Since we wanted to know what has gone into the Bills' turnaround, we turned to old pal Sal Maiorana, who has covered the Bills for nearly two decades for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and has a must-follow Twitter account. Check out what Maiorana had to say about each of the Bills' improved running game, their question mark at quarterback and some other hot topics in Buffalo.
NESN: It seems like the Bills have found more of an identity in the backfield since they traded Marshawn Lynch. Has that been the case, and how has that helped them?
Sal Maiorana: At the start of the year, Chan Gailey felt he could get Lynch, Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller touches in the offense, but it became clear that would be impossible. Once Lynch was traded to Seattle, Gailey settled on Jackson as the primary back and Spiller as the change-of-pace, and Jackson — as he did last season — has flourished in the lead role.


NESN: Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has posted some surprisingly good numbers this season. Do statistics tell the story of his production?
S.M.: What Fitzpatrick has brought to the Bills more than anything else is professional quarterbacking. He understands the offense, knows how to distribute the ball, and he's not afraid to take some chances, something Trent Edwards was incapable of doing. Fitzpatrick still battles inconsistency, but he's been productive.


NESN: With that said, how would you approach the quarterback position in this draft, especially with some franchise-caliber players at that position?
S.M.: The Bills have played themselves out of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, and it seems unlikely that they would pick another quarterback in the 4-7 slot that they may end up in. The team has major holes to fill on defense, and it seems they would lean that way.


NESN: How has the switch to a 4-3 base helped Buffalo's defense?
S.M.: The Bills went all in with the switch to the 3-4 in the offseason, but the problem was there weren't enough players familiar with the scheme to make it work. It's going to take at least another draft to bring in the right mix of players. This year, Gailey went back and forth from 3-4 to 4-3 because it was all he could do to stop opposing teams who were gouging the 3-4. In the last few weeks, the defense has played better, and it looks as if the 3-4 will be the defense down the road.


NESN: Where in the world did Steve Johnson's production come from?
S.M.: Johnson was the best story of the year for the Bills, a former seventh-round pick who'd made just 12 catches in his first two seasons. When Terrell Owens and Josh Reed were let go in the offseason, the Bills needed someone to step up and fill the void, and Johnson has done a nice job. In fact, some would say he's now the No. 1 receiver on the team, not Lee Evans.
