogger. That dude is a quote machine.

Follow Matt Warren on Twitter at: @MattRichWarren
Follow Buffalo Rumblings on Twitter at: @BuffRumblings
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