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Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Bills and why.

Things are looking up for the Buffalo Bills. A team that finished 6-10 and in last place in the AFC East in 2011 had arguably the league's best offseason. The Bills acquired defensive ends Mario Williams and Mark Anderson in free agency, drafted first-round cornerback Stephon Gilmore, and gave contract extensions to in-house stars Fred Jackson and Steve Johnson.

But each move adds more pressure to third-year Bills coach Chan Gailey, who is 10-22 in his first two seasons in Buffalo.

Is Gailey a good NFL head coach? It's hard to say. Gailey was 18-14 in two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before he was abruptly fired. Gailey still carries that sting after getting relieved without ever posting a losing season in Dallas. Gailey has struggled in Buffalo, but hasn't had nearly the same talent that he had with the Cowboys.

Talent is no longer a question this year in Buffalo. The Bills spent to the cap to nab top free agents, and many in-house players are coming into their own. Buffalo now has enough talent to make a playoff push. The question is, can Gailey and his staff put it all together?

This is a no-excuse year for Gailey. It's time to finally show what he can do in Buffalo with a bevy of talent at his disposal.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2012 NFL regular season will open just as the 2011 regular season ended -- with a game at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.

The NFL announced Tuesday that the Super Bowl champion Giants will host the Cowboys in the Wednesday, Sept. 5 season opener. It's the ninth year in a row that the league will open its schedule with a prime-time game hosted by the defending champs.

If you're a regular reader, you know this comes as a surprise to me. Looking at the Giants' 2012 schedule for home opponents, I thought it made the most sense to open with the Packers. That would have been a game between the past two Super Bowl champs that had widespread national appeal. But I guess the Cowboys have as much widespread national appeal as the Packers do, and in spite of this being a divisional game, it does cross geographical lines and span a couple of time zones. The added oomph of the Giants-Cowboys rivalry can't be overlooked, either. The Giants beat the Cowboys on Jan. 1 in the final game of the regular season -- a game that decided the NFC East title and put the Giants into the playoffs while eliminating the Cowboys.

No word on other Week 1 games or any other regular-season scheduling at this point. But Giants and Cowboys fans can circle Sept. 5 on their calendars if they want to. And I'm pretty sure I'll be there.

Suzy Kolber and Chris Mortensen discusses the best offseason signing so far; Tim Hasselbeck talks about the Buffalo Bills' chances after reeling in Mario Williams; and in "Did You Hear That?" the Dallas Cowboys are a dream come true for cornerback Brandon Carr.

The Miami Dolphins traded Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall Tuesday to the Chicago Bears. Vincent Jackson, Reggie Wayne, Robert Meachem and Pierre Garcon were all taken off the market quickly on the first day of free agency.

So who, exactly, will be the No. 1 receiver for Miami next season?

The Dolphins had two months to craft their offseason plan to build a title contender in 2012. But after one day of free agency, their plan looks confusing, particularly at wide receiver.

Miami is reportedly interested in Dallas Cowboys free-agent receiver Laurent Robinson. He had a career year replacing Miles Austin last season. Can Robinson be the No. 1 receiver for the Dolphins?

Or will Miami look to the draft? Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon is a top-10 pick. The Dolphins hold the No. 8 pick and now have a huge need at receiver. Should this be Miami’s next target.

What about Dolphins receiver Brian Hartline? He’s been decent opposite Marshall in the starting lineup. Is Hartline ready to take his game to the next level in Miami’s new West Coast offense?

Using our SportsNation poll, predict who will be Miami’s No. 1 receiver next season. You can also share your thoughts in the comments section below.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting San Francisco is battling Dallas for Kansas City cornerback Brandon Carr. There is little chance Carr will return to Kansas City. The Chiefs chose instead to sign former Oakland cornerback Stanford Routt last month.

If Carr goes to San Francisco, perhaps Oakland could get in on 49ers’ free agent cornerback Carlos Rogers. The Rams are talking to Saints cornerback Tracy Porter. He has been considered a possible candidate for Oakland, because he played for new Raiders coach Dennis Allen in New Orleans.

In other AFC West news:

Oakland free-agent Michael Bush tweeted that he has just arrived in Arizona. He did not indicate whether he is visiting with the Cardinals. However, with free agency open, it’s a possibility.

NFL.com is reporting Kansas City quarterback Kyle Orton is getting interest from Washington and Dallas. The Redskins are expected to draft Robert Griffin III, so Orton would likely be a backup in both spots. Kansas City has said it would like to see Orton return and compete with Matt Cassel. If Orton doesn’t opt to stay, perhaps it is because he thinks Cassel will be the starter in Kansas City.

NFL.com is reporting Oakland receiver Chaz Schilens will visit Arizona and the Jets. Schilens is from the Phoenix area.

ESPN's John Clayton is reporting Washington is talking to Denver receiver Eddie Royal. That makes total sense. Washington coach Mike Shanahan drafted Royal in 2008, and Royal excelled under Shanahan as a rookie.

Would Jason Campbell rather back up Jay Cutler or Carson Palmer?

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Campbell, Oakland’s former starter, is set to visit with the Bears.

He’d back up Cutler there.

Like Kansas City’s Kyle Orton (Schefter is reporting he will visit Dallas, where he’d backup Tony Romo), Campbell is clearly having trouble finding a place where he’d compete to start. I’m a bit surprised by that.

Campbell has been the victim of terrible luck. He broke his collarbone in October and the Raiders then traded two premium picks for Palmer. The Raiders are now married to Palmer. If Campbell leaves Oakland, it is clear he is looking for change of scenery rather than being open to signing with the Raiders to back up Palmer.

The Bears likely would be willing to give Campbell more than Oakland. A potential backup quarterback in Oakland is Matt Leinart. He was just cut by Houston. Oakland’s new offensive coordinator is Greg Knapp. He was previously Leinart’s quarterbacks coach in Houston.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Kansas City quarterback Kyle Orton will visit the Cowboys.

He would back up Tony Romo in Dallas. This is surprising to me. I would think Orton could get a chance to compete for a starting job elsewhere. But for his first visit to be a place where he would be a backup is an indication he may not currently have better options.

The Chiefs have said they would like to keep Orton and have him compete with Matt Cassel. To me, that seems like a better option than in Dallas for Orton.

Also, Miami quarterback Chad Henne is going to visit Jacksonville, Schefter reports. There has been some talk he could interest the Chiefs and Broncos. Also, if Henne ends up in Jacksonville, that could take a potential spot away from Tim Tebow in Jacksonville. The Broncos would likely call the Jaguars about Tebow -- who is from Jacksonville -- if the Broncos land Peyton Manning.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Denver will visit with Chicago free-agent safety Brandon Meriweather and Kansas City cornerback Brandon Carr will visit the Dallas Cowboys.

Meriweather was cut by New England last season. He played in 11 games and had four starts for the Bears. I don’t think he would be an overly expensive pickup for Denver is he signs. The Broncos are looking for a veteran safety with Brian Dawkins considering retirement.

Dallas has been considered a top landing spot for Carr. There is little chance he will return to the Chiefs. The Chiefs signed former Oakland cornerback Stanford Routt last month.

Suzy and Mort discuss the latest developments on Peyton Manning's search for a new home and the 32 crew lends its thoughts on the NFL's discipline on the Cowboys and Redskins

Minutes before the deadline, the Kansas City Chiefs did what was long expected of them: they placed the franchise tag on receiver Dwayne Bowe.

"Today was the league’s deadline to designate a franchise player and we felt it was in the best interest of the Kansas City Chiefs to place the tag on Dwayne," Kansas City general manager Scott Pioli said in a statement released by the team.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Feb. 25 that Bowe will be franchised. Here were my thoughts on that report.

There was little chance the Chiefs, who are in excellent salary-cap position, would allow Bowe to hit the open market. Expect the Chiefs to try to sign Bowe to a long-term deal by the July 15 deadline. If Bowe is not given a long-term deal, he will be set to be an unrestricted free agent again next year.

Pioli has done a good job of keeping the Chiefs’ best players and has gotten off to a good start in free agency. The Chiefs have already secured Bowe and former Oakland cornerback Stanford Routt. He was signed two weeks ago.

The Chiefs’ top unrestricted free agent is cornerback Brandon Carr. There is little chance he will return. Expect Dallas to be among the teams to make a big push for Carr.

Bob Glauber of Newsday tweeted that the Colts are not inclined to pursue tampering charges against Kansas City coach Romeo Crennel for comments he made about Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning on Saturday at the NFL combine.

From what I hear, I don’t expect the NFL to pursue charges, either. I expressed my thoughts on the silly saga Monday.

In other AFC West news:

The word at the combine was Cincinnati free-agent Jonathan Fanene could fit in with the Broncos. He is a versatile 4-3 player who can play both defensive end and tackle.

Another tidbit uncovered at the combine is that Oakland will be looking for linebackers aggressively in free agency and in the draft. Kamerion Wimbley and Aaron Curry are potential candidates for release in Oakland as the Raiders work to get under the salary cap.

It was a good day at the combine for potential AFC West prospects. Defensive tackles Dontari Poe of Memphis and Fletcher Cox of Mississippi State, and middle linebacker Luke Kuechly of Boston College all performed well at the combine Monday. The Broncos might be interested in Poe and Cox, and the Chiefs might look at Kuechly.

There is a report that the Jets will allow linebacker Bart Scott to seek a trade. He’s a 3-4 linebacker. I don’t see the two teams in the AFC West that run a 3-4, Kansas City and San Diego, making a run at Scott through a trade.

He is getting older and is on the decline. Perhaps if he becomes a free agent and is inexpensive, there could be interest. The Raiders will run some 3-4 looks, and it is possible it becomes a 3-4 defense based on its personnel heading to training camp, according to coach Dennis Allen, and it will need linebackers. I’m not sure if Scott would be the type of player the Raiders would pursue.

One team to keep an eye on in the Brandon Carr pursuit is Dallas. Word at the combine was the Cowboys could make an aggressive run at the Chiefs’ cornerback.

ATLANTA – Thoughts on the Atlanta Falcons’ 45-24 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at the Georgia Dome.

What it means: The Falcons are 10-6 and in the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history. The Falcons are in as the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs. They’ll play on the road against the winner of Sunday night’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. The Buccaneers ended their season in dismal fashion. After starting off 4-2, they lost their final 10 games and weren’t even competitive in most of those.

Momentum found: The Falcons bounced back nicely after a bad Monday night loss to the New Orleans Saints. Yeah, they were playing the Bucs, who might have become the worst team in the NFL, but the victory should create a positive vibe for the Falcons as they head into the playoffs.

Record Turner: Michael Turner broke Gerald Riggs’ team record for career rushing touchdowns with two in the first half. Turner now has 50 rushing touchdowns since joining the Falcons in 2008. Riggs set his record over the course of seven seasons. Turner also tied Riggs’ team record with his 25^th 100-yard rushing game since joining the Falcons. Too bad Turner doesn’t play for the Saints. Sean Payton would have kept feeding Turner the ball and given him a shot at a 500-yard day.

Roddy’s records: Roddy White became Atlanta’s all-time leader in receiving yards. He passed Terance Mathis’ previous record of 7,349 yards. White also had his 100th catch of the season. That makes White the first player to have two seasons of 100 or more catches.

Farewell, Jeff George: Quarterback Matt Ryan surpassed Jeff George’s 1995 record for passing yards in a season (4,143).

The Morris Watch: If Tampa Bay’s ownership hadn’t made a decision about the future of coach Raheem Morris before Sunday, another embarrassing loss couldn’t have helped his case. This game was over almost as soon as it started and it’s stunning to remember that the Bucs beat the Falcons in Week 3. As has been the case through most of the losing streak, the Bucs looked like a team with no direction. At some point in the next few days, the Glazer family, which owns the Bucs will have to break its silence and let the world know if they’re sticking with Morris or going in a different direction.

What’s next: The Falcons have to wait until the end of Sunday night’s game between the Giants and Cowboys to find out where they’ll travel to for the first round of the playoffs. The Buccaneers will get a top 10 draft pick and an offseason that’s sure to be filled with change even if Morris stays.

Wendi and Mort discuss the race for the final wild card spot in the AFC, "The Caveman" breaks down how Tony Romo can attack the Giants, and Did You Hear That? Victor Cruz expresses sadness over his Pro Bowl snub.

Suzy and Mort break down the possibilities in the AFC West, "The Caveman" discusses how Eli Manning can exploit the Cowboys, and Did You Hear That? Terrell Suggs talks about Ball So Hard University.

Wendy Nix and Chris Mortensen get New Orleans Saints' wide receiver Robert Meachem's reaction to Drew Brees' record performance; Gary Horton on Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton; and "Did You Hear That?" discusses Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' sideline interruption Saturday.