Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Many Buffalo Bills fans were wondering why the team decided to hire former Syracuse University head coach Doug Marrone over a guy like Lovie Smith from the Chicago Bears. It is a fair question, but this move should tell fans that the Bills know getting better offensively is key to building a championship-caliber team.

Playing in the AFC East with the New England Patriots is difficult enough. But the bigger task facing the Bills is becoming a better football team than worrying about the Pats. With quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick struggling mightily last season, the Bills need to see if the Harvard grad is good enough to lead the team to a better place. While he has shown flashes, Fitzpatrick’s inconsistencies may lead Marrone to another signal caller. There are rumors linking the Bills to soon-t0-be former Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick, but that may be a stretch too because Vick is seeking a more immediate chance to win.

The more likely scenario is that the Bills draft a signal caller in hopes of Fitzpatrick developing or having the problem of too many quarterbacks in town. There are other offensive pieces in place, so a signal caller may be the final piece.

But what about Marrone? Is he a top-caliber coach? When he was the offensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints, the team was quite successful. With his experience as well as his connection to and understanding of upstate New York, Marrone may finally be the guy the Bills have been seeking for years to stabilize things and bring the organization back to the glory days of the early 1990s.