The Buffalo Bills' ability to run the ball well on first down should be the foundation of a successful offense for the team next season.

The Bills led the NFL in yards per carry on first-and-10 situations in 2011. The Bills averaged 5.46 yards on 192 carries, not counting quarterback scrambles.

That was well ahead of most of the league. Only four other teams averaged better than 5 yards a carry on first and 10. They were Oakland (5.29), New Orleans (5.19), Carolina (5.09) and Pittsburgh (5.07). Not surprisingly, all those teams moved the ball well. New Orleans led the NFL in total offense. Carolina was seventh, Oakland ninth, Pittsburgh 12th and Buffalo 14th.

Such good running ability is a testament to the quality of Bills running backs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller and the team's offensive line. It was arguably the best season by a Bills O-line since 1999.

It also bodes well for the offense next season. The Bills kept defenses honest on first down with their balance. Buffalo passed 52.7 percent of the time on first and 10 (counting QB scrambles). Most of the time (about 75 percent), those runs came out of spread-like formations, with three or more players in receiver positions. Spread 'em out and run.

The Bills ran 94 times for 535 yards (5.69 a carry) with three true wide receivers and the tight end lined up in a traditional spot, next to the tackle. They ran 31 times for 170 yards (5.48) with four wide receivers split out.

They ran very well with three receivers, two running backs and no tight end. They averaged 14.9 yards a carry on 12 runs from that personnel group. Most of those runs were a case of specific game-planning. The Bills hurt Oakland (5 runs for 76 yards) with three wides and two backs. And Jackson's 80-yard touchdown run against the Giants came from that group.

Coach Chan Gailey does not run out of "regular" formations much. The Bills ran only 11 times on first and 10 with two wide receivers, two running backs and the tight end in his traditional position.

All of those statistics, except for the league ranking, are unofficial, based on The News' breakdowns.

Jackson led all NFL running backs in yards per carry, at 5.49 yards an attempt. That was the best total by a Bills running back since O.J. Simpson averaged 5.52 a carry in 1975. Granted, if Jackson had played 16 games instead of 9 1/2, his average might have dropped a little.

Here are some other statistical notes from the Bills' season:

* Fitz lost third-down magic. Through seven games, Ryan Fitzpatrick was 44 of 66 for 477 yards with six TDs and two interceptions on third downs. His completion percentage was 66.6 and his passer rating was 105.4.

Over the last nine games, Fitz was 37 of 79 (46.8 percent) on third down for 465 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions. His passer rating was 44.5.

Overall the Bills ranked 28th on third downs. That's an alarm-bells situation. The reasons for the slump are many. Injuries reduced the effectiveness of the line, the receivers, the backs and Fitz, himself. The Bills' quick-passing scheme is dependent on the QB and receivers being on precisely the same wavelength, and that chemistry got shaken up as injuries took their toll. The Bills' four-receiver grouping wasn't as good the second half of the year, and the lack of plays from the flanker (the wideout opposite Stevie Johnson) limited the attack.

* Third and short suffered: The decline of the short passing game was evidenced on third down. Over the last nine games, the Bills converted just 20 percent of third-and-2, third-and-3 and third-and-4 situations (5 of 24). The league average on third and 2-to-4 was 49.5 percent conversions. The first seven games the Bills had no problem, converting 59 percent of those situations.

The loss of the hard-running Jackson no doubt had something to do with it, but Gailey probably will strive for a little better balance on third and short. The Bills passed 84 percent on third and 2 (11 of 13), 92 percent on third and 3 (12 of 13).

* It's a passing league: The league averages on third and short are a sign of what a passing league the NFL has become. On third and 2 this season, the NFL average was 70 percent passes. On third and 3, it was 83 percent passes. In 2000, the average on third and 2 was a little lower, 63.5 percent passes.

Overall the league average was 57 percent passes this year. The Bills passed 60.6 percent. All those deficits during the seven-game losing streak inflated the Bills' number. At midseason, Gailey was passing 55.5 percent.

* Too easy for enemy QBs. Further evidence the Bills need more heat on the quarterback: Buffalo allowed opposing QBs to complete 63.3 percent of their passes, the fourth worst defensive total in the league. And it was the worst total in Bills history.

That's what Bills General Manager Buddy Nix was talking about when he said: "I think our secondary, everything, would look better if we had some pressure on the passer. If you can't disrupt passers in the NFL and make them get out of rhythm and make them move, any of them will wear you out. We had some rookies that looked like Dan Marino and we let them look like that because we let them stand there. You've got to disrupt the quarterback."

Houston, a team loaded with pass rushers, held foes to an NFL-low 51.9 percent completions. Baltimore's D was second best at 53.8 percent. (We'll see how that plays out in New England today.) San Francisco's D was eighth, at 57.5.

When QBs have all day, they can look downfield better. Opponents averaged 7.74 yards per pass attempt against the Bills, another negative Bills team record (for a 16-game season), and the seventh worst total in the league.

Bills promote three

The Bills promoted three people in their administration this week. Dan Evans became vice president of information technology. Andy Major became vice president of event operations and guest experience. Gregg Pastore became senior director of digital media.

Evans has worked as IT manager for the Bills since 1998. He's on the NFL's technical advisory committee. Major was executive director of marketing the past four years. He will oversee event sales and operations, guest services, event marketing, parking and access and event staffing. Pastore is in his 11th year with the Bills. He oversees online marketing and manages the digital staff for the Bills' website, which gets more than 50 million page views a year.

Onside kicks

* NFL officials seemed to adopt a let 'em play attitude in the divisional round playoff games. Two teams, the Saints and Ravens were not penalized at all. The average number of penalties walked off per team was 2.4 for 22.1 yards per game.

* Coaches' challenges to officials' calls during the regular season resulted in 34 percent of the calls being overturned. Gailey was 3 of 9 on his challenges. The coaches with the most success on challenges were Baltimore's John Harbaugh and Philadelphia's Andy Reid (both 10 of 15), along with New England's Bill Belichick (7 of 10).

* Last week's game between the 49ers and Saints was the first in NFL postseason history that had four go-ahead touchdowns within a span of four minutes of playing time.

* In the rout of Denver last week, New England scored 45 points, gained 509 yards and did not allow a sack. It was the first time a team has had at least 40 points and 500 yards without allowing a sack in a postseason game since the Bills' 51-3 rout of the Raiders.

* With a win today over Baltimore, New England's Tom Brady will tie Hall-of-Famer Joe Montana for most career playoff wins (16).

* With last week's win over Houston, Baltimore's Harbaugh became the first head coach in NFL history to win a postseason game in each of his first four seasons.

mgaughan@buffnews.comnull