All of the off-season press surrounding the Buffalo Bills has been about the team adding Terrell Owens but it may be the other side of the ball that determines how the Bills do in football betting. The Bills are considered a longshot in football odds to win the Super Bowl even with the addition of Owens.Buffalo is going to get a lot of attention in football betting this season simply because Owens is on the team.
What should not be overlooked when it comes to analyzing the Buffalo team this season in football odds is their defense. Under defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, the Bills were 14th in the NFL in total defense last season. That was a huge improvement from 2007 when they were awful. To take the next step into the Top 10 in the league and make a real impact in football betting, the Bills must get better play out of their defensive line which didn’t produce much of a pass rush. They also didn’t get many turnovers as they had only 22 last season as sports betting statistics showed.
Buffalo would look to have some players that can impact the football betting odds on the defensive side of the ball. Marcus Stroud is a three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle who should allow Kavika Mitchell and Paul Posluszny to get the passer. Stroud takes up a lot of room in the middle and is a run stuffer. Kyle Williams is the other tackle and he is a big key to Buffalo improving on defense this year.
Another huge part of the Buffalo defense is Aaron Schobel who missed much of last season with an injury. He has double-digit sacks in three of his eight seasons as online sports betting stats showed. Getting him back and healthy should greatly improve Buffalo’s defense. The Bills also took Penn State’s Aaron Maybin in the first round to upgrade their pass rush. Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney could also see time for the Bills upfront. Those two are better suited to be part time players rather than starters and with Schobel coming back that should be their role in 2009.
The pass rush is a huge key for Buffalo because the secondary is young. Rookie Jairus Byrd is expected to start along with second-year player Leodis McKelvin and two other young players, Donte Whitner and Terrence McGee. If the Bills don’t get a pass rush this secondary will be exposed and the Bills probably won’t make the playoffs.