played MLB over the past four seasons in New England. He started 39 regular season games and appeared in six postseason games, including Super Bowl XLVI. Bills Special Teams The Buffalo Bills signed kicker Dan Carpenter after he was cut by the Miami Dolphins before the season and were rewarded with the best year of the veteran kicker’s career. Carpenter made 91.7 percent of his field goals and finished the season by converting 29 straight from inside 50-yards. Brian Moorman has spent much of his career with the Bills, but things have been rocky recently. He was released in 2012 but brought back in 2013 to replace his successor. Moorman finished the season with one of the worst average yards per punt of his career, but he has out-kicked his training camp competition to keep a spot on the team, for now. The Bills return game also struggled last year. Both their kick and punt return teams were ranked near the bottom of the league. Leodis McKelvin and Marquise Goodwin shared the duties, but the Bills will be on the lookout for other options. Prediction The Buffalo Bills are talented, but they’ve finished under .500 for nine consecutive years. If EJ Manuel can stay healthy, they have the ability to surprise some teams. In a crowded AFC, it will likely take another year before the Bills can consider themselves a legitimate threat to the better teams in the league. SCOREBOARD 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 PLAYOFF FINISH - - - - - REGULAR SEASON W-L 6-10 6-10 6-10 4-12 6-10 POINTS PER GAME 21.2 21.5 23.2 17.7 16.1 POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME 24.2 27.2 27.1 26.6 20.4 YARDS PER GAME 338.1 342.9 351.5 304.9 273.9 YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME 333.4 362.9 371.1 361.6 340.6 TURNOVERS 26 33 30 35 26 TAKEAWAYS 29 21 31 22 33 Key Additions: LB Brandon Spikes, G Chris Williams Key Subtractions: WR Stevie Johnson, FS Jairus Byrd, S Jim Leonhard Rookies: WR Sammy Watkins, OL Cyrus Kouandjio, LB Preston Brown Mario Williams & Marcell Dareus GEORGE GOJKOVICH/GETTY IMAGES SPORT All three return to make up one of the most disruptive defensive units in the league. Jerry Hughes added even more pressure from his linebacker position with ten sacks of his own. And in order to sure up their run defense, the Bills signed thumping middle linebacker Brandon Spikes off of the rival New England Patriots. The Bills hoped to pair Spikes in the interior with Kiko Alonso, the team’s most promising young defender. Alonso led the team in tackles last season and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, but he tore his ACL in preseason mini camp and faces an entire year of rehabilitation. Some of the pressure to replace Alonso will also fall on former New York Giants linebacker Keith Rivers, who signed a two-year contract in the offseason. Rookie Preston Brown could also work his way into the vacancy caused by Alonso’s injury. The defensive secondary is a point of strength, even with the loss of Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd, who signed a six-year contract with the New Orleans Saints. Stephon Gilmore and Leodis McKelvin give the Bills an extremely talented pair of cornerbacks, but both guys will be worked back into action slowly after offseason hip surgeries. Gilmore also struggled with injuries early last season, but he came on strong in the final half of his sophomore season. Byrd and safety Jim Leonhard combined for eight interceptions, but neither will be with the team in 2014. Aaron Williams had four INTs of his own and played all over the secondary. This season, he should settle in nicely at strong safety. Da’Norris Searcy also saw a good amount of playing time at safety and impressed with a 32-yard pick-six and a 74-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Defensive Player to Watch Middle linebacker Brandon Spikes will not get the glory that comes with sacking the quarterback like many of his new teammates, but Spikes will be the key to making the Bills defense more competitive in 2014. Spikes is a sorely needed thumper in the middle of the formation that will improve upon a defense that ranked 28th against the run. This need was further exasperated by the loss of linebacker Kiko Alonso to an ACL tear. On top of stopping the run, Spikes will add a veteran presence with plenty of experience winning at the NFL level. Spikes
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