REPORT CARD AFTER 7 GAMES

PASSING OFFENSE
D -- The Bills ranked 29th in passing at 163 yards per game, 30th in sacks allowed with 21, and last in third-down passing at 21.6 percent. The education of QB J.P. Losman started off well but soon hit a bumpy road. While his accuracy has improved (62 percent, up from 49 in eight starts last year) and his yards-per-attempt mark is better by almost a yard, Losman has struggled mightily with ball protection with 11 turnovers -- six interceptions and five fumbles. Pass protection has been sporadic, with LT Mike Gandy allowing 4 1/2 sacks. That has prompted a line reshuffle with Jason Peters shifting from right to left tackle to protect Losman's blindside, and Gandy kicking inside to left guard. Lee Evans has been Buffalo's most consistent receiver, but most of his 37 catches have come in garbage time, and he has averaged just 11.6 yards per reception with a long of 27. Roscoe Parrish has picked up some slack with 51- and 44-yard TD grabs, but the team needs more out of Peerless Price and Josh Reed, particularly on third down. Running backs and tight ends remain underused; Willis McGahee (14 catches) does have a team-high 56-yard reception on a shovel pass. Robert Royal leads the tight ends with nine catches. Buffalo has made just seven of 52 third downs of 6 yards or longer.

RUSHING OFFENSE
C-minus -- The Bills ranked 23rd in rushing, which is disappointing given the commitment to the run shown by the coaching staff. McGahee led the NFL in carries with 150 but was averaging just 3.8 yards per carry with one TD. Again, line play has been sporadic, but fans are wondering why McGahee can't make some yardage on his own as he once did. Backup Anthony Thomas (11 carries, one TD) could be used more to give Buffalo a better 1-2 rhythm. FB Daimon Shelton appears to be slowing down.

PASS DEFENSE
D-plus -- The team's 14th-place ranking in yards allowed is deceiving. Buffalo has given up 10 touchdown passes with defensive backs and linebackers struggling to guard their men. What doesn't make sense is that the Bills have one of the NFL's best pass rushes, ranking fifth with 21 sacks, led by Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay with five each. The Bills don't have a single sack from their interior linemen, who are billed as fast and quick. Meanwhile, CBs Nate Clements and Terrence McGee do not have an interception between them, but they have combined for 16 passes defended. McGee has struggled mightily, giving up TDs in three consecutive games and being benched last time out. Rookie safeties Donte Whitner and Ko Simpson have one interception each. Veteran free agent Kiwaukee Thomas has been a bright spot in the nickel defense.

RUSH DEFENSE
D -- Buffalo was among the worst run defenses in the NFL a year ago and hasn't improved much, allowing 113.9 yards per game and seven TDs on the ground. Tackles Larry Tripplett and Tim Anderson, and rookies Kyle Williams and John McCargo (now on IR with a broken foot), have struggled with gap assignments and holding ground at the point of attack. That has allowed offensive linemen to get into the second level and get a piece of the linebackers. London Fletcher-Baker, Angelo Crowell, Takeo Spikes and rookie Keith Ellison have combined for 154 tackles, but they've probably missed 30 as Buffalo has allowed 314 total yards per game. The Bills are hoping for a healthy Spikes (post-Achilles soreness and hamstring injury) the second half of the season to make a difference.

SPECIAL TEAMS
B -- K Rian Lindell (10 of 11) and P Brian Moorman (43.9 average, 12 inside the 20) continue on as one of the NFL's top kicking tandems. They never seem to have a bad game. McGee (25.5 on kickoffs) and Parrish (10.3 on punts) have come on in the return game. Coverage units that led the league the past two seasons have tailed off considerably, however, thanks to a rash of penalties and season-ending knee injury to LB Josh Stamer.

COACHING
D-plus -- Coach Dick Jauron's encouraging 2-2 start is a distant memory after three consecutive losses to Chicago, Detroit and New England by a combined score of 88-30. All three phases of the team have regressed, and Buffalo is now among the league-leaders in penalties (50) and turnovers (14). After team owner Ralph Wilson fretted over "dumb" mistakes and questioned the player's effort in a 28-6 loss to New England, it's hard to dole out a passing grade to a coaching staff that has become ineffective in preparation and planning. Jauron and Co. have nine games to get things moving in a positive direction again and give hope to the future.

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