BY NICK ST. DENIS
The Bills were really good in the first part of the 2011 season (5-2) and really bad after that (1-8). Here are my grades:
Coaching: Bills coach Chan Gailey's squad was decimated with injuries, and that caught up to Buffalo the latter half of the season. He deserves some slack there, but even Gailey takes responsibility for not having his team prepared during its seven-game skid. -- C-
Quarterback: Ryan Fitzpatrick signed a $59 million contract extension during the Bills' bye week. The team was 5-2 a week later. Fitzpatrick, however, threw 10 touchdowns to 16 interceptions over the last nine games. This grade is probably friendly. -- C-
Running backs: Fred Jackson was killing it until he was lost for the season in Week 11 due to injury. Until that point, Jackson was leading the AFC in a bunch of running back categories and was arguably the best back in the league. In spelling Jackson and eventually taking the No. 1 job, C.J. Spiller gained 5.2 yards a carry. He was also a threat through the air. -- A-
Receivers/tight end: If Stevie Johnson wasn't such a bonehead, his reputation would probably be as a really good wideout rather than a bad decision-maker. Johnson counters his solid production (1,000-plus yards two years in a row) with unsportsmanlike penalties. Tight end Scott Chandler emerged as a red zone threat this year. This group was hit with injuries but was pretty good. -- B-
Offensive line: This group was very good given the hand it was dealt. The Bills' offensive line saw a plethora of injuries, and guys were shifting all over the place throughout the season. Despite all that, Buffalo's front line gave up the fewest sacks in the NFL and led the running game to a 4.9 yard/carry tally, which was fourth-best in the league. -- A-
Defensive line: Yards-per-rush given up and sacks are a decent way to judge a defensive line. The Bills weren't decent in either category. Buffalo gave up rushes at 4.8 yards a clip, which was tied for fifth-worst in the league. Also, only two teams recorded fewer sacks than the Bills (29). -- D
Linebackers: Inside linebacker Nick Barnett had a good season, grabbing three interceptions (one for a touchdown) and a forced fumble to go with his 130 tackles. Overall, like the rest of the defense, Buffalo's linebacker corps was better in pass coverage than getting after the quarterback or stopping the run, which isn't saying much. -- C
Secondary: The Bills were blowing everyone out in terms of interceptions for the first half of the year, but Buffalo's pass defenders got cold hands after the bye week. Buffalo was middle-of-the-pack in long pass plays given up. It also gave up the third-most passing touchdowns in the NFL. Losing safety George Wilson for a chunk of games hurt the Bills' secondary. Same with Jairus Byrd, who had three forced fumbles. -- C
Special teams: The Bills were tied for third in punt return average but near the bottom of the league in kick return. Buffalo punted 10 touchbacks, which was tied for best in the league. The Bills also used three kickers due to injury. -- B
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