By Adam Hoge-

Doug Marrone’s 25-25 record as a college football head coach would have gotten him fired at a lot of programs, but in Syracuse, that was considered a

successful run, culminating in a share of the Big East title in 2012.

It was enough to get the attention of the Buffalo Bills, who are stationed just 150 miles west of Syracuse. The proximity to Buffalo, coupled with his time as offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints from 2006-08, landed Marrone the job with the Bills in 2013.

The hiring was somewhat surprising at the time and Marrone’s brief tenure in Buffalo has already come with plenty of controversy, mainly because of decisions he made with the offense last season. The ownership instability (longtime owner Ralph Wilson passed away in March) has only clouded the picture more, and one source indicated back in January that Marrone himself was doubting how long he’d last in Buffalo. Needless to say, this is an important season for him.

Offense

Coordinator: Nathaniel Hackett (second year)
Scheme: Up-tempo, run-first West Coast offense

This Bills team isn’t bad and probably has a playoff-caliber defense, but it’s hard to imagine Buffalo seriously competing in the AFC East with E.J. Manuel at quarterback. That’s why they went out signed Kyle Orton over the weekend, who could very well be the Bills’ starting quarterback sooner rather than later. Fortunately for the Bears, they’ll see Manuel this week as Orton crams to learn the offense. What’s amazing though, is that if Manuel were to get hurt Sunday, Orton is the only other quarterback on the Bills’ 53-man roster and would have to play despite having spent only a week with the team before the season-opener.

The Bills ran a somewhat up-tempo West Coast offense last year, which was questionable because Manuel and Thad Lewis weren’t exactly known for accuracy or efficiency. Hackett came over from Syracuse with Marrone and the result was a scheme that didn’t really fit the personnel. Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller led the NFL’s No. 2 rushing attack, but the Bills couldn’t move the ball through the air, which is a major problem in today’s NFL.

The additions of Sammy Watkins and Mike Williams should help, but Watkins has battled a rib issue in the preseason and the Bears’ strengths on defense (defensive line and cornerbacks) should be able to limit Buffalo’s ability to move the ball through the air. The big question is a familiar one: Can the Bears stop the run? One-dimensional offenses didn’t have a problem running against the Bears last season.

Perhaps the biggest upset of the entire 2014 NFL Draft is that seventh-round pick Seantrel Henderson is listed as the starting right tackle for the Bills. Henderson had numerous off-the-field issues in college and never lived up to the hype he garnered coming out of Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minn. He finished up college at Miami after starting at Minnesota and somehow was still drafted despite failing a drug test at the NFL Combine. The fact that he is starting the opener for the Bills is more indicative of a dire situation at right tackle than it is Henderson miraculously putting it all together.

Bears fans will see a familiar face at left guard where former first-round pick Chris Williams will start for the Bills. He lines up next to one of the better left tackles in the game in Cordy Glenn, but Williams is still a suspect pass protector and the Bears should be able to create pressure on Manuel throughout the game.

If the Bears can stop the run, they shouldn’t have a problem outscoring the Bills, but being able to stop the run is no guarantee.

Defense

Coordinator: Jim Schwartz (first year)
Scheme: 4-3

The Bears will see a familiar face in Schwartz, who was fired as the Lions head coach after last year’s collapse. Schwartz’s defenses in Detroit were talented, but terribly undisciplined and it will be interesting to see if that carries over to Buffalo. Marrone hired Schwartz after Mike Pettine took the head coaching job in Cleveland.

The Bills’ defense will present a stiff test for the Bears in Week 1, but they are switching from a 3-4 and lost safety Jarius Byrd to free agency in the offseason. Still, defensive tackles Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams are one of the best tandems in football and both were Pro Bowlers last season alongside defensive end Mario Williams. The Bears’ offensive line did not get a chance to play together all preseason and they will be tested by this front.

The acquisition of middle linebacker Brandon Spikes in the offseason boosted an already decent group of linebackers, but one of the most underrated offseason storylines was the torn ACL Kiko Alonso suffered in July. The former second-round pick had a tremendous rookie season for the Bills, playing every snap and leading the team with 159 tackles. He will be missed. With Alonso out, third-round rookie Preston Brown (Louisville) is Buffalo’s starting weak-side linebacker.

This is a good unit that also features cornerbacks Leodis McKelvin and Stephon Gilmore. Considering the Bears’ offense isn’t exactly coming out of the preseason on fire (they failed to score a touchdown in Seattle in the third preseason game) it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jay Cutler & Co. start slowly Sunday.

Special Teams

Coordinator: Danny Crossman (second year)

You don’t see many teams with two kickers on their roster, but the Bills are one of them. Dan Carpenter is their primary kicker, but the team claimed Jordan Gay, a punter and kickoff specialist, off of waivers and kept him on the 53-man roster in addition to punter Colton Schmidt.

Former Bear Corey Graham is still having a successful NFL career as a special teamer, landing a 4-year, $16.3 million contract with the Bills in the offseason.

Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin handles the kickoff returns, while McKevlin is the punt returner.

Opposing Assistant Coach Of The Week: Tyrone Wheatley. Every team has an old name everyone recognizes and for the Bills, it’s running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley. The former Giants and Raiders running back came over from Syracuse with Marrone, where he was the running backs coach for the Orange.

Three Facts

1. The Bills have never won a game at Soldier Field. They are 0-5 all time along the lakefront.

2. Bills defensive tackle Corbin Bryant is a Morgan Park graduate and played college ball at Northwestern. He entered the league with the Bears in 2011 as an undrafted free agent.

3. In the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl, Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore threw a 29-yard pass to Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. The two were teammates at South Carolina. Gilmore is a former high school quarterback who played with Jadeveon Clowney at South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, S.C.

Adam Hoge covers the Bears for 87.7 The Game and TheGameChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.