FanHouse Paul Posluszny

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Offense -- It's almost impossible to decide how this team will perform in 2009. I have high hopes for Trent Edwards, being that he's a Stanford man and all, and frankly, I can't shake the feeling that Terrell Owens is going to return Lee Evans to superstar mode this coming season. After all, teams have to cover Owens, even if he's getting older and could be hurt half the time; with a second-string CB manning up on Evans as he streaks down the sidelines, well, I like his chances. In terms of running the ball, you also have to think that Marshawn Lynch's three-week absence because of suspension is going to hurt the Bills ... until you realize that Fred Jackson will be highly motivated and might just come out gangbusters to start the season. Which means that Dick Jauron will probably just give the carries to Dominic Rhodes. Heat Index: 5

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: The J.P Losman era has come to its logical conclusion. Which is to say, he probably won't be around after this season. Trent Edwards, the team's 2007 third-round pick is now the starter, and if the Bills are to have any chance to improve on last year's 7-9 record, it will lie largely with him. Heat Index: 5

Running backs: Marshawn Lynch had a relatively quiet offseason until he accidentally ran over a pedestrian and bonked out before the cops showed up. The case has been settled, and he won't miss any time, which is great news for a Bills offense that can't afford to lose one of its best players. I suspect the hit-and-run victim might feel differently, however. Fred Jackson is more than capable behind Lynch. Heat Index: 8

Penn State has always been known as Linebacker U, and in recent years this tradition hasn't changed with players like Paul Posluszny and Dan Connor. Of course, both of those gentleman are now either in the NFL, or on the verge of being in the NFL with the draft coming up in a few weeks. The Nittany Lions weren't too worried about the loss of Connor last season, because they had their new beast in the middle ready to take over in Sean Lee.

Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions are going to have to go to a backup plan because Lee has torn an ACL and will likely miss the 2008 season.

Lee will have surgery within the next 2-4 weeks and rehabilitation will take approximately nine months, according to Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, Penn State's Director of Athletic Medicine.

"I have a responsibility to the team to help do everything I can this year in what might be a non-conventional way," Lee said in a school news release. "I have to turn this into a positive. It's a bump in the road. I'm excited about the team we have and the kind of season we can have. It's a great opportunity for a young guy."

Easier said than done because replacing a player like Lee won't be easy. If you were so inclined, you could make an argument that Lee was the team's best defensive player last season, even with Connor alongside him. He's already been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week twice, was a second-team all conference selection, and was going to be a team captain. If there's any good news about this, and it's of little consolation, it's that Lee does have a redshirt to burn.

It's been a particularly bad off-season for Penn State, what with just about everybody on the team getting arrested for something, and the never-ending distraction that is Joe Paterno's impending retirement. The way things are going, I'm pretty sure I'm going to wake up to the following headline at some point in the next week: Penn State's Beaver Stadium Collapses, Killing Entire Team. Just watch, it'll happen.

After leaving Penn State a legend, Paul Posluszny entered the NFL carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. And despite being a second round draft choice, he was expected to perform like the number one overall pick.

Through the first two and a half games, he didn't disappoint. Poz led the Bills with 26 total tackles and was beginning to look like the All Pro everyone thought he would be. Unfortunately, things turned sour when the former Nittany Lion suffered a broken forearm late in the first half against the New England Patriots and was lost for the season.

It was the very first time in his life that he was forced to sit on the sidelines, and every moment was excruciating. In fact, Poz refers to this season as the most miserable of his career.

"It was miserable," Posluszny said. "It was one of the worst years of my life by far. I had gotten hurt in college, but I never missed time. Maybe I couldn't finish a game, but I never missed a season like this. To start a couple of games and get a taste of it, and then not to be able to play anymore. ... You have a job that you love and someone tells you that you can't do it until next year, that's tough."

The great thing about the NFL is that there's always next year. And lucky for Poz, he'll come back healthier and hungrier than ever.

Paul Posluszny's rookie season came to an official end yesterday. The former Penn State linebacker broke his left forearm in the Bills 38-7 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, and became the sixth Bills player to find themselves on injured reserve.

As if things weren't bad enough in Buffalo, this certainly doesn't help. Poz was having a huge rookie season, collecting 26 tackles in two and a half games. He appeared to be improving each time he stepped on the field, and was one of the few bright spots for Buffalo.

"I think Paul just by the nature of who he is was very optimistic and probably wanted to continue playing with it," said Bills head coach Dick Jauron.

My thought process almost mimicked Jauron's. When I heard the diagnosis, I figured Poz would have a cast slapped on his arm and be right back out there. Unfortunately, team doctors said no way, and the promising rookie was shut down for the season.

This is a slightly modified segment of one that was run on NFL FanHouse last year, in which a specific team blogger scours the internet and interviews a blogger of the opposing team.

I began this season by interviewing TheSportsGuru of Mile High Report, a Sports Blog Nation column that covers the Denver Broncos.

Dan Benton: "Due to injuries, the Broncos have lost three extremely important players. How will Denver move forward without Al Wilson, Rod Smith and Ebenezer Ekuban? Just how significant are those loses?"

TheSportsGuru: "All three are tough, but for different reasons. The toughest of the 3 is certainly Al Wilson who meant so much to the team, both on and off the field. Wilson was the emotional leader and glue that kept the defense together. While there is no doubting his importance in the locker room, Wilson's play had deteriorated as injuries to his neck, back and hands began to take their toll. It is a testament to Wilson and the reputation he had garnered around the League that he made the Pro Bowl last season. The Broncos have found it harder to replace what he meant on the field than the production they from him on it. D.J. Williams will get the first chance to replace Wilson in the middle and will grow into the role nicely over time. As for Wilson's leadership, look for John Lynch, Champ Bailey and Ian Gold to be counted on for an increased voice in the locker room."

To get you ready for week 1, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the Buffalo Bills/Denver Broncos preview.

2006 Records: (Click names for 2007 preview)

Denver Broncos: 9-7 (3rd in AFC West)
Buffalo Bills: 7-9 (3rd in AFC East)

2006 Head-to-Head:

No Game. (Broncos 28 - Bills 17 in 2005)

When the Broncos have the ball: The Bills couldn't stop the run last season, while the Broncos consistently ran all over teams. Does anyone actually think the Broncos will take an alternative approach on Sunday? I certainly don't.

Travis Henry, another brand new Denver running back, will get plenty of carries against a Bills defense that ranked 29th in the NFL last season; a Bills defense that no longer has Takeo Spikes or London Fletcher. However, what they do have is rookie linebacker Paul Posluszny -- a standout from Penn State who figures to excel in the NFL.

The Broncos will also aim to get second-year quarterback Jay Cutler comfortable in his first opening weekend start. Once the run is established, keep an eye out for a long play action pass. It could be Henry, Henry, Culter-to-Javon Walker all day long.

The stress level must be at an all time high for Bills rookie linebacker Paul Posluszny as he waits anxiously for Sunday to arrive. The former Penn State standout is only a few days away from his first NFL regular season game, and he's going into it with a chip on his shoulder.

"The whole league passed me over," Posluszny said. "I want to prove to the people out there I can be one of the best linebackers in this rookie class. There were three linebackers drafted ahead of me [Patrick Willis, Lawrence Timmons and Jon Beason]. I want to continue to improve every year and work to be one of the best in the league."

Coach Dick Jauron has basically handed the defense over to him and said "go get 'em." Poz will be in charge of everything from opening series on. It will be up to him to rally the unit, call the plays and stop the run -- something Buffalo couldn't do last year.

It's an awful lot of responsibility for a 22-year-old rookie, but the Bills and their fans should have faith. Posluszny has proven himself on every level and I see no reason to believe he can't do it here.

The Buffalo Bills will play their second preseason game this evening at home against the Atlanta Falcons. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. eastern time.

Spotlight:

Although the Bills only surrendered 10 points to New Orleans last week, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell was not thrilled with their performance.

"I do worry about it a little bit," said Fewell. "I thought we should be stronger in the pass game with some of the things they did."

Fewell will aim to fix some of the Bills mistakes tonight against Atlanta and one thing you may see is a little more aggression. The primary focus will probably be getting more pressure on Falcons quarterback Joey Harrington, who seemed overly comfortable in his Atlanta debut.

One way the Bills may go about that is by using rookie linebacker Paul Posluszny, who showcased his wide range of skills last week. At one point, he was used on a delayed blitz that resulted in Saints quarterback Tyler Palko nearly having his head taken off.

It's always better to win ugly than lose pretty. Although the box score looks beautiful and the end result is exactly what they wanted, the Buffalo Bills did not look crisp tonight. Either way, they got off on the right foot and walked away with a 13-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

One of the reasons they were able to win this game (or at least keep it from overtime) was a blocked field goal early in the contest courtesy of offensive lineman Langston Walker. It changed the momentum early on and started things going in Buffalo's direction.

As I stated prior to the game, keeping an eye on rookie linebacker Paul Posluszny was a must and he didn't disappoint. He led both teams with nine tackles and added a sack for good measure. Although it was only his first preseason game, it's clear that he's a ballhawk -- just as advertised. He seemed to be in the pile after every play and even if he wasn't involved, he was waiting in the wings.